During my second year at Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem, I made the decision to pursue a long-term life in Israel. Yet I had more questions than answers. Chief among them: I wanted to remain in yeshiva, but also to make progress towards a career. How could I do both at the same time?
Striking the right balance between Torah and academics was difficult—and at times, it even felt unattainable. At the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT), however, I found the unique solution I was looking for.
I discovered JCT in 2015 through a friend in the college’s engineering program and through my own research. What immediately caught my attention was the school’s International Program in English, particularly its BA in business administration, which incorporates lectures and practical research projects that challenge students to apply their knowledge to real-life situations. The international program also offers a computer science degree, and tuition for either the business or computers program is a highly affordable $3,600 per year.
The program gave me the freedom to live off campus as well as the flexibility in my schedule—with classes condensed to Tuesdays and Fridays—that enabled me to not only live and learn in whatever yeshiva I chose, but to learn two sedarim (study sessions) daily.
The real game-changer was JCT’s faculty. The professors are personally invested in their students, but it is also a symbiotic relationship. When students show an interest to learn more, they are willing and happy to give of their own time to help the professors create a rich environment for learning. Many of JCT’s professors come from highly respected professional backgrounds in the business and high-tech sectors, and provide students with career advice or even set up meetings with potential connections to employment.
My professors introduced me to guest speakers who visited campus. I later contacted the same speakers on my own, and worked for them during the summer. In my first year of college, a start-up founder who was brought in by JCT offered me an internship, and the same scenario played out during my second year. This is typical at JCT, as professors frequently invite potential employers to campus to recruit summer interns, while other employers have proactively approached JCT about providing them with students who can work part-time, and eventually full-time once they graduate.
JCT’s practical approach, which was constantly focused on empowering me with a sustainable future, enabled me to get on the right track career-wise and acquire the best possible experience. Once I graduate next month, I’ll be working full-time for the Avalon Capital merger-and-acquisition firm in Tel Aviv. JCT gave me all the experiences I needed and literally set me in the position to obtain my job—while I was still in school.
It is highly challenging to navigate the Torah-academic balance as an aspiring college student who does not wish to give up the lifestyle of a yeshiva student. The most important step you can take in that situation is to put yourself in a growth-oriented environment, and build a structure that will allow you to learn seriously on the Jewish and secular fronts alike. You have to know yourself—what motivates you, and how you can properly focus in order to maximize your time.
I was interested in earning a degree, but in the context of a setting and schedule that were also conducive to learning Torah seriously. JCT gave me the best of both worlds, while putting me on the path towards a vibrant future as an American-Israeli.
By Ari Schiff
Ari Schiff is a native of Staten Island, New York, and an alum of the Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC) in Teaneck. He is graduating from the Jerusalem College of Technology next month with a degree in business administration.
