In the CCIE Flyer, articles in IT World, and Eman’s Blog, the story of Karam has been told in parts. What is not known is the complete journey of Karam from refugee camp to a new home in Southern California. Karam’s journey in several ways was also Eman’s journey. With the help of Emily Miller, Deb Conde tells this story.
Karam grew up in Baghdad – Iraq, a home he dearly misses, but our story began in a small city called Jbeil located in the North of Lebanon where he lived with his wife, Murouge, and daughter Dina, but first some background.
As an Iraqi Christian, Karam is part of the oldest sect of Christians in the world. They represent an enclave that has been in existence since near the time of Christ. The U.S. government paid little attention to the plight of this community after the fall of Sadam Hussien. The Muslim majority took liberties in pushing the Christians out of Iraq through brutality and murder. Where before they had been able to live, worship and work in this country, they were now being forced off of their land and out of their shops and homes. For many, there was little choice but to flee the country along with the other displaced refugees.
Despite the distressing times and ongoing turmoil that surrounded him, Karam completed his college study in 2001, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Information Systems from the University of Technology in Baghdad. The journey toward Cisco certifications started in 2006 when Karam was planning to take CCNA as self study. His goal was to take and pass the CCNA in 2006. Karam had a big interest in network security, so deciding what to do next was not a problem because he had already thought of studying for the CCSP after the CCNA. Karam started to pursue the CCSP and completed his fifth and last exam in August 2007. He also holds four Fujitsu-Siemens certifications and a (Security +) certification from CompTia.
Karam began his career path with his first job as a computer technician for a computer center in Baghdad called Al-Baha’a. After two years, in 2003, he decided to share with two of his best friends an idea of managing their own computer shop. The idea came to fruition in that very year, but soon Karam was looking for a more challenging opportunity that could offer a lot of work and real world experience in networking, especially with Cisco products. So, in pursuit of that goal, he accepted an offer from a company called ALITKAN. They specialized in selling and maintaining Siemens medical equipment, and they also had some networking projects. They offered Karam a position as a Network Administrator. The position provided a good opportunity to advance his knowledge and experience; however, the continuing conflicts in Iraq and the bad security situation became much worse after 2005. Sadly, Karam left his job and fled the county in 2007 and that’s when he came to reside in Lebanon.
Unfortunately, getting a job in Lebanon was almost an impossible mission for Iraqis. Due to the high unemployment rate, they were not issuing work permits to non-Lebanese citizens. Refugees were not allowed to compete with residents for jobs. Because of this rule, refugees were forced to seek other ways out of the camps and into friendly countries. As a Christian and an Iraqi, Karam already had two strikes against him when looking for work anywhere in the Middle East. Visa regulations were vague, and applicants could be refused for any number of reasons.
Karam ran a Google search for job tips and advice for Cisco engineers, and came across an article by Eman about how to improve the job search for Cisco professionals. Karam found Eman’s amazing style of writing and valuable advice encouraging, and that is when he wrote his first e-mail to Eman asking for help. He tried every possible way within his capabilities to get a job in the networking field, but failed to find one. He had to flee his country and live as a refugee in Lebanon. Karam felt depressed because of his inability to get a job in Lebanon. He couldn’t go back to Iraq because of the conflicts there, and he was also unable to relocate to another country because of the difficulties regarding Visa issues for Iraqis.
Enter Eman…
Karam first contacted Eman asking for help and advice, but received much more that that. He received full support. He was surprised by the rapid reply from Eman asking for a resume and more details so he could try to help. Karam shared feelings of happiness and hope when he saw the response. What Karam gave Eman was a real purpose and a connection to someone who valued and needed his help. When Karam was upbeat, Eman was too. When Karam was depressed, Eman felt down as well, but neither of them gave up on the other in spite of the challenges they faced.
Karam stated that he had many job offers after his first e-mail to Eman, but he could not get past the work permit issue. A few months ago, Eman secured him a job with a Cisco partner in Dubai, but he couldn’t get the Visa to join that company. Finally, Karam caught a break and got accepted for resettlement in the United States. He received a valid work permit after his arrival in the U.S. Karam said Eman’s article in the CCIE Flyer about the difficulties he faced before had helped him with the resettlement process.
When Karam went to the UNHRC to plead his case, Eman had no idea that the story he wrote about him in the CCIE Flyer would help in that way. Karam helped Eman’s spirit because he felt he was at an impasse or an end. When Karam told Eman about the process, and his help in getting accepted in the program, it meant a lot to him. The struggle was hardest for Karam for sure, but the struggle took Eman to moments of emotion and self doubt he had never felt before. Eman still says that Karam’s struggle was one of the hardest he had witnessed and one of his proudest moments. Karam indicated that the type of support and help Eman offered is priceless, and also said he felt lucky to have such a friend.
The journey for Karam continues in California. He looks forward to a better life with a lot of work. He wants to catch up on what he missed. He feels confident that with Eman’s help he can get a job even under the current recession. Karam believes the most important thing is being in a free country where he has the right to work like others and to have good friends like Eman. Karam said he considers Eman a master also because of the many things he learned through his CCIE Flyer articles such as:
Eman offers a well rounded amount of guidance, knowledge, and expertise to assist current and future CCIEs in advancing their careers. In the case of Karam, he went to great lengths (across the world and back) to assist him in pursuing his dream in a safe and better environment. In fact, Eman is offering up his services in placing Karam anywhere in the USA for Free! Any company hiring Karam will also receive a Free CCIE Boot camp voucher to use for him to advance while in the company’s employ.
It is difficult for Eman to accept, but Karam actually thanks Eman for saving his life. Without Eman’s support, Karam believes he would have surely died in Lebanon or Iraq if he had to return to his home country. They remain friends with plans to visit each other soon. Eman is planning a trip to L.A. to say hello to his friend and his family.
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