It is undeniable that friends play an integral part in shaping our lives. Without the slightest of hesitation, I attest to the fact that the person I am today is because of the friendships I currently have or have had in the past. But before I carry on, let me make one thing very clear. This blog post is not going to flirt on the topic of “how amazing friends are.” Although I do agree that friends are pretty amazing, I want to be as real and truthful as possible. Each of us has lost good friends either by choice or by force and there is a story to be learned from every friendship won or lost. I want to share with you the three lessons I have learned from my friends thus far and how it has impacted me both at the highest and lowest points of my life.

As I relive the memories of my time at McMaster University, which unequivocally were the four best years of my life, there were many lessons learned. These lessons helped shape me to be the individual and professional I am today. As I fulfill my role as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and as the President of the Canada Pakistan Professional Association (CPPA), I am filled with endless gratitude for those who continue to support me each step of my career. Although I am firm believer in fate, to get to the position I am blessed to be in today, I have worked tirelessly over the past several years; most importantly, during the four years I spent at McMaster University. Let me share with you the five key lessons that I learned during my undergraduate years which set me up for “success” soon after I graduated. As a student, if you align yourself with the five lessons learned below, I am hopeful that you too can fulfill your dreams and desires post-graduation.

How does one remain motivated to sustain a forward-looking mentality? In fact, what is motivation to begin with and what triggers motivation? Personally, I believe motivation is a factor of three variables, which I like to refer to as the “3 P’s:” people, persistence and the end product. Motivation, simply put, is the aspiration of an individual to do and/or achieve something. It is the craving that you feel in your mind and body when you lust for something you really want to accomplish. It is what makes you feel restless at night as you think about that one thing you want to achieve. I want this blog post to serve as a reminder to both you and I to never give up hope or  lose confidence in our abilities and aspirations to achieve certain goals. Remember, where there’s a will, there’s a way.  

Everyone has certain goals in life. Whether it is to pass an exam or get through recruiting season successfully, setting goals is an integral ingredient to a successful career. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t necessarily have to meet all of your goals in order to be “successful.” This blog post will be about goal-setting and my personal take on how to set goals for yourself that will guarantee success. As always, I will not only share with you certain goals that I have set in my life that I have achieved/exceeded,  but as importantly (if not more), I will discuss milestones that I have previously set that I was not able to achieve. Through my latter discussion, you will see that not achieving certain short-term goals can be extremely fruitful in the long-run!

It is that time of the year! Resumes are being scrutinized and cover letters are being perfected. Personal business cards are being printed by the 100’s and emails are being sent out to PwC reps by students to make that final impression before they attend recruiting events on campus. Attending these events, in my opinion, is one of the most essential part of the recruiting process. This blog post is a must-read for those students who are going to be networking with PwC representatives on their campus in the near future! Read on to find tips and tricks to refine your networking skills so that you succeed at the upcoming recruiting events/information sessions at your university!