Sawaiz Zaka has his bachelor’s degree from a US university. He’s now attending CSI to get a strong foundation so he can pursue a master’s degree in business.

Certificate programs can be a valuable asset for anyone. They are less expensive but the classes help students get the knowledge they need for a competitive edge in either the workplace or for furthering their education. Sawaiz Zaka is someone who recognized this and is leveraging the Organizational Administration program at Computer Systems Institute to better position himself as a future graduate student.

Sawaiz has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah. Originally from Pakistan, he started taking classes as part of the hybrid program at CSI in September of 2024. “This certification will help me because I study business and all of that stuff. Before starting this program I got my bachelor’s in electrical engineering and I got a chance to work at two Fortune 500 companies in the US,” he says.

Bachelor’s Degree vs. Certificate Program 

Even though Sawaiz already has a fairly prestigious degree, he saw that his lack of experience in business could be a barrier for the jobs he is interested in. With an engineering background, he felt he needed a stronger foundation when applying to graduate programs in business. CSI made sense in his situation, “Engineering and business are a good combination. It gives you the chance to go into a managerial position at any type of organization.”

Sawaiz finished his bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah, but he attended two other schools prior to that. “I’ve been in the US for 7 or 8 years. I started my undergrad in Oregon at Oregon State University and after one and a half years I switched to Portland State. I stayed there for another one and a half years and finally I moved to the University of Utah,” he says. He laughed about attending so many schools, “I have a problem that as an international student in the US, I like to keep on moving around! I like to experience different cities.”

Now in Chicago, Sawaiz has been exposed to many instructors and teaching styles. Despite attending three universities, one of his teachers at CSI has been his favorite by far, “Graham Warning has been the best professor I’ve ever had in my life. Even though I’ve gotten my bachelors he has been the best. I’m still taking class with him,” he says.

How the Hybrid Program Works

Sawaiz is part of the hybrid program that CSI launched this past winter. The 12-month program combines on-campus with online synchronous or “live” classes with asynchronous models for self-paced study. International students still get an F1 visa and have multiple program options available. With all options, students are required to attend on-campus residencies ensuring that the benefit of building learning communities is coupled with web-based work. 

According to Sawaiz, there is a lot of collaboration going on during the synchronous sessions, “There are Zoom breakout rooms in every session and every class,” he explains. “Professors put students in different groups so we are interacting together in the breakout rooms. 

“We get about 30 minutes where we can discuss answers and listen to each other’s opinions. Then the professor tells us to come back to the regular online classroom. We will then talk about our discussions,” he says.

The hybrid program requires an in-person class every few weeks. Sawaiz says that the students start forming bonds in their online sessions, “I like that about the hybrid schedule. The immersion is three days long and we do a lot of activities,” he says. “Last quarter I met new students and now I get to interact with them again when we come back to campus. Seeing them and meeting new people is really good.”

The new people that Sawaiz has met are international students from all over the world. He says that has been a positive experience, “Connecting with the students and getting to know about them and their country’s cultures. There are a lot of things to learn from them.”

Besides meeting interesting people, the hybrid schedule has other benefits for Sawaiz, “It’s my first time being in Chicago and with the extreme temperatures it was very good taking online classes in winter and only going to campus for a few days” he says. “Moving to Chicago after being in Oregon and Utah, I haven’t seen this type of extreme winters. Now it’s getting hot!”

The flexibility of the hybrid program has given Sawaiz some time to explore his new city. He tries to get his work done so he can enjoy free time, “It depends how hard the questions are- it’s about a maximum of 2-3 hours. I will try to finish it by Wednesday or Thursday so that I can have the remaining time of the week to go downtown when the weather is better.”

Chicago has given Sawaiz plenty of things to see and do, “I like trying new coffee shops, walking downtown, listening to music, visiting Millennium Park and the waterfront,” he says. He is really enjoying one aspect, “I’m a big caffeine addict. I drink like 3 or 4 cups of coffee and not cold coffee. Even when it’s hot out, I drink the hot stuff.”

Recommending CSI to Friends

CSI has been such a great experience for Sawaiz that he is sharing it with others. “One of my friends from Portland State really likes Chicago and he asked me about my program and what I’m studying,” he says. “It didn’t take me much time to convince my friend. He started studying at the Chicago campus at CSI this quarter.”  

One of the things that appealed to Sawaiz’ friend is the optional practical training or OPT. The opportunity to be able to get work experience in your field of study was a big selling point, “That was the thing that helped my friend decide. He didn’t get OPT at his last school. That was one of the big things that helped him make up his mind to come to CSI.”

It’s been nice for Sawaiz to have an old friend nearby, but he is impressed by the people he is meeting, “A lot of them are professionals. They have bachelors and masters degrees and they have worked in the US and in their countries. You meet all kinds of people of different ages and experiences.”

Sawaiz would recommend the school to anyone, no matter their background, “Anyone who wants to come to CSI- it’s a great learning experience. Everyone is cooperative,” he says. “There are definitely a lot of good things about CSI and the Chicago campus!”

If you’re an international student who has completed a degree but are looking for a quality place to pick up another program, CSI could be a great fit! Contact us today to get more information.