Alumni

Alumnus -Ranjana Shardha

After migrating to Canada, Ranjana Shardha chose the one year Health Informatics program because "I wanted a career change but at the same time I did not want to lose my years of I.T experience and knowledge having worked as a Computer Engineer, Software Developer, and Database Administrator. I was looking for a college where I could get practical, hands-on experience as that is what helps in securing a job, only theoretical knowledge is not enough. This program has the best combination of practical world as well as theory."

"The third and final semester was the best part of the one year program as it provided me with real world work experience." explains Ranjana who did her Applied Practicum as a Report Writer with York Central Hospital . "Other than that, Professor Sylvia's course ‘The Cutting Edge of Health Informatics Technology’ included so many useful employer site visits which provided the class with the real world exposure and latest developments related to the Health Informatics field."    

Ranjana secured employment just after two months of graduating from George Brown College with MD Physician Services as a Product Support Analyst. "My job duties involve answering phone calls & emails by clients (EMR users) and solving their problems related to EMR usage."

Wireless Technology (post-graduate, three semester)
Graduated 2007

When explaining wireless technology, Robin Paul makes sure to use layman's terms s

o as not to confuse. This sensitivity to his audience is skill he picked up in his native India working as a telephone tech support agent for American users of Hewlett Packard products. Three years later he finds himself solving much more complex IT problems. And instead of resolving issues over the phone, he does so in person in the heart of Toronto's financial district.

As a client services representative for Toronto’s Data Impeccable Inc., Robin is responsible for keeping a handful of small to medium firms connected and communicative at all times. This could include setting up their wireless networks or resolving issues related to their computers, servers, handheld devices, software applications or databases—anything IT-related.

So how does someone go from working in a call centre in New Delhi to Toronto’s Bay St.? There are many contributing factors. First, Robin benefited from a strong English-based education in his birthplace of Punjab, India. Next, he beat out fierce competition to get an electronics engineering degree. Then he gathered some valuable IT-related work experience with a multi-national corporation. But those elements alone would not have gotten him his current job. “George Brown College was the crucial link,” he says.

Now settled in Toronto’s Beach area, Robin finds time to enjoy the City’s offerings including the occasional home cooked meal—or a close facsimile thereof—which he finds miles away from the downtown core in the suburb of Brampton. “Like my George Brown education, it’s definitely worth the trip,” he says.

Grateful for his experience in Toronto, he adds, “I hope to one day be able to give back to George Brown College as an employer.”

[Read the full article about Robin Paul]

"I was originally planning to go to University to pursue a more theory-oriented program, but I discovered that George Brown College offered very applied hands on programs and decided to commit right away!" explains Wireless Networking graduate Nitin Ahujam.

After graduation, Nitin secured employment with Redline Communications as a Network Engineer as a direct result of the Wireless Networking program’s last semester COMP 2107  Team Project: Network Design placement.

"My program coordinator, Khalid Danok, made an effort to have our class meet with industry people face to face through out the 3 semester program, and that made all the difference!"

Nancy Nangia

"George Brown College allowed me to gain hands-on experience and develop networks with people in the field. Every day I use the concepts and skills I gained in the Wireless Networking program."

Nancy’s COMP 2107  Team Project: Network Design placement during the last semester at Infonaut provided her with the opportunity to work on some interesting projects that included ETL Documentation, Online Request Forms, Web-Based Application Software,  ArcGIS Server, Google Maps API, iPhone Development, & Intelligence Tracking System for Infection Control & Response. "It was my first exposure to the real world, and it reinforced my ambition to enter the IT industry."

Nancy is currently employed as an IT Engineer for Up.Time Software Inc. "The most rewarding part of my job is that life in general is way better.  Having a good career and making a good income takes a lot of stress off and has lead to better quality of life for me and my family."

Amrita Tyagi

Health Informatics – T402
Graduated 2007

"While the work itself was very rewarding, the amount of trust and responsibility given to students was empowering." recalls Health Informatics graduate Amrita Tyagi of her applied practicum with GE Healthcare, Canada.  Her duties involved creating standard operating procedures for clinical systems and diagnostic imaging products. "It was quite inspiring to work with exceptional, high quality professionals in the industry. The team members were friendly, approachable, and willing to work with me to ensure that I had a successful experience at GE."

