Tell us a little about yourself
I am Bilal from Pakistan. I am currently in the United States finishing up an MA programme in Political Science and Government. I was offered a scholarship to attend the programme at the University of North Texas, United States.
I also hold MBA (2004) and MPA (2016) degrees which I completed in my home country.
What is your professional background?
I started my career in the telecommunication sector. From there, I first moved to economic development and trade promotion, and then, finally, I moved to the education sector. In total, this is a roughly 16-year journey in diverse and multifunctional capacities.
I have been involved in projects throughout my career. At some points in my career, I even performed as the ‘accidental’ project manager without the title, the recognition, and the whole nine yards!
How did you first hear about Kaya and what made you start your learning journey with us?
I see myself as a lifelong learner who has grasped every opportunity to acquire new skills and harness old ones. I was looking for an opportunity to be recognised for the project management skills, and other related skills, I have accumulated over the years.
The ‘mainstream’ project management certifications are too expensive for an average person from a developing country making these certifications inaccessible and exclusive. I believe education is the central piece of sustainable development, and it is incumbent upon all of us to make it more and more accessible and inclusive.
One of my other goals was to seek knowledge that is contextually applicable to social impact jobs.
While looking for such an opportunity on LinkedIn, I stumbled upon Humanitarian Leadership Academy’s LinkedIn page – and eureka! – I found exactly what I was looking for.
The Humanitarian Leadership Academy’s digital learning platform Kaya provides contextual learning modules that are accessible, inclusive, and elegantly curated. So far, I have completed five modules on project management in development and humanitarian settings. The course content is very relevant, and the self-paced learning experience is very suitable.
Another thing that I like is the ability to create my own ‘playlist’ i.e., a list of courses that I wish to do, so that I can keep track of them.
What’s your favourite Kaya course?
This is a difficult one! I liked every course I have finished, but I think Project Management Leadership was the best one for me so far. I like it because it provides me the opportunity to see the project management function from leadership perspective.
What is your next professional goal?
My next learning goal is to acquire an official designation or two in project management, e.g. Project DPro.
In my own country, Pakistan, 20 million children remain out of school. This makes Pakistan home to the second largest out of school population in the world. It is a big country, population wise, and roughly half of it is now below the poverty line with one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. It is also one of the countries most affected by climate change. If anywhere social impact is most needed, Pakistan is one of those places and I want to contribute what I can.
I am committed to keep harnessing more skills through further courses on Kaya, and I am very grateful to have found it. Kudos to all its team, organisers, donors, and supporters. Thank you!
Before coming to the US, I left off my career at mid-senior level. I hope to return in a leadership capacity where I can apply knowledge and skills from my diverse background. I look forward to doing this for social and human development causes.
