As an undergraduate student in health sciences at the University of Toronto, Paul Koshy always knew what the plan was for his career and future. Or at least he did, up until his third year.
“My whole family’s in the sciences, so there was always an unspoken expectation growing up that I would follow in their footsteps.” says Koshy.
“But I had somewhat of a rude awakening in my third year of university realizing I couldn’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life.”
For the undergraduate Koshy, ‘this’ included many more years of postgraduate study, as well as the long term prospect of medical school which did not appeal to him. “I found I was much more interested in my business electives, which had a people aspect I really enjoyed.”
After completing his bachelor of health sciences, Koshy received a tip from his older brother – who also bucked the family tradition in favour of a career in Human Resources Information Systems – about George Brown’s Human Resources Management Postgraduate program. Being naturally social and already interested in business, Koshy was drawn to the possible careers in this field.
“I remember looking at the possible job prospects in the program materials, and as I kept reading I realized this would be something I could really enjoy, and do well in,” says Koshy. “The dream of a corner office and a ‘VP of HR’ title weren’t bad either.” Currently, as a Coordinator of Organization Development for Indigo Books & Music Inc., Koshy is responsible for executing projects to address various needs in the organization while assisting to manage the change that these projects may incur. Koshy credits his program at George Brown with giving him a solid foundation to launch his career, which so far has included a yearlong stint in Ireland as a training consultant for a bank prior to his present role.
“In hindsight my co-op term was one of the most eye opening experiences because I was able to apply what we learned in the classroom right away,” says Koshy. “My manager during my coop really allowed me to shape the type of experience I got based on my strengths and interests, so I gained a lot of experience by the end of it.”
When it came to theory, Koshy’s course instructors employed a practical approach. “We learned the importance of needs analyses, following the consultative process and building a project framework, and we also practiced them all. We used a case study method which mirrored the real world very closely and in some instances the cases were real.”
What Koshy describes as the best part of his job now is the autonomy, and the feeling that he is applying his education – both undergraduate and postgraduate – on a daily basis. “In Organizational Development our work follows a similar process to what someone in academia or research would do. We work towards filling a gap or finding a solution to a problem based on our research and a hypothesis,” says Koshy, adding that he’s “very lucky to have had both the university and the college experience.”
And what do the scientists and parents think?
“Sometimes they might have difficulty understanding what I do day to day, but in the end they’re just happy if I’m happy.”
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