Doha, Qatar: Dr. Ghanem Mohammed Al Sulaiti has a message for his fellow Qatar Foundation alumni, many of whom will reconnect this week at an annual event to celebrate their enduring network: your first job after graduating is just the first step on your path to fulfilling your goals.

The alumnus of Qatar Foundation (QF) partner university Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, who specializes in information systems, emphasised – ahead of QF’s Annual Alumni Forum, taking place on Saturday, May 11– that a graduate’s initial forays into the labor market should not be seen as defining their expectations, or where their career will ultimately take them,

According to Dr. Al Sulaiti, whose most recent role was as Director of the Government Innovation Department at the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, and who previously worked as a scientist focusing on Artificial Intelligence and digital innovation at Qatar Computing Research Institute – part of QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University – a belief in gradual career advancement, patience, and determination are key to professional and personal goals being realized.

“In any professional experience, what must be focused on is that you learn from it and employing what you learn,” said Dr. Al-Sulaiti, who also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from University College London (UCL) and a doctorate from the University of Cambridge. “This can involve learning from experiences, refining your professional skills, and accepting that challenges – whatever they may be – will have to be faced.

“You must never think that graduating from a university, however prestigious, will automatically open the door for you to obtain your dream job straight away.”

Dr. Al Sulaiti’s time at QF spanned more than 13 years, during which time he held a number of roles including as a business partner for performance and evaluation. And what he has learned, and wants to pass on to his fellow alumni, is that the post-graduation stage may present challenges which they should always be prepared for.

“Government initiatives are being developed to address such challenges, such as the availability of job opportunities,” he said. “And there are initiatives such as QF’s Alumni Entrepreneurship Fund, launched last year, which supports QF graduates to pursue ideas related to creative entrepreneurship that can enrich Qatar’s community and economy.

“This can guide them toward successful careers, while at the same time supporting the goal of retaining QF graduates in Qatar.”

Dr. Al Sulaiti is one of thousands of alumni who have benefited from the academic and life experience of QF’s Education City. “What is unique about Education City is the low professor-student ratio, which helps build strong relationships that remain in place even after graduation,” he says.

“Also, the proximity of universities at QF to each other is an advantage that students will not find anywhere else in the world. And these universities provide students with innovative learning methodologies and allow them to acquire soft skills, such as effective communication, how to deal with pressure, and how to meet deadlines, which are important to perform effectively in any field.

“I really believe these skills are what make the difference between QF graduates and other graduates.”

He also highlights the qualities that students at QF acquire through being immersed in its diverse ecosystem, enabling them to “understand the culture of differences and the cross-fertilization of ideas”, and through student exchange programs that “ensure QF students graduate with a strong understanding of their local environment, and a multi-dimensional familiarity with academia and research on a global level”.

And he says: “QF’s universities provide their students with the opportunity to benefit from cross-registration, allowing them to attend course held by any of these universities and pursue secondary specializations, meaning they can obtain qualifications from different universities while at Education City.”

It’s not just about the lecture hall and the laboratory, however; Dr. Al-Sulaiti also points to the academic, cultural, and sporting competitions that take place between students from different universities at QF throughout the year as being a defining element of what makes Education City the place to learn and grow that it is.

“It creates friendly competition – in fact, when taking part in these competitions, you almost feel like a ‘double-agent’,” he jokes. “On one hand, you have a special loyalty to your university, and on the other you have a collective loyalty to Qatar Foundation for how all parts of its ecosystem support your path.”

As an alumnus from a scientific background, Dr. Al Sulaiti takes a keen interest in QF’s work in the field of sustainability. “By investing in projects focused on sustainability and the environment, QF enhances the lives of its students,” he says, highlighting that such initiatives are also learning experiences in themselves.  

“Its buildings reflect the importance of reducing energy consumption, and its transport systems reflect the need to reduce global warming. And this is alongside specialized research centers, the Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future – which focuses on policy research and advocacy in the field of sustainability – and initiatives such as Car-Free Days and creating green spaces at Education City.”

In 2023, the QF Alumni Program communicated more than 630 job opportunities to graduates of QF, which led to alumni entering 81 full-time and 10 part-time jobs, 77 aluni internship opportunities, and 74 student internship openings. These jobs and internships spanned fields including  engineering and construction, media, education, technology, government services, oil and gas, food and beverages, finance, non-governmental organizations, business and entrepreneurship, and consulting.

All alumni of QF’s schools and universities are invited to attend the Annual Alumni Forum on 11 May at Multaqa (Education City Student Center). For more details and to register, visit www.alumniforum.iregister.qa