McMasterAlumni

When the master plan falls apart, the world can feel quite small. But as Celine Ling quickly discovered, if you take some time to rethink the plan, new opportunities will present themselves. For her, that involved working in the medical device industry, becoming an entrepreneur, starting a renowned food vlog, and moving to Singapore.

Even though Khaled (’14) always loved tinkering with computers, he never thought a career in software engineering would require him to think about people and their needs as much as he does. As a senior product manager for Amazon Web Services, he’s found a lot of joy in balancing the digital with the human.

When the master plan falls apart, the world can feel quite small. But as Celine Ling quickly discovered, if you take some time to rethink the plan, new opportunities will present themselves. For her, that involved working in the medical device industry, becoming an entrepreneur, starting a renowned food vlog, and moving to Singapore.

Heading into university with a clear idea of what you want your future career to look like can lead to some amazing opportunities. But if you’re willing to follow your heart, you may find yourself taking on roles that never felt possible. In this week’s episode of Unconventional, Maria (‘14) tells the story about how her dream to be a psychotherapist didn’t always include being an entrepreneur – and how she wouldn’t change a thing now that it does.

When legislative changes meant that Dan Banko (’96) lost easy access to raw materials for his final arts thesis, which focused on sculpting with welded materials, he had to think fast and switch his focus. Since then, he has developed an approach to photography and storytelling that pairs his classical training with marketing to help elevate any brand.

Since graduating in 2007, Ryan has found his groove selling bespoke timepieces, developing marketing strategy for clients, and cultivating supportive spaces for new business ventures. Yes, he’s busy; and yes, it is (seemingly) a far cry from his political science/theatre and film degree. But, as Ryan outlines in this week’s episode of Unconventional, it’s all led to the experience and skills needed to build a deeply meaningful career.

Gabriel ’17 is determined live a life of adventure. Since graduating, he’s tended bar in Germany, backpacked through India, and ran a 400-kiometre multi-marathon in Tajikistan. Armed with an anthropology degree, a lot of grit, and a joy for trying new things Gabe has followed a career journey that would be a thrilling documentary (but he’s already been there, done that). In this week’s episode of Unconventional, Gabe tells his incredible story of how he found himself running around the world as Director of Midnight Runners, an organization that plans loud, colourful, and exciting running events in major cities across the globe.

For Kirsten, graduating high school without a master plan caused a lot of stress. But when she followed a journey of what seemed interesting to her, she discovered a world full of possibilities she never considered. Now she adds a creative edge to her communications degree as an interior designer, specializing in both residential and commercial spaces.

Devin chose to go to McMaster because it was close to his home in Toronto but had a very community-based feel to it. But after a difficult first-year experience, Devin had to re-think how he approached university life. The result is a lifelong career journey that would see him travel the world and discover entirely unexpected opportunities he never thought possible.

Parm ’17, started his educational journey thinking he would find his dream career in computer science, but nothing in the program seemed to click for him. It wasn’t until he started working that he discovered the possibilities of a career in PR and communications. After graduating with a Masters in Communication Management from Mac, Parm launched a career that would bring him insurmountable joy.