NorQuest College business admin program appeals to next-gen entrepreneurs
Reaching your goals in business and in life
Writer Louis Efron said it best in his December 2015 Forbes magazine article entitled why millennials don’t want to work for you.
Simply put: “Millennials don’t want jobs, they want lives,” wrote Efron. It’s a sentiment echoed by NorQuest College business administration graduate Ben Ancheta.
The 26-year-old who is now using his NorQuest diploma as two years of credit towards a bachelor of applied business degree at NAIT, chose to study business because he shares a generational shift in work/life outlook with many people in his age group.
“I want to be financially comfortable with my own business,” he says. “I want to be my own boss and I want the freedom that will bring. What’s the point of working for a company hoping for growth when I can work for myself and create that growth?”
That is the million dollar question. And at NorQuest, the mission of the college’s exemplary faculty is to help students achieve their goals. NorQuest instructors view their students as partners in education. This allows a closer instructor/student relationship that is enhanced by engaging and innovative programming – programming that matches the skills learners need to reach their goals in education and in life.
Ancheta calls it his four 25s: 25 per cent work, 25 per cent family, 25 per cent learning, and 25 per cent play.
“It is true about millennials,” he says. “We do have expectations about work/life balance. So that’s why I feel education is so important. And from my education at NorQuest, I gained a perspective in finance, in accounting, in marketing, business law, and how everything is integrated – working together.”
When Ancheta was ready to return to school in 2012 after a seven-year absence from the classroom, NorQuest offered him the best opportunity to learn about his own capabilities. And he was able to do so in an atmosphere that was conducive to his learning style.
“The small classrooms were great. Everyone got to know each other. Students at NorQuest are more connected compared to other schools where there are 300 students and a teacher. And being connected helps with certain fears – fears like public speaking. That is a huge aspect to owning a business – being able to speak to people. And being in a smaller class makes it feel like you are just talking to friends. You can have fun with it and be yourself.”
He is also appreciative of NorQuest’s affordability and accessibility.
“You can’t complain about the tuition fees and expenses, and the location is great. Downtown is in the middle of everywhere: there’s busses, there’s LRT… I wouldn’t take back my time at NorQuest. I enjoyed myself, I met good people, I had a good education, and it took me a step forward to reaching my dream.”
New programming for 2016
NorQuest’s business admin program will have new features in 2016.
The highlights include three specializations instead of two (accounting, management, and HR training); Year Two will now be more project-based as compared to the typical lecture-based programming. Students can start in September or January.
For more information on NorQuest College programs and courses visit www.norquest.ca and follow us on Twitter @norquest
Students at NorQuest are more connected compared to other schools. Everyone got to know each other. I had a good education, and it took me a step forward to reaching my dream.