Scholarship Winner | Saeed Djalilov

The Jet Future Business Leaders Scholarship launched last year which is offered to students entering into the business world upon college graduation. Out of hundreds of applicants, Jet chose five finalists this semester, and then the public voted for their favorite essay. The person with the most votes who will be awarded $750 is Saeed Djalilov.

Saeed is studying International Business at Pepperdine University, with an expected graduation date of 2022. The prompt Saeed addressed was "It is becoming more common for small businesses to allow their employees to work from home when applicable. Do you think working remotely would allow you to grow in your career as much as working in an office setting would?"

Saeed has experience working in both an office setting and remotely. He worked as an Aflac account executive after graduating high school and then started his own dropshipping business while in college. Both experiences have allowed him growth, as he talks about in his essay.

After college, Saeed plans to work for a large company to get a feel of the culture it takes to cultivate a successful business environment. Eventually, he would like to start his own business while promoting ethical and compassionate business practices.

Saeed's advice to those pursuing a business career is: "never stop striving to learn and improve yourself as an individual. Even if you feel you specialize in a certain field, do not take for granted the value of being multifaceted in the field of business. Drawing knowledge from two completely different fields and relating them to a certain task will not only lead to more creative results but will ultimately feel more fulfilling."

If you know of a future businessperson entering or currently attending college/university, encourage them to apply to our current Jet Future Business Leaders Scholarship at https://jetsurety.com/scholarship/.

Read Saeed's essay below:

The renowned physicist, Albert Einstein, once said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Society is currently at the crossroads of the traditional way of life mankind has become accustomed to since the birth of civilization and the total technological immersion Einstein prophesied. It is both exciting, and in a way, scary knowing we are dawning upon the age where artificial intelligence is estimated to take 47% of U.S. jobs in the mid-2030s, virtual reality is making its way to the corporate world, and small businesses are abandoning their offices to transition to remote work. However, working remotely is not necessarily bad as it can propel business owners to increase their productivity as they do not need to be restricted to a 9-5 time frame, pay office rent, and go through the hassle of being stuck in traffic on a Monday morning. As a 20-year-old, I believe I have exposed myself to both styles of work, remote and in the office. I started my career as a young businessman when I was hired as an Aflac account executive the day after I graduated high school. At the time, the idea of helping people while making money at the same time sounded like the perfect formula to me. I saw growth in my various business skills as I was exposed to canvassing, cold-calling, networking events, business meetings, and account appointments. In college, I started my own dropshipping business that aimed to help customers cope with stress through the therapeutic nature of spiritual items such as chakra bracelets, humidifiers, healing crystals, etc. Every day after completing my assigned school work, I would grab my laptop and strive to perfect my e-commerce business by updating the webpage, completing orders, and marketing my products. Comparing my past two experiences, I must admit that I have noticed my growth as an aspiring business owner in the Aflac office more than in my college dorm room. Even though I made more money working from my laptop, the fulfillment of helping customers in person is significantly more rewarding. Personally, I am excited for what the future holds for the United States as I believe we will learn how to balance the benefits of technology and still hold on to the social aspect of work. Humans are inherently social beings that psychologically long to be part of a culture that values and praises their achievements and hard work. Without the sense of camaraderie and mentorship found in the office setting, it will be hard for young individuals like me to grow my business skills and learn from seasoned professionals. Ultimately, in a time of social turbulence that challenges our work status quo, it is crucial for us to appreciate the cooperative and compassionate side of workplace culture, which if not recognized, could be lost in the technologically independent society of the future.