Continuing Education’s Fast-Track program a perfect fit for new Canadian

Marilyn Mekhail arrived in Canada five years ago with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and several years of experience as an accounting manager in Egypt and Kuwait. Those qualifications got her a position as an accounting manager with a Mississauga company, but Mekhail knew that she needed more.

“Most aspects of accounting are the same worldwide, but I needed to learn about Canadian taxes and regulations,” she said. “I also wanted to better understand the Canadian approach and culture.”

Her challenge – one shared by many immigrants to Canada – was finding time to continue her education. Mekhail had family and work responsibilities: her son was eight years old when she and her husband left Kuwait, hoping to provide their family with a better future; her parents, who have some health problems, also live with them.

When she learned that McMaster University’s Fast-Track Accounting program would provide her with a diploma in just one year, Mekhail registered for September 2013. She graduated in August of 2014.

“It was the most wonderful and interesting year since I landed in Canada,” she says. “Right from the start I was made to feel welcome. I didn’t feel like an immigrant, but a part of Canada.”

Her course instructors, she says, “were all highly qualified. Not only did they have the educational qualifications, they were also working in the field. They came from their offices to the classroom. That meant they were able to share with us the problems they encountered in their work and how they dealt with them.”

They also provided her with the Canadian context she was looking for. For example, instructors would show stories from Canadian TV news and finance programs and then lead a discussion about how the information would be analyzed and applied to accounting work.

Some aspects of accounting can be technical, Mekhail adds, but her instructors made it interesting. “We were often laughing in class, but we were learning as we were having fun.”

The humour always had a purpose. One instructor described how he was able to reduce the tension in a stressful budget meeting by telling a joke. “That helped me be not so shy with people at work,” says Mekhail.

Mekhail was able to use her new knowledge right away at her job. For example, when her employer asked about how selling an asset would affect the company’s financial status, Mekhail was able to remind him that the tax implications also needed to be considered. Her new understanding of Canadian taxes allowed her to explain the issues and help the company make a better decision.

Mekhail says she also appreciates the friendships that developed among the students. “We would often get together for meals or to study together, and that also helped me feel more at home in Canada.”

She credits her religious faith and her strong family relationships with helping her manage her studies while also working and caring for her son and parents.

Keeping her priorities in mind helped her manage her time. “I needed to work, but I also needed to learn so that I could do better at work and make a better life for my family,” she says.

“I would advise anyone who has moved here to look into the programs McMaster offers,” she says. “It is an investment in yourself and in your new life in Canada.”

McMaster University Centre for Continuing Education programs are available online and in person. Spring/Summer enrolment opens March 14. Learn more at McMasterCCE.ca