HE was the proverbial black sheep in the family.
Amit Anand Sharma dropped out of school at form five level and was always on the wrong side of the law during his teenage days at his home in Lautoka.
People change over time and one day Amit decided to prove everyone wrong so he decided to move to Suva 16 years ago and look for a job with his wife who he married at a young age.
Today, Amit stands tall. And that’s because on Friday he is going to be the 10,000th student to graduate from the Australia Pacific Technical College with a Certificate Three in engineering — heavy fabrication and trade this Friday.
It was never an easy journey for the father of three children because he used whatever little knowledge he had and some he had mastered from a very young age to push the boundaries and earn for his family.
“I was working at a company as a welder for 18 months before I did this course,” Amit said.
“I went to Samoa for my certificate in engineering, it was six months course. I came back in June this year and then I had to look for a job again, eventually I found a job in Suva and I am still working there.
“I have been in the field for about 13 years now and before this I was running the shop for my father in Lautoka and I moved to Suva some 16 years ago for better job opportunities in Suva.”
Amit said he had never been so proud and APTC made him realise there was more to life given the fact that he was not in a position to fund his own education.
“To be honest, we cannot afford a certificate like this on our own and considering the fact that this is an Australian certificate so I applied for the scholarship, the Australian Government scholarship and this is a certificate that is recognised internationally.”
Apart from the studies, Amit said he learnt a lot about the Samoan way of life and culture during his six-month stay and that, he said, was a lifetime opportunity in itself.
He has also registered his small company after completing studies and plans for his business to grow, employ more people, get the most of it and hopefully go for further studies.
Amit said his father was a priest and so the family had high expectations of him but he went in the opposite direction. Having set up his own business which has enabled him to support his family, Amit is proud that can prove that change is possible.
“My family will never believe this, one thing I always have in my mind is that one day I will succeed in life and I will prove my family wrong.
“Some people have the perception that when someone is wrong, he will always be wrong but today I am someone who wants to prove that there will be a turning point in life where you will be a changed person.”
Amit will graduate on Friday with other regional students in Suva.
