Where Are They Now?

Our alumni are a valuable part of the Algonquin College community and play an important role in carrying out our mission to help students turn their hopes and dreams into lifelong success. They’re leaving their mark all around the world, and to help current and prospective students get a better idea of the opportunities available to them after graduation, they’ve shared their stories.

From Ottawa to Copenhagen: How Online Learning Powered a Grad’s International Success

Laurie had already found success climbing the ranks with her longtime employer, biotechnology firm Novonesis, when she decided that formalizing her business skills would help her career advance to new levels. With undergraduate studies in biotechnology and biochemistry, she had the science background but knew that boosting her marketing knowledge would give her the edge for new roles. She found exactly what she needed with AC Online and today is thriving in her current role as Head of Sales Excellence in the firm’s office in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is also enjoying the new adventure of living abroad!

The flexibility of online learning helped to make the challenge of juggling competing priorities manageable. For Laurie, that included not only caring for small children but travel abroad to Europe, Asia, and Latin America for her sales role at the time. “I think online education allows you the flexibility that you need to fit it in when it works for you. You can take the courses, whether it’s late at night, on the weekends, or even on a lunch break to be able to finish something quick.”

Laurie was pleased to find that AC Online’s faculty and staff matched her own determination to keep her on track, with flexibility that made it possible to fit her studies around her life, even when it meant taking an online exam from a 12-hour time zone difference. “The College was very flexible,” she says, adding that her experience has made her a champion for online learning. “I think people should not be afraid of just getting started. I mean, I had so much on my plate at the time that I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep up. But the flexibility that they offer in the program, you can just make it fit your lifestyle.”

At Novonesis for 30 years, Laurie has grown her career alongside the company, working in both the US and Canada. Once there, she discovered she loved Denmark so much that she signed on for a longer term. She’s since thrown herself into the large expat community and has even put her business skills to wider use through a volunteer role to head the Canadian-Danish Chamber of Commerce to increase Canadian business trade in the country.

Today, Laurie is glad that she sought out a credential with AC Online when she did, as the skills have helped her to build a career she loves. “My career path has moved from technical to marketing to sales and back again. With my AC Online education on top of my scientific education, it allows a very unique skill set that the company really needs. That’s really allowed me different opportunities that are really unique to me,” she says.

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