The Power of Community

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This article is written by Miriam Amdur, community member at The Commons.

When I joined The Commons in January of 2021, I could have never anticipated the impact that the community would have on both my personal and professional life. 

After seeing a friend of mine from university share her experience at The Commons on LinkedIn, I decided to apply for the Strategy and Operations Sprint. I was working in the restaurant industry marketing one of Canada’s most popular chains but I had my eye on tech and I wasn’t sure how to break in. 

Never a social butterfly, I was surprised by how easy it was for me to network at The Commons. The compassion of the other community members and their interest to learn alongside me was evident from day one. “Do you have time for a chat?” I would ask, and the answer was always, “yes”. 

I ended up landing a role in product marketing at a Toronto-based tech company and later transitioned into product ownership. In August of 2022, I completed the Product Sprint as I looked to sharpen my skills. 

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In March of 2021, I responded to a post in The Commons Slack group that benefited me in unimaginable ways. Kaiz Alarakyia, who is a mentor, was looking for someone to help with marketing for his start-up First90. He had recently completed his MBA and we spent the next couple of months building out the website and messaging surrounding the product. 

“I’m going to work remotely in Miami but I don’t know anyone,” I told Kaiz in the summer of 2021. Always the most caring person, he connected me with one of his classmates from HBS and that ended up shaping my entire experience in Miami. “I didn’t realize that where there is one smart person there are many,” I would joke. 

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I know that my experience is not unique. When Robyn Smith joined The Commons in July of 2021, I was assigned as her onboarding buddy. I quickly connected her with anyone I could and through her own networking, she found her first role in tech at a company called CommerceBear. 

“Loren has fostered a community where its members are sending each other roles and are always willing to help,” she says. 

Robyn met one of her now close friends, Rabia, through The Commons and the two of them have even traveled together. “It’s nice having all these new friends that work in tech because there is this sense of understanding,” Robyn shares. 

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At an event in Toronto in September, I met Lilian Gordan. As someone who loves to ask questions, I pried into her life, and we became fast friends. “The best part of The Commons is that once you’re in the community, you’re in the community,” she tells me. Meaning that once you join The Commons, you gain full access to events, circles, and community members. 

Lilian is currently in the job search circle at The Commons. Circles are small interactive groups of community members with a common interest in a topic who meet on a set cadence to dive into that topic. Think of them like book clubs but for career stuff. Members get to learn, connect with others on a deeper level and explore new topics. 

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I recently connected with Fairuz Hoque who currently works in Strategy and Operations at Dolly Inc. and is the Data Lead at The Commons. He credits his mentor Wafic for being an excellent point of contact and guiding him in his transition to tech from data science. “Wafic was always more than willing to take a call or help with the cases,” says Fairuz.  

The Commons truly uses the power of community to accelerate careers.

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If you're interested in joining a community of professionals in tech learning and accelerating their careers together, join The Commons today.

Interested in more?
Mentor Spotlight: Aritra Ghosh
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Mentor Spotlight: Aritra Ghosh
Meet Aritra, Product Manager at Azure (Microsoft) and Product Mentor at The Commons!
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