The smaller size of class made it easier for Amrita to interact with faculty members and get important advice. "I received tremendous guidance and professional support from faculty that encouraged me to go beyond my comfort zone and pursue my dreams. The George Brown College environment was very nurturing both professionally as well as personally.

Soon after graduation, Amrita secured employment with St. Michael’s Hospital as a Clinical Content Specialist, exposing her to a variety of project management tasks. "The balance of the day is usually made up of various meetings with team members, solving complex problems, looking at the business processes, and making recommendations. Since technology is ever-changing, I always know there is a new challenge to face when I get to work each morning. I enjoy being surrounded by the top players in healthcare industry who challenge me to be my best!"

Alumnus - Dorna Farshid

Computer Programmer Analyst - T127
Graduated 2008

"I received my bachelor degree in computer software engineering back in my home country before moving to Canada. I decided to update my knowledge to be ready for work and I was looking for a college like George Brown to help me achieve all I was looking for" states Dorna Farshid who graduated from the Computer Programmer Analyst program.

The most valuable experience for Dorna during her studies at George Brown was getting the opportunities to have wonderful teachers & friends from all over the world and getting the experience which gave me confidence in my future career.

"Ylber Ramadani, Coordinator of the Computer Programmer Analyst program, was my favorite instructor. He is one of those teachers who have a positive profound impact on their students’ life. He taught us that in team working ‘I’ doesn’t have a real meaning. It’s ‘We’ that has all the meanings."

Dorna started working part time for George Brown College in the IT department.  Systems Specialist Vikas Kukreja who Dorna was working with found Dorna her current job working for Performance Challenges Company as a Client Data System Services Administrator.

"When I make sure the clients are satisfied with our services, the feeling that we were able to do our job is the biggest award. Besides that, I am building my confidence, improving my skills and experience!"

Kamran Khan

Computer Systems Technology program – T147
Graduated 2007

For Kamran Khan, the most rewarding part of the job is a sense of pride and satisfaction that comes from a successful implementation.  "Each day that I take on a new challenge and succeed, it builds a strong foundation of confidence which propels me to excel in the field." 

Prior to enrolling in the program there was quite of bit of extensive research done by Kamran. "All statistics showed that in the IT sector growth was still prevalent in the wireless communications, network administration, and systems administration industries."  Kamran was glad he made the choice to enroll in the Computer Systems Technology program as it ultimately led him to be selected as Convocation valedictorian, his pinnacle experience during his presence at George Brown.

As part of a project management course, Kamran completed a work placement with an up and coming company called Jambo Mobile (currently have merged with Silverbirch Studios http://silverbirchstudios.com/).  "They assigned many projects to my group that directly aligned with our studies at George Brown - like exchange server administration and network implementations/planning.  At the end of the placement they offered me a job, but I was looking for something different at my stage in life. "

Kamran is currently employed as a Clinical Management Systems Implementation Team Lead at Alpha Global IT.  "Special projects are something that I undertake at almost a daily basis.  Whether it’s dealing with physicians for projects in India, Newfoundland, or Manitoba, implementing network environments for our internal departments or acting as project lead for a company wide rollout of a Customer Relationship Software solution - I embark on new projects quite often."

Kamran has always been an advocate of continuing studies.  "I personally will be looking into enrolling in some management courses.  There is no doubt that GBC has all the knowledge and tools that I need to be successful in my line of work!"

Margi Joshi

Computer Programmer Analyst - T127
Graduated 2004

After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics & Physics, Margi Joshi was looking for a hands on computer science program so she decided to enroll in George Brown College’s two year Computer Programmer/Analyst program.

"I always was interested in the field of science, analysis and computers.  So, it wasn’t a surprise that I got into computers with my science background", says Joshi.

Over the course of the two year program, Margi credits some amazing professors who helped shape her career into what it is now.  Starting out as a Junior Programmer, Margi has recently been promoted to Manager of Software Development at Gemma Communications.   She fondly recalls her time at George Brown making new friends, being a peer tutor and library assistant and getting great career advice from professors. 

"Besides the IT skills, I learned the importance of teamwork and organizational skills that prepared me for my current job."

