“Canada is the land of dreams and hard work”, this is what I have heard and read since my days in college in India and I have always wanted to come to Canada, become self-dependent and cherish the opportunities Canada has to offer. In the third year of my engineering, I started to look for colleges and universities that offered courses in digital marketing, the reason why I chose marketing was that I am always fascinated by the creativity and power of persuasion that revolves around marketing and how it had become a necessity of every business. So, as I was reading about different courses, the Certificate in Digital and Content Marketing at York University caught my attention. It offered the exact combination of skills and knowledge I wanted to gain, I instantly decided to opt for this certification.

My name is Vikhyat Aggarwal, and I am an international student from India. I arrived in Canada in December 2022 to pursue a Post-Graduate Certificate in Business Administration at York University. After completing this course, I continued my studies with a Post-Graduate Certificate in Digital and Content Marketing, which I am about to finish as I am in my last semester. This journey has been a roller-coaster ride, filled with challenges and growth, and I'd like to share my experiences and advice for future students considering this path.

Choosing a university from almost 12000km is not an easy task for anyone as there is a lot to consider before putting your time, money and energy for almost 1 year which is going to play a major role in deciding my future career. After looking over 25 universities in Canada, The one that caught my eye and mind was York University, Keele Campus. I looked up over a 20 videos about the campus online which made me feel like a place where I would fit in well. The amenities that York provides its students to enjoy in the campus made me feel like home. Which is important for any international student so that we can focus on our studies. I chose the course of Digital Marketing which matched with my previous degree of journalism and mass communication perfectly. Let me take you to my 8 months affair with York University and how this roller coaster ride impacted my professional journey as a Digital Marketer. 

A bit of a back story about me:
I’m an international student studying at York University’s School of Continuing Studies pursuing my Post-Graduate in Digital & Content Marketing, I hail from Mumbai India, where I was working as a content moderator for Meta and decided that I want to pursue a career in digital marketing so applied for a course at York and got an offer letter so I packed my life in 3 suitcases and came to Canada with big dreams and high hopes

As one of the millions of international students from India, I often ponder whether the investment of my father's hard-earned money is truly worth it. As someone who once considered pursuing a master's degree in India, I know firsthand how incredibly hard—or almost impossible—it can be to crack any competitive exam with the sheer amount of competition. This reality leads many of us to leave the country, following in the footsteps of family members who "made it" in the West, earning a six-figure salary, owning a house, and driving multiple cars.

Did I choose York University because the fees were relatively lower? Because I received the offer letter in just 15 days? Or because the agent called me every day, pushing me to pick this school due to the commission they would receive? I was skeptical too. Here's my experience if you are in the same boat.

I am Aneri Modi, pursuing a postgraduate certificate in Digital and Content Marketing. After completing a Marketing Management program at Sheridan College, and examining job postings online, I realized the growing demand for Digital Marketing skills. After doing some research and comparisons, I chose the Digital and Content Marketing course at York University's School of Continuing Studies. I was attracted by its favorable tuition fees for international students and York’s esteemed brand image in comparison to other diploma colleges.

It is difficult to go to a new place and start pursuing something new. As an international student, finding the right path and institute is challenging. There are 100s of institutes and universities in Canada but one university that stands out the most is York University. Now you must be thinking is York a Good University? It is one of the top 5 universities in all of Canada which is really impressive. It is also one of the biggest hubs for international students.

When I first decided to move to Toronto, I had no plans of pursuing a career in marketing. I was a bundle of nerves and excitement. Equipped with a graduate degree in mass communications from Mumbai, India, and a post-graduate diploma in journalism from Humber College, Toronto, I understood the world of communication. It was when I visited my family and friends back home, that I realized that I should pursue marketing to arm myself further in the corporate world of content writing.

While pursuing my career as an Assistant Professor in Commerce and Management, I always dreamed of studying at a university abroad and starting my own business. I was enthusiastic to upgrade my businessskills and explorenewopportunities. Though it was challenging, but not impossible, and having a study gap, I enrolled in the York University School of Continuing Studies for a Post Graduate Certificate in Business administration. To become a successful entrepreneur I decided to choose Post Graduate Certificate in Digital and Content Marketing. This blog post aimsto provide a fair account of my experiencesto assistfuture students make informedchoicesabout university.