That part is okay to me. I would actually love to see the entire SOP.
I am Anmol Sachdeva S/O Krishan Lal Sachdeva and I am 24 years old. I am an Indian National, residing in Mohali, India.
“It is our choices which make us who we are, far more than our abilities”
These words of wisdom written by my favorite Author, JK Rowling, are a perfect testimony of my decision to pursue Post Graduate Certificate in Project Management from Conestoga College, Kitchener. For my language proficiency, I prepared for IELTS exam and appeared in it on 16th Dec’ 2019, scoring an overall of 8.0 bands with 9.0 in listening, 7.5 in reading, 6.5 in writing and 8.5 in speaking. To demonstrate my knowledge in analytical writing, mathematics and vocabulary, I also took the GRE exam and scored 313/340 (V-155, Q-158).
Academic and Family Background
I would take this felicitous opportunity to introduce myself as an ambitious, highly inquisitive and a compassionate individual. Hailing from a family of Civil Engineers where my father is a Project Director, overlooking Government funded Construction works for more than 30 years now, and my elder brother is a civil engineer himself, I was exposed to Construction projects across the Country, and typical construction related jargons from a very young age. My exposure to construction projects from a very young age, amalgamated with my curiosity and love for technology, persuaded me to study Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering (2013- 2017) from the well renowned Manipal University in Karnataka, which happens to be India’s top Private University. Apart from this, I was an active participant in various extracurricular activities and student clubs in the college. I was also an organizer for multiple Technical and Cultural events in the College.
Professional Experience
I started my professional career with India’s most prominent construction company, Larsen and Toubro (L&T) as an Engineer Trainee in New Delhi on 4th April 2018. Working in the Planning and Project handling department, I was responsible for planning, scheduling and monitoring of the Project Activities. My job duties included preparation of work programme for construction activities, scheduling various activities at site and managing proper resources for their completion, and participating in progress meetings/client meetings amongst other duties. My exposure of working with some of the greatest minds in construction industry, and working at a state of the facility project in the heart of New Delhi, costing a whopping 777 Cr (CAD 140 million) led me to a progression in my career, and I joined MG Contractors on 8th April 2019. I am currently employed as a Planning Engineer on one of their projects in Kharar (Chandigarh). My prominent job duties at MG Contractors includes assisting the Planning Manager in planning and scheduling all major activities, managing the drawings and their approvals for the whole project, amongst many other roles and responsibilities.
Why Project Management
As far as my conscious can recall, I have seen my father working as a Project Manager, overlooking and managing some of the eminent construction projects of the nation. While working in this corporate sector, I realized the significance of project management and managerial skills to grow in any industry. Most of the organizations today are hiring the professionals who just not have technical knowledge but also have management skills too. While working with construction companies I have observed that success of construction project is simply dependent on skills of the project manager. As efficient planning, execution, monitoring, control and closure are the keys to make any construction project successful. This gave me a strong sense of realisation that I still need to hone my skills, because the higher designation requires a set of skill-set to manage complex projects and teams on a large scale. Moreover, during my research on the subject, I came to know that, in order to become a Project Manager one needs to take up certification exams like CAPM and PMP, for which there are some pre-requisite skills and knowledge the applicant needs to acquire, which include Project Planning, Stakeholder management, Project scheduling etc. To procure the knowledge in these fields, the most appropriate channel is to pursue a Post-Graduation course in Project Management from Conestoga College in Canada.
Why Conestoga College
Based on my previous academics, work experience and IELTS scores where I scored 8.0 overall bands; I applied for full time one year Ontario College Graduate Certificate (Post-Graduate) in Project Management from Conestoga College, Canada, May’2020 intake. I have decided to take up a specialized course in aforementioned program because I have an academic background in civil engineering and work exposure in construction industry. I chose Conestoga College for my higher studies because it is a world renowned institution offering a variety of programs that are realistic providing hands-on learning experiences and prepare students for global workplace. The college is one of the highly esteemed colleges of Canada. Its cross-curricular approach towards imparting knowledge challenges its students to develop a creative and critical thinking facilitating new ideas, innovation, risk-taking and experimentation in the students. The curriculum of the Project Management program at Conestoga prepares the students to write the CAPM and PMP examination. With courses like Agile Project management, Stakeholder Management, Project Planning and Project leadership, this program will prepare me and make me industry ready for a Project Manager/ Analyst role. Moreover, the program at Conestoga College will be delivered using a variety of methods, including traditional project management techniques, case studies, guest lecturers as well as capstone projects wherein I will get hands on practical experience managing the projects.
Future Prospects
Gaining an international exposure will surely increase my employment prospects back in India as I will possess a distinct subject knowledge, competitive skill-set, global exposure, strong inter-personal skills. To bolster my decision, according to a newspaper report, India will require 70 lakh new project managers by 2027, making India the most sought after destination for Project Management related employment. To further strengthen this fact, according to the PMI talent gap analysis, by 2027, employers will need nearly 88 million individuals in project management oriented roles, out of which India and China will represent more than 75 percent of the total employment. The biggest purpose that would be served through this program is that, it not only enhances the factor of my employability but also diversifies my scope of opportunities to work with various industries like Tata Group, Lanco Infratech, Reliance Infrastructure Limited, Hindustan Construction Company, Gammon etc., to secure a role of a Project Manager, Project Coordinator, Project Analyst or Team Leader in one of the top construction companies in India.
Financial Ability and Conclusion
As far as my financial capacity to successfully finish my study tenure at Canada is concerned, I would like to assure you that I belong to a financial sound family. I have already paid my full tuition fee CAD 16,157 and purchased GIC of CAD 10,000 in CIBC’s student GIC programme to cover my cost of living for my study duration. Also, my father is a Government service employee, generating an income of INR 15 lakh (CAD 30,000) and is very supportive of my decision to study in Canada. Apart from my career aspirations, I’m extremely close to my family, and since they are well settled in India, with assets and properties. I cannot imagine my life away from them in a distant land.
I assure you that I will do my absolute best to make the best of every opportunity offered to me throughout this course. In the light of the above, I request you to kindly consider my application and grant me student visa for the above mentioned program.
Thank You.