Her proudest achievement came at the end of her program when she was chosen as 2004 Class Valedictorian for the Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies. 

When asked about her current role, Margi states "There is never a dull day at work. A typical day at work would be frequently multi -tasking with different teams, projects and clients. There is always something new happening at my office."

As the IT industry is always evolving, Margi plans on keeping herself updated by getting further education in IT and in business, building on the strong foundation she received at George Brown.

Liberty Chisasuro

Computer Programmer Analyst - T127
Graduated 2007

In his native Zimbabwe, then 14-year-old Liberty Chisasuro began his first job working with computers in his uncle's shop. It was at that early age that he realized he had a natural ability for a career in IT. That ability, along with the security of a good job in the booming IT industry, was a factor in Chisasuro's decision. After coming to Canada with his family in 2001, he chose the Computer Programmer/Analyst program at George Brown because of the convenient downtown location.

As a relative newcomer to Canada, Chisasuro quickly discovered that the college proved to offer more than just convenience. "Getting to meet and interact with a diverse group of people was one of my best experiences at GBC." He recalls, "I think GBC is that one college in Ontario that truly embraces the multicultural population of Toronto; you could see that in every classroom."

Now working as a Web Applications Programmer with Performance Challenges Corporation, Chisasuro owes much of his success to his experience at George Brown. "The program at GBC …gives you a lot of options in regards to what direction you want to take...", says Chisasuro, "By the time you graduate, you have hands-on experience in at least 4-5 different programming languages... This guarantees you lots of options or job types to choose from." Chisasuro found the program content to be relevant and current. He also credits some of his faculty for their hand in creating a welcoming and professional environment in which to learn. "Our professors encouraged development of team skills by including a lot of group work throughout the courses." he adds.

The experience has paid off. Shortly after graduation, Chisasuro landed his current job. "I work in the data-center with a small team of programmers and database architects." he explains, "My primary role is to develop database driven web-applications". Chisasuro spends much of his day writing code to modify existing systems and doing custom upgrades for the company's many clients, including Rogers, one of the largest.

What's next for Chisasuro? "I plan on completing a degree at Ryerson in IT-Management." He answers, "I have no plans on leaving Toronto."

Dr. Dinesh Shettigar

Health Informatics program - T402

The evolution of information technology (IT) is transforming the health-care system by creating new ways of accessing and managing information that will impact how our health-care needs are met. By offering the one-year Health Informatics (HI) Postgraduate program, George Brown College gives professionals in the health and IT sectors the opportunity to blend their skills and become the collaborative specialists required by this rapidly expanding field.

As a practicing Dental Surgeon in India for eight years, Dr. Dinesh Shettigar recognized IT's potential for making quality health care more accessible - particularly telemedicine in rural areas where patients would otherwise have to travel long distances to get an opinion of a specialist.

Now, as a graduate of the Health Informatics program, Dr. Shettigar has combined his health background with his expanded knowledge and understanding of IT to focus on improving the delivery of dental services as an account executive with a leading dental products company.

"Health practitioners can treat patients more efficiently by adopting and properly implementing IT," says Dr. Shettigar. "For instance, working with a classmate during our practicum, we produced a feasibility study on converting a client's dental practice into a 'paperless office.' In the very near future, this will become a necessity in the dental profession."

And since the importance of HI applies to all health professions, the demand for HI professionals is forecasted to grow tremendously in the near future. For instance, one estimate puts the investment required to digitize all health records in Canada - a critical project that will improve the accuracy and timeliness of information to literally save lives - at $7 to $10 billion, which equates to 9,000 additional full-time positions for six years.

Discovering the broad range of professional options available in his chosen field was actually one of the greatest benefits of George Brown College's HI program for Dr. Shettigar.

"I gained a great deal of industry exposure while working with various software and hardware vendors during the practicum. But what really struck me were the avenues of interest that I never knew about before the program," says Dr. Shettigar. "No matter what your background, you have to keep your mind and eyes open for all possibilities - and the George Brown College program really helped to widen my horizons in that way."

Read more stories from George Brown Graduates...

To learn more, visit the George Brown College Alumni page.

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Revised: April 27, 2011