Wednesday, February 10, 2021 - 09:45
By: Sipa Kurda
Brusk Hamarash, a 2017 Information Technology (IT) graduate of American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), spoke on a webinar titled, “Alumni Experience Sharing,” which is part of the weekly Online Career Development workshop hosted by the Student Services Department, on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 to share with AUIS students about his career, life after graduation, and how his AUIS education helped him succeed.
Hamarash now works in the IT department of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), but immediately after graduation, he started his own company despite not being a Business Administration student. “Being a student at AUIS wasn’t about learning technicalities,” he said. “For me it was about culture, mentality, and the environment, which prepares you to be independent and handle our own responsibilities.”
While he was still a student at AUIS, he and a group of friends started an IT company called Meta Solutions, which provided software solutions to companies. That helped him have a plan for life after graduation. He emphasized that AUIS made him a better person, saying, “For me, it was about going through a process of changing my personality for the better,” he said. “After I became a student at AUIS, I started to think about my future and how to achieve my goals.”
Hamarash also described how he learned to make long-term plans and think about his future, which ultimately taught him to be dependent on himself.
“When I started my company, I had to do everything on my own for three years,” he said. “For instance, I had to manage the company, deal with clients, write proposals, prepare presentations…what I learned from AUIS prepared me to be the person I am today.”
Hamarash explained that his skills and experiences motivated him to use his AUIS education in the public sector. “Our goal is to make digital services at the heart of the government to bring changes that will improve people’s lives,” he said. “I had the skills and experience, so I needed to use them and prove what I learned at AUIS to serve the community.”
Majority of AUIS graduates work in the private sector, however, Hamarash explained how public sector jobs can also have positive impact. “I see a noble purpose in working in the government by providing services that will be appreciated by everyone, because we try to bring full change for Kurdistan and on international level,” he said.
Asked whether graduates should start their own businesses or work for the government, Hamarash said, “It depends if you are willing to use your experience and skills in the government to serve the community or you want to start your own business."
“We really want to hire new people as long as they are appropriate in using their skills to serve the department and the community,” he said.