From landing in Canada to landing dream jobs: Newcomers upskill with SAIT’s professional programs
Kanika from India and Lydia from Ukraine gained experience and confidence to take their careers to the next level
If you’re new to Calgary, welcome! You might be feeling excited, nervous and understandably overwhelmed at what life will look like for you here.
SAIT’s Continuing Education and Professional Studies offers digital technology programs to prepare folks just like you to find a fit within Calgary’s evolving technology economy. Courses are co-created with industry, ensuring you'll get the real skills employers need now.
Meet Lydia Salikhova and Kanika Sehgal, newcomers to Calgary proving that it takes more than fear, setbacks or even an ocean to stop the pursuit of learning.
Lydia Salikhova: Product marketing
When marketing professional Lydia Salikhova moved to Calgary from Ukraine, she worried she’d left her professional confidence behind.
“I found myself in rooms full of people — well-meaning, amazing, talented people — but unable to push a single word,” she says.
Turning to the Centre for Newcomers for advice, she learned about SAIT’s Applied Product Marketing bootcamp, an immersive, short-term program designed for working professionals. Salikhova saw it as an opportunity to get her confidence — and her career — back on track.
Over the course of three months, she developed practical skills in product positioning, market research and content creation — all applicable in her role as Marketing Project Coordinator at Arcade Studios.
Upon completion, Salikhova found herself with a micro-credential and a promotion to Marketing Project Lead.
She also found the self-assuredness she thought she’d lost.
“I was able to speak up, I was able to open up and I was able to provide more direction to my team, as well as to clients,” she says. “I was able to be more of a lead.”
Looking ahead, Salikhova is excited for the future she’ll forge for herself.
“I realized you can pivot at any time of your life, no matter where I come from.”
Kanika Sehgal: Data science
Kanika Sehgal was living in India when she decided she wanted to further her skills in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) to break into the global market.
SAIT’s Data Science certificate program — designed specifically for international students — was her first choice.
Summoning the courage to take a chance on herself, Sehgal packed her bags, hugged her child and husband goodbye for now and flew to Calgary to start the year-long program.
Just like that, Sehgal found herself immersed in a new culture as she dove into the world of data, cloud technology, machine learning and AI at SAIT.
“If you’re an enthusiast towards AI, this is the best course,” she says. “It will give you the real hands-on experience and the exposure of the Canadian market.”
After earning her certificate, in a full circle moment, Sehgal landed an internship with Braintoy, the organization that taught the machine learning component of her course.
While she credits SAIT with helping achieve the personal and professional growth she dreamt of back home, she knows it all started from within.
“Trust your journey. The future begins the moment you believe in yourself.”
Start your professional journey
Digital technology courses and certificates through SAIT’s Continuing Education and Professional Studies provide real-world, hands-on experience to help you get ahead.
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SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.