NECB Alumni Spotlight: Meet Imran Sameja, BSBA Graduate
NECB: Why did you decide to attend NECB?
Imran: I decided to attend all because of Caitrin Brisson, NECB Dean of Student Services! She opened my eyes to the abilities I would have with NECB where I could juggle family, work and school at the same time. I wanted to complete my bachelor’s in business administration degree and the only way I knew to do that was with NECB.
NECB: What advice would you give to someone considering going to NECB?
Imran: If you have a busy lifestyle or struggle with the normal classroom setting and you feel like you are hitting a wall when it comes to retaining information; NECB allows you to work at a more appropriate pace that works for all learning personalities. I was able to retain information quicker, implement what I learned in my 9 to 5 job and truly succeed with my education, all before graduating with my BSBA!!!
NECB: What advice would you give to students to be successful with online learning? Any challenges you had to overcome? Or any misconceptions you had going in that turned out to be untrue?
Imran: To be successful with online learning you have to believe in it and hold yourself accountable. Your accountability is key to your success. If you choose to skip homework or not study for a test than you will see the results.
I had to overcome the challenge of moving to a new state, starting a new position and welcoming our first child to the world all while being an online student getting my bachelor’s degree. While being knee-deep in all the aspects of my life I also had to find a way to get my work done. Late nights, lunch breaks & working while watching my favorite shows, that is how it worked for me. The misconceptions of online learning state that you will not learn the necessary social skills that you would normally get in a traditional classroom environment. At NECB there are a lot of opportunities to engage and collaborate with your classmates and professors through group projects and weekly class discussions. The social aspect is not absent from NECB.
NECB: How did you juggle / manage being a student while working and trying to balance everything?
Imran: Late nights, lunch breaks and working while watching my favorite shows, that is how it worked for me. Sometimes I was taking an exam while waiting for my plane or on my plane ride! My wife was a huge supporter in that she would remind me that I needed to focus on school!
NECB: How did you keep yourself motivated all the way to graduating?
Imran: Honestly, I kept myself motivated by using the knowledge is acquired in the classroom by "testing” it out in my day to day job. It was the easiest way for me to prove that what I was learning was ACTUALLY relevant to the real world, not just in the classroom. My wife and children were a huge motivation for me. I want to provide them with the best that life can give and that alone drove me to achieve my goal of getting my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration as quickly as possible.
NECB: What was the #1 thing you’ll take away from your time at NECB?
Imran: The #1 thing that I will take away is that a majority of what I learned are things that I continue to use every day.
NECB: What does having your degree mean to you?
Imran: To me this degree highlights the success that I have achieved. With the degree and education I have received from NECB, I’ve been able to increase the market share of the banking intuition that I used to work at. Through my education at NECB, I was able to motivate and create successful teams in the banking industry where growth was considered not possible. A majority of my team, over the past several years, have been promoted to leadership roles as well as found their passions through starting their own successful businesses which I am very proud of.
Through the knowledge and skills I acquired through my online education at NECB, I was able to transition into Healthcare Management. In this new position, I was able to take a medical practice in Pennsylvania that was losing money day over day and at the brink of closing its doors to being one of the largest independent cardiology practices in the region and achieving a 7 percent profit margin within 18 months!
Not only that, I was also able to successfully organize, condense and manage a property management company on their road to success. In addition, I was able to coordinate a 16-city nationwide book tour for two prominent figures in the art and literature industry. Phew I think that is it...but there is more to come!