Watch the video with Kasra Zahir (above).
While following his passion as an electronic musician, Kasra Zahir thought he had already discovered who he was. He only turned to the Ivey MBA in hope of transitioning to a more steady and reliable job. However, during the MBA program, he learned more about himself than he had thought possible. He even managed to launch a new career that combines elements of his old self with the new.
“I learned a lot about myself as a person. It was a training ground for me to become more comfortable with who I am,” he said. “It’s reassuring to discover who you are, the values you have, and the things you have to offer in relationships to people, even people as talented as those in my class. The MBA program helped me to clarify where I was in life.”
Although he had a background in Engineering, Zahir first pursued a career as an electronic musician and producer and started his own record label. He loved the work, but needed more income to pay the bills. He read books on finance and investing to try to manage his money during those lean times as a musician. He then decided to pursue his MBA at Ivey, thinking he might want a career in the finance field. While at Ivey, he discovered his personality is a better fit for the consulting field. He has been hired by Deloitte as a technology strategy consultant and will begin work there in August.
“I get bored quickly when work is repetitive. Consulting involves working with different clients on different problems so there’s that constant change in the work environment. At the same time, you have to constantly learn and communicate those learnings. These kinds of things are really important to me and consulting provides them. Since the focus is on technology, I’m also leveraging my background in Engineering,” he said. “Consulting as a career really captivated me, but at the same time, I have this passion for new cutting-edge technology. With my new role, I get the best of both worlds.”
Whether it was quality courses, new adventures, or friends for life, the MBA gave Zahir more than he had bargained for.
International adventures
He had always wanted to visit China and was able to do so by participating in the China Study Trip. Not only did he learn a lot from the interactions with executives from companies in China, but he experienced a new culture and bonded with his classmates during the trip, as well as a follow-up excursion to Cambodia.
“When you travel together, you get to know people a lot better and that creates bonds. I made friends that will last a lifetime. We have a strong network,” he said. “The level of exposure I got in China was also better than I would have gotten on my own. I learned a lot and it was fun.”
Zahir is looking forward to gaining even more international experience through participating in The LEADER Project at Ivey. LEADER is a student-driven overseas economic development program that sends students from Ivey’s MBA, HBA, MSc, and PhD programs to one of nine cities across seven countries around the world to teach foundational business administration and entrepreneurial skills to budding entrepreneurs. Zahir is travelling to Haiti in late April for LEADER.
