Changing the world is a universal topic of interest. Regardless of the situation, there is an opportunity to be discovered. Discover it, chase it, and make it happen. I’m Rehna Shajahan, whose life was changed with a positive note during a phase of personal and global hardship. Have you ever been harshly criticized by those around you? Knowing my story will prove that your future is like clay in your hands. Being born and raised in Bahrain, I was not a brilliant student at a young age and was always compared with my sister, who was a topper. Despite not being a bright student, I used to do well in the subjects I liked. Since I struggled with science subjects, I decided to study Commerce for my Plus Two. Due to the insistence of my parents, I chose science, returned to Commerce a month later to prove myself. And my grades began improving. Since I did well in my 12th grade, I got into a government college in Kerala for graduation. As my sister was pursuing higher studies at a central university in Delhi, I began dreaming of getting into one. The name of Jamia Millia Islamia caught my attention while researching the best central universities, so I began preparing for its Mcom (Masters in Commerce) entrance as I did Bcom (Bachelors in Commerce) for my graduation. Finally, the results of the entrance examinations were released and I cleared the previous year’s cut-off. I moved with my whole family to Delhi with the hope of clearing the cut-off. It was unfortunate that I lost my admission by only 0.5 points when the cutoff was announced. I didn’t look for a second option even after scoring almost 90 percent for graduation during that time when my life was a big question mark. It taught me 2 lessons: “Confidence is good however overconfidence usually sinks the ship” and “Be geared up with an alternative in case you aren’t certain about something”. Not even in my wildest dream, I thought that 0.5 marks could have such an effect on my life. Even being a zero in front of my friends and family, I had a spark of hope and I strongly believed that in every hardship there is a relief. With the support of my family, I continued to stay in Delhi. It was the time when I decided that if today I couldn’t achieve my goal, I would try to reach a higher goal tomorrow. And that’s how I joined for two masters through distance mode, MSW (Masters in Social Work and PG Diploma in Guidance and Counselling) simultaneously.
Some people come into your life and help you out in difficult times without expecting anything in return. There were two such people in my life. One of them was Dr. Habbebul Rahman, professor of social work, Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi. He was the one who gave me a great opportunity to work on a government project by trusting me. And the other was Dr. Sharnas Muthu. She is the one who made me a social activist in Delhi, working with Women’s Manifesto, an NGO, which aims to empower women. And she was the one who inspired me to set a world record. I’m mentioning this because many people experience success and then forget about those who helped them to get there and I don’t want to be one of them. A person of dignity will never forget the people behind their success, and a person without will. At this stage in my life, my personality was fully formed and my goals were higher and I started preparing for my MBA. And when the results came out, I was the only person in our state to get an MBA in Entrepreneurship. Sometimes you have to go through hard times to understand how capable you are. My education continued online right after my second semester when COVID hit the world.
With everything digitized, online courses have flourished everywhere. Online courses are a relatively new form of learning, allowing students to access their programs over the Internet through a new learning environment. E-learning can benefit people of all ages. No matter what your experience, many online course certification programs can help you expand your knowledge and become a better person in today’s competitive job market. Online certification programs remove financial and geographical barriers to quality education. As an MBA student, I decided to improve my resume by taking certain online courses. So I decided to start researching online courses and their scopes. Research is important because it helps to have a detailed analysis of everything. When you have a proper in-depth analysis of any topic, the result comes out to be fruitful, and also the knowledge is enhanced. After several months of intensive research, I have found that many multinational companies offer online courses that are too free. I have mentioned a few names that have an eLearning platform. I believe knowledge increases by sharing but not by saving and it’s a way to achieve immortality. And always remember nobody can steal your knowledge and we should try to give it to those who need it.
Google- Google Digital Unlocked YouTube – YouTube Creator Academy
Microsoft – Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional
Amazon – AWS Training & Certification
Facebook – Facebook Blueprint
CISCO – CISCO Networking Academy
Canon – Canon Online Courses
hp – hp Life e-learning
Glow & Lovely (Fair & Lovely) – Glow & Lovely Foundation
L’Oreal – L’Oreal Access
IBM – IBM Training
Twitter – Twitter Flight School
WHO – OpenWHO.org
UNICEF – agora.unicef.org
Always thoroughly research the free online courses available before paying for online courses. There are many free online courses available on well-known platforms. An online certification program from a reputable institution can result in quality employment. The sky’s the limit for students who wish to enhance their knowledge and wish to get jobs in the public or private sector, thanks to the availability of skilled faculty and high-quality learning resources. Recorded activities let you learn at your own pace, no matter where you are. Online learning and assignments allow you to learn on your terms and save time and money on travel. Online courses also provide the opportunity to learn without investing in expensive software and reduce maintenance costs and infrastructure investments. Decent job creation is a positive result of accredited online courses from reputable educational institutions.
Meanwhile, I was able to pass about 55 certificates at one time and, I mentioned that with Dr. Sharnas Muthu in a casual talk. She kept that in her mind and asked me to try for world records after a few weeks. First I took it as a joke, then I thought that I was a woman branded as useless, and now I am chasing three masters with real-life experiences. Why not give it a try? You never know if you can do it or not until you try it yourself. Then I decided to give it a try with a little hope. The category of world records I tried was ‘maximum online certification in 24 hours and the previous record was 75 certificates per day. On November 28, 2020, I started taking online courses in the early morning. I was able to earn 15 certifications at a time and, as always, I believed in myself and continued. When I counted the certificates at 11 pm, there were only 66, I had to pass 9 more in an hour to set the world record. My energy was all drained out as I was sitting in front of the computer since morning. Then I stopped the process of counting certificates as I was losing concentration and continued pursuing. When the time struck 12 am I stopped, closed my eyes, and prayed for one min before counting. The moment I realized I had crossed 75 certificates, I became the happiest person in the world. Following the world record, I have been recognized worldwide with national and international awards. I also had the opportunity to share my life story on Josh Talks, India’s leading motivational platform, and now I am working as HR at Malabar Gold and Diamonds (International Operations) in Dubai, helping 1000s of people around the world to achieve their goals. Always remember don’t be ever afraid of “change” because God will never take anything from you without replacing it with something better.
Everyone is born with inborn talent, and the only task is to identify and chase it. There will be times when no one will support you. Prove it and make it happen in front of them. People will start to trust you as soon as you start to believe in yourself and start working for it. Now my family supports me. For me, giving up is not just an option when I have a supportive family, especially my husband, Ebrahim Riyaz, who works as an engineer. Always try to stay away from poisonous people who aren’t worth your time. When someone treats you badly, remember that it’s because they have a problem, not you. Normal people don’t wander around and don’t ruin other people’s lives. You don’t have to feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life. No need to make room for people who hurt you or make you feel small, whether someone is a relative or a friend. It is one thing for a person to acknowledge their actions and try to change them. But if a person disregards your feelings, ignores your boundaries, and continues to treat you in a harmful way they need to go.
Never be disappointed by what you haven’t got because something better is waiting. You never realize how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have. And I have proven it with my life. The only predictable thing about life is its unpredictability so just go with the flow.
