A Reflection on My 2025 – A Year of Fire🔥, Growth🌱, and Rebirth🤍 · Breakthrough Elites

A Reflection on My 2025 – A Year of Fire🔥, Growth🌱, and Rebirth🤍

This is a part of my reflection on the past year that I wanted to share with everyone here.

I’ve been working hard my whole life. I’ve always been recognized for being independent, determined, and committed. I immigrated to Canada with almost no money, studied as a self-funded international student for a year, and—through hard work and high grades—I earned a place in one of the most competitive research labs at my school.💪

I was the only student in the lab who wasn’t from Tehran, Sharif, or Amir Kabir…

And the first thing my lab mates said to me was:

“How did Hassan even accept you into his team?!”🙄

Before graduation, I secured a research position at one of Montréal’s most prestigious hospitals. I started my first Canadian job immediately after, and today marks seven years of being in this role.

But here’s the truth… All those years of hard work, talent, and survival instinct were being spent fighting different battles—emotional, personal, and internal. Because of that, for the first five years of my career, I invested almost zero energy in actually building or advancing my career. I was only surviving...💔

Then, almost two years ago, a huge fire was ignited in my life. It changed everything. Again...🔥

I survived it with the help of my personal coach, Mrs. Solmaz Barghgir, who took my hand at a time I could have completely collapsed. I walked through that fire, came out alive, and healed wounds I thought would stay forever.❤️‍🩹🙏

And after feeling better again, I wanted the same transformation in my career.

So about a year ago, I began applying and interviewing here and there. It was never easy. I was disappointed countless times. I gave up more than once…😞

Until I found this community.🤍🌱

If that challenge in early 2024 was a fire, then I survived it with Solmaz holding my hand, walking me through flames that could have burned me completely. I survived, healed, and felt alive again.❤️‍🩹

And now, this job-hunting and career-advancement journey feels like crossing a mountain trail, climbing step by step toward the summit with the guidance of Alex, and the firm support holds of this community keeping me steady.✨

This community brought so much support, momentum, energy, and spirit that I suddenly felt like the old Zara again... the Zara who used to climb stairs two at a time; the Zara with fire, ambition, and drive.💫

In the past two months alone, I’ve been interviewing with companies of all sizes, at all stages, from recruiters to hiring managers, technical rounds, behavioral rounds, everything. Even when I slowed down, I never lost momentum.🎯🚀

I even carried this energy into my current job and am now leading an important project that I’m pushing forward with all my strength.

Each interview, each JD, each screening has been like a new course. I’ve been studying and revisiting so many concepts I missed over the last seven years. And honestly…

I feel like I’ve covered half of what I was supposed to learn in those years, in just these last two months.

For the first time, I feel like a real ML/AI engineer, more than ever before.

I haven’t received the job offer yet, but I’ve already won so many milestones. And none of this would have been possible without Alex’s guidance and the support of this community.🌟🤍

After many years, my career confidence is rebuilt.

My momentum is back.

My energy to grow, to reach higher, to claim more is back.

And after many years…I feel deeply alive again.🌱💖

Thank you, Alex, for creating this breakthrough in my life.🙏

And thank you to this community, for supporting me, lifting me, and holding me accountable to my goals, dreams, and needs.🤍🤝✨

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