Leap Scholar Review: Going Back to School After Fifteen Years in the Industry

I already have one master's degree, from the US, and fifteen years of work behind me. I decided to go back to school anyway. Here's my Leap Scholar review, in my own words, on why I chose to reskill in manufacturing engineering in Canada and how a process that felt impossible the first time around, when I did it entirely alone, became genuinely much easier the second time.

Q1. Tell me a bit about yourself.

Hello everyone, I'm Nikhil Sirud. By profession, I'm a mechanical engineer, and I've been working in this industry for about fifteen years now. My real passion is design, inventing things that don't already exist, and I've spent this career moving between semiconductors and automotive, with a strong interest in 3D CAD modeling and CAE manufacturing.

Q2. How did your first move abroad happen, and what led to this second one?

I graduated in mechanical engineering in 2011, started out in product development, and worked for a US-based firm in semiconductors. I moved through three companies over about four years, semiconductors first, then automotive, working at General Motors in Bengaluru at one point, before I decided to pursue my first master's. Since I'd already adapted well to US work culture through my job, the US felt like the natural destination. I applied in 2014, moved there for a master's in mechanical engineering focused on CAD and design, and ended up staying about nine years, working across companies like Daimler and General Motors in both Europe and the US. My wife lived with me for four years of that, in Michigan and California. We moved back to India about two years ago. Now, in 2025, after roughly nine years since my last degree, I felt a real gap in my profile. I've spent fourteen or fifteen years in design, but manufacturing itself, especially with everything happening in AI, IoT, and automation, is where I felt I was lacking. That's what motivated me to pursue this second master's degree.

Q3. Why Canada this time, and why this specific course?

Two reasons, really. First, Canada's immigration process and overall system stability appealed to me, especially compared to the long nine- or ten-year stretch I spent building a life in the US. Second, I found a program, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, at Humber College that's being introduced for the very first time; I'm actually part of their first-ever batch. Looking at the syllabus, it's genuinely forward-looking, tied closely to where manufacturing is headed, which matters a lot given how India and China are both investing heavily in manufacturing and semiconductor capacity right now. My long-term goal is to bring this knowledge back to India and eventually help build something in high-tech manufacturing here.

Q4. How does your family fit into this decision?

I have a wife and a newborn, born this past December, so the baby's about eight or nine months old now. We've been married since 2020, and since she already lived with me in the US for four years, she understands the region and the culture well. She's actually working in Canada already, and she's been incredibly supportive through all of this process, taking the lead on childcare while I prepare to leave. I'm trying to keep our time apart as short as possible; we're actively working on her visa so she and our child can join me in Canada soon after I land, so our baby can be exposed to a new culture fairly early too.

Q5. How did you first come across Leap Scholar?

I was at my office, thinking about upskilling myself, when I started looking into this seriously. For my first master's, I applied entirely on my own, with some help from friends, but this time the country was different, and I wanted an actual agency to help me navigate the process properly. I looked into three or four other institutes I'd had less than satisfying experiences with in the past, then checked Leap Scholar specifically. Their reviews stood out, genuinely strong feedback about how well they guided people. I called and got through to my consultant, Divya, told her about my interests, and she promised to follow up. Within a couple of days, she had my account set up and ready.

Q6. What did you actually tell her you were looking for?

I told her my interests specifically spanned supply chain and mechatronics. I've been designing EV chargers in my current work, which leans electromechanical and involves PCB design. I sent her my resume and my full work history. She took her time, genuinely understood what I needed, and built my SOP from that. Then she applied to about twelve or thirteen colleges in Canada on my behalf, and it happened remarkably fast; within two or three days of me sharing my documents, everything was already moving. We got two or three admits fairly quickly, and from there she helped me weigh which programs to pursue further and which to drop.

Q7. How was the SOP and visa process specifically for Canada?

It was genuinely difficult and quite different from what I was used to with the US. The SOP for Canada needs a lot more than just your background; it has to weave in your full financial situation, your family situation, your spouse, your child, all of it, in a way that a visa officer can clearly follow. Framing that properly, especially incorporating nearly ten years of US work experience and my current profile in enterprise manufacturing, was a real challenge. Honestly, I don't think my visa would have gone through without Leap Scholar's help articulating all of that clearly.

Q8. Did you consider scholarships or fellowships?

I'm managing my finances mostly myself, with some contribution from my parents. I did apply for fellowships, though those only become active after my first semester, contingent on maintaining an average GPA above 70, which is the university's requirement. I've also applied for international scholarships, and I'm currently waiting to hear back.

Q9. What was the biggest challenge Leap Scholar helped you through?

Honestly, the entire documentation and application process was the biggest challenge. Getting a genuine offer isn't as simple as clicking apply; there's a lot of paperwork and detail involved, and having that entirely taken off my hands was a huge relief. It was a huge relief. in the best sense. Beyond the applications themselves, they also helped with things like flight booking and SIM cards, genuinely hassle-free support I could reach out to anytime over WhatsApp or a call.

Q10. Would you recommend Leap Scholar to others?

Absolutely, without reservation. If you try to do this entirely on your own, I think you risk missing real opportunities; there were programs I hadn't even considered or known existed until they surfaced them for me. Their direct relationships with universities made a real difference too. I'd tell anyone to start with Leap Scholar first before even trying to go it alone. This isn't just about getting admitted; it's the visa process, figuring out where you'll stay, and understanding what challenges are actually ahead of you, all from the comfort of your own home before you ever leave. That's the real value, and I'm genuinely glad I chose them instead of doing the application myself.

From fifteen years in the industry to a first-ever batch at a brand-new manufacturing program, and from an application process that once felt impossible to one wrapped up in days, this journey is proof that going back to school doesn't get easier with experience; it just needs the right support behind it. For anyone considering a second masters later in their career or navigating Canada's more detailed visa requirements, this Leap Scholar review is worth reading closely.