A little bit more about me
Hi, my name is Amr. Pronounced UMR. The pronunciation of my name has created some hurdles in my new life in Canada, which started in 2018 for me, so I adopted my nickname, Amroh. I like the name Amroh because—in Arabic text—my name is written with a silent O, Amro, which is silent in some cultures, and is pronounced in some others. Secondly, Amroh pays homage to one of my favorite fictional characters growing up, Uncle Iroh, from Avatar: The Last Air Bender, so here I am, Amroh!
Me with my grandpa
1991
I studied pharmacy at a German University in Egypt, and that is what I initially moved to Canada to become. But after enough time and money spent pursuing that goal, and the negative feedback I received from other Pharmacists (both national and international graduates) regarding their careers, I decided it is no longer worth pursuing. I ended up chasing the corporate dream instead. I enjoyed that for some time, got my finances together, accepted my new life, even enjoyed it at times. Until challenges appeared.
Keeping my hands busy
While working corporate, a few life experiences made me realize I am meant to work with my hands, not just my brain.
Long story short, there was enough happening in the corporate world at the time that I decided it was better for me to become a tradesperson. But what sort of tradesperson was I to become? In my experience being a disability consultant, I truly enjoyed the aspect of inspecting people’s homes to see what sort of disability supplies they might benefit from. Walk-in bathtubs, bed posts, floor to ceiling poles, stairlifts, that sort of aid.
One day, I visited a couple on a farm who complained about their new farm home. All their windows would fog up in the morning. Their heating would not reach their upstairs. Their house was poorly insulated. If only they had a good home inspector that could have warned them about this sort of thing. Unfortunately, the home inspector they hired missed a few problems. What if it were me? Could I have done a better job and saved this couple a lot of heartache? How do I get there?
I quit my corporate job in Fall 2024 and went to NAIT to pursue my home inspection dream. I supplemented my income by working at a local kitchen preparing food for schools and daycares. I finished studying Spring of 2026 and went through the process of testing for my home inspectors’ association, interNACHI. The InterNACHI test was not easy. It is an all inclusive test of everything I studied related to home construction standards that I studied for the past year and a bit, and 75% of students fail that test on the first try.
Luckily, I passed it on my first try! I am very proud of that achievement, as it is a reflection of my knowledge up to that point. By the beginning of summer, I had all the paperwork I need to apply for my home inspection license, and by the end of Summer, I had it. I got my license in the first week of August 2026. A few weeks later, I got my first inspection jobs!
I am very happy with what I achieved so far. Home Inspection can be challenging, hazardous and comes with a lot of responsibility, however, in my experience so far, the aspects of meeting people, helping people, finding problems, offering solutions for their homes make it all worth it. This is the first time I have been self-employed in Canada. I cannot say I regret studying pharmacy either, without it, I would not have decided to come here at all. But now I am here, making a life here, met my French-Canadian wife here, trying to make a living for both our sakes, and honestly, I could not be happier.
My wife and I in the Rockies, 2025
What’s it like marrying an Alberta farm girl? I leave you with this meme, it is worth more than a thousand words!
She’s from Alberta
He’s from BC
