Graduate Advice: How BCIT prepared me for the workforce during a pandemic

As we look to celebrating our graduates at the upcoming virtual Winter 2021 Convocation Celebration on March 23, we turn to our BCIT graduates for their advice to prospective students. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing a series of Graduate Advice from some our graduates who have demonstrated remarkable resilience, innovation, and leadership during their educational journey at BCIT.

In the first series of Graduate Advice, we asked our graduates how BCIT has prepared them to enter the workforce during a pandemic.

Brett Ballah, Airport Operations

“I’ve studied at university and BCIT’s approach to learning was far different, but also far more concrete from my previous degrees. Despite that, there were several courses, particularly around project management and computer skills, where I learned a lot. Keeping a project on track is a skill you learn intrinsically elsewhere, but BCIT really gave us concrete tools to get stuff done. That came in particularly handy when the pandemic hit. We could no longer meet face to face to sort stuff out on the fly, so as students we had to put far more work and attention into the planning and tracking stages to make sure our group projects were finished on time to an excellent standard. It was great training for dealing with virtual teams.”

Meghan Brommeland, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

“BCIT prepared me for the pandemic in a few different ways. The BCIT Nursing program created opportunities for me to be placed in a variety of new and sometimes uncomfortable situations that forced me to be adaptable and creative, and use the base knowledge taught in the classroom and through practical skills training in any new situation. BCIT has given me the skills not only to be a nurse, but to be able to accept new challenges with confidence.”

Edward Beckett, Sustainable Energy Management

“I enrolled in the Sustainable Energy Management Advanced Certificate (SEMAC) program, which is designed to support employment opportunities in the field of sustainable energy management. Part of the program focused on giving us tools that we could use strategically to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.  As we developed strategies to overcome these barriers, we can now apply these lessons to changes caused by the pandemic and its effects in the workforce.

It was also a seamless transition for our cohort because BCIT offered this program online and classes were already taught virtually. I was already communicating with classmates virtually on assignments and group projects before and during the pandemic, so we were well prepared for this transition. “

Karin Chan, Technology Support Professional

“While I was studying, COVID-19 hit us, and we all had to pivot to remote learning. It’s nice to have the flexibility, but I think it’s important that you’re willing to learn and engage despite being part of a blended online model. The appeal of online is that you don’t need to interact or engage, but I feel it’s even more important in an environment like this. You learn best when you ask questions and troubleshoot with your fellow students!”

Jeffrey Salvo, Bachelor of Business Administration

“BCIT has prepared me for the workforce during the pandemic by allowing the flexibility required under these unprecedented times. Over the last year, I had been living in South Korea as an exchange student prior to the pandemic. BCIT gave me the flexibility to continue my education and complete my degree by adapting to the circumstances needed in response to the current situation. My instructors always had a line of communication open and were able to connect with me remotely. As many industries have been forced to adjust to remote work during the pandemic, my experience within this last year gave me the exposure to these conditions while preparing me to enter the workforce.”

Karen Kan, Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering 

“Time management and self-discipline were skills I continued to develop in my program at BCIT, and later became assets to finding work and working during the pandemic.”

March 23: A celebration to honour #BCITGrad2021

Join BCIT virtually at 10 am on March 23 to celebrate the Graduating Class of 2021. It will be a day for families and friends to come together from all over the world to celebrate our graduates’ success and their incredible accomplishment.

Don’t forget to download the official BCIT digital swag including Zoom backgrounds, Facebook frames, and Instagram Giphy stickers. As well, share your celebrations on social using the hashtag #BCITGrad2021 to be featured in the BCIT social feed.

Congratulations to the Class of 2021! We’re excited to welcome you in becoming a part of a powerful community of 190,000 BCIT alumni who are successful innovators, creators, and leaders making a positive impact around the globe.