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A lot is going to be new … accept it (and, if you need to, Google it)!

Irecently enrolled in an online course. I had deliberated doing the course for a couple of months prior to signing up and, like everything I do, I vetted the idea through a series (more like countless number) of questions: • Would it improve my career? • Was there a way to learn the content without taking the course? • Would it help me find a job? Maybe get me a recommendation? • Would I have the time to study with all the other stuff I was doing? • Would it be the answer to all my problems?

And so on … When I finished going through all the questions, I started reviewing the answers over and over again, thereby postponing actually starting the course. After all was said and done, I finally found myself placing the course in my checkout basket on the online registration website and hitting the purchase button.

For those of you who have not taken an online course before, the web environment offers a unique platform to learn material, discuss points of interest, submit assignments and even have interactive class chats. For someone like me, who has grown up learning in a traditional classroom, entering this portal was like entering a new world. Many of the students were also new to online learning and in a sense we were all like new immigrants. Each one of us was in the same boat asking questions, reassuring each other, and admitting when confused and lost.

The introductions are always my favourite part of starting a course as you get an idea of what everyone is doing and how they are leveraging the course to enhance their career. Our instructor had just for fun suggested that we each determine our “Muppet” personality via a short online quiz. She joked this is the one time we don’t have to prepare or read anything to participate in the discussion. I grinned at my computer screen as I read this, as I had already begun Googling what a Muppet was and what my result “Gonzo” meant. It’s 11 p.m. and I just finished writing and submitting my first course assignment. I like the flexibility of the online course so far. It hasn’t seemed to throw a spin in my routine. But life throws new situations at you all the time, and you just have to accept and adapt. Sure, sometimes you don’t get the lingo, but for that there is always Google. Looking forward to more new situations after I complete this online course!

Lynn Sassoon immigrated to Canada from India with a background in human resource management. She faced many barriers to employment and settlement as a newcomer to Canada, and shares these humorous stories in this column.

Newcomer tips from our RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2014!

M J

(S, V)

“Just ask. If one person tells you no, ask the next. There’s always a second, a third — there’s always more. Eventually, someone will say yes.”

S S

(U S, C)

“Don’t let the pre-formed idea of what being an immigrant means stunt your growth and ambition. The only barrier between you and your goals are the ones which you comply to.”