“My name is Mohammad Khalil, and I’m from a small town in Jerusalem called Al-Barriyya. I studied Information Technology and I specialized in Management Information Systems - MIS at the Al-Quds University. After I graduated I realized that I’m very much interested in Marketing and I decided that this is the career path that I want to follow, and that’s why I applied to the Marketing Training that EFE-Palestine is implementing.

In the training, the participants had different educational backgrounds but were interested in marketing and we all got the chance to share our experiences and talk about the challenges we faced in university. This was really comfortable and it helped us to learn about each other and accept our differences. To be honest, I felt relieved to know that I was not the only one who thought that the university did not really prepare me for life, or equip me with the skills I really needed after graduation.   

My favorite part of the training was the English for Business and the level was really high, especially because it is important for me to develop my skills in English. In fact, a lot of the vocabulary and terms that I learned in the training came in use to me when I started working.   

I took the 3-month internship at a company called Concepts Technologies Ltd where I used to volunteer before. My responsibilities grew as I proved my commitment and abilities and they hired me later on to manage the social media and marketing, the websites and technical support, and the training and event coordination. I was able to take part in some great projects and events that I’m really proud of. It was a great opportunity because I was able to benefit from my education and from the marketing training I participated in.  

I discovered that I love to work with people and not only with computers. It is kind of challenging to deal with different personalities and that keeps the work interesting and fun, even though it might be tiring sometimes. After 14 months, I resigned from Concepts to work at the Maslamani Group as a Products Specialists and Training Officer in the Marketing Department. I became the trainer instead of the trainee. 

I see myself as a Marcom Manager in the future where I can combine my skills in marketing and communications and excel in my own business. I am the kind of person who goes after his dreams and doesn’t let anything stand between him and his goals. I learned that whatever was your specialty or grades in school, it will never determine your skills and abilities. I believe that you need to follow your interests and passion and work really hard. We all have setbacks but the important thing is to keep moving forward.”