Ibrahim H - Odyssey Mapping

Odyssey #1: Management Consulting
A management consultant helps businesses improve their performance by solving problems and finding creative and better ways of doing things (Leaman). The job of a management consultant can never be monotonous; each day they are faced with a new set of challenges that they have to overcome. The dynamic nature of this job really fascinates me.

Consultants offer services for a wide range of business activities — from HR and Marketing to IT and finance (ibid.). This means consultancy firms are looking for people with various skill sets and consultancy is not a degree-specific industry. I am still not sure on to which type of technical knowledge I would like to bring to the table.

Even though there is no specific major that is required for management consulting, there are some key attributes that all consultancy firms look for in a candidate. For starters, management consultants need amazing communication skills to deal with clients. An aptitude for leadership, creative thinking and team-building are also attractive to consulting employers.

I am a passionate debater. Through my debating endeavours, I have learned how to communicate effectively and I feel that is one of the skills that I do possess. I have yet to demonstrate any significant leadership skills, however, so that is one area which I need to improve on over the next four years. I do have experience with, and enjoy, working as part of a team. Teamwork is essential to the job of a consultant, and I feel I would fit well in this role.

Management Consulting is an extremely competitive profession to break into. Over the course of university life, I need to strive and maintain stellar grades, engage in fulfilling extracurriculars, and build a strong network of connections. I will try to take advantage of the Professional Experience Year (PEY) offered at UofT to get hands-on experience at one of the big consulting firms.

Odyssey #2: Software Engineer
Five years ago, I developed my first computer application — it was a pretty basic app, but I had a great time developing it. Ever since then I have had a passion for computer science and software engineering. I am particularly drawn to this field because as a software engineer, you actually get to create something for others to use.

Over the course of the next four years, I plan to participate in various hackathons across the country. Hackathons are two-three day events where software developers come together to try and generate new ideas. By participating in events like these I would be able to foster my creativity, critical thinking, teamwork and problem-solving skills — all of which are essential to being a good software developer.

I also plan to fully utilise the Professional Experience Year (PEY) that UofT offers. This would provide me with invaluable experience of working as a software engineer, and would help me find a job later on.

Ideally, I would like to start off my career as a software developer by joining an established company and learning core practical skills. Eventually, I would want to leave and start my own venture. I am not sure if I would ever succeed at forming my own start-up, but I would love to give it a shot!

Odyssey #3: Behavioral Economist
Four years ago, I took up Accounting as an additional O-Level subject to diversify my otherwise science-oriented course. I had two months to self-prepare a two-year course. I had no regard for the syllabus, in fact, I didn’t even know where the line between Accounting/Business and Economics lay. To me, it was all the same. I learned from whatever was available—course books, online blogs, and obviously, KhanAcademy. I learned the basics of bookkeeping and revenue maximisation, and at the same time, I also learned about scarcity, market forces, and various economic policies. I realised then, that is where my interest lay.

This interest motivated me to become part of an economics project, last summer, to formulate a demand curve by accumulating data from nearby fruit-vendors. Due to certain time and monetary constraints, we never expected a perfect model. However, it was quite surprising that our results were not even close to what economic theory predicted. I realised that day that humans aren’t the rational beings economic theory makes them out to be. They make very predictable mistakes because of their use of heuristics, fallacies, and biases. This was when I was introduced to the field of behavioural economics.

In my third odyssey, I want to learn more about the interconnections between economics and psychology. I want to follow in the footsteps of Steven D. Levitt — a world renowned behavioral economist and the author of the book “Freakonomics”. Just like Levitt, I also want to study the process by which humans make decisions; I feel this is a fundamental step in learning how the world works.

I have never carried out hands-on research, but this is something I need to have experience with. Over the course of the next four years, I will need to try and form strong relationships with my professors and try and get research opportunities with them. At the same time, I also need to maintain exceptional grades to stand a competitive chance at making it into a good graduate school, so as to be presented with even more research opportunities.

If I choose to follow this path, my eventual goal would be to conduct research substantive enough to merit ''The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel''. This is a highly unrealistic goal, but they only way I will ever attain anything is if I set lofty goals for myself!