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Yulduz Khodjaeva, an alumnus of Inha University in Tashkent, received her master’s degree from Dalhousie University in 2022 and became part of the “Ernst and Young” team in Canada.
1) Yulduz, please tell us, how did you come to Canada?
I came to Canada in 2020 to study graduate course in Computer Science. Since we do not have schools with strong research output in Machine Learning, I chose an option to continue my studies abroad. Canada has a number of the world’s top ranked schools, and Dalhousie University was number one in Atlantic Region with its top educators and academics. I did not receive any funding from Dalhousie upon admission, but later applied for “Study in Canada Scholarship” administered by Global Affairs Canada. I was the only recipient from my University to receive this scholarship with a total value of 120 000 CAD for two years. My research was an intersection of Cyber security and Machine learning, I published a conference paper in 2021 and recently, my journal paper got accepted too, which will be published by the end of this summer.
2) Was it difficult to adapt to a new country and a new university?
When I first visited my campus, I was taken aback by how systemized everything was: the school does it best to provide the best studying environment for its students. Even during pandemic, I felt the outstanding support from school and faculty members. Knowing the language of the country helped me a lot and made my adaption to North American society faster. Later on, I realized that settling down in a country whose main language you speak is much easier for a foreigner.
3) As we know, you have recently received an offer from a well-known company with a worldwide reputation. Tell us about the selection process and how do you like your current job?
I must admit that the hiring process to EY was quite lengthy and stressful. You go through several rounds of interviews; you demonstrate yourself as a best candidate for the position you applied for. But, it worths it. Currently, I work in the Digital and Emerging Technologies department, automating business processes for a number of clients, applying my expertise of Machine Learning. The company pays a lot of attention for employee’s self-development and encourages continuous learning. It goes without saying that your knowledge becomes obsolete if you are in IT, with new technologies, languages and tools coming up every day.
4) Being one of the successful graduates of IUT, what can you wish to the current students of Inha University in Tashkent?
I would like to encourage students to excel at each and every subject they take at IUT: whether its Data Structures, classes aimed at developing your soft skills, Maths. Knowledge of all these comes in handy in your future studies. Respect your professors and try to establish good rapport with them: you might have to ask them to provide recommendation letters later on. Take an active part in social life as well: do not limit yourself with studies only, work on your communication and team-work skills, volunteer at a number of events, build up your portfolio. Remember: you have to sell yourself to your potential supervisor at school or employer hiring you for a certain position.