From City Streets to the Peaks of Knowledge: The Street Sweeper Who Won't Let His PhD Gather Dust

Mr. Mohammadzadeh-Asl says: 'In my childhood and adolescence, whenever people asked what I wanted to be in the future, I would answer without hesitation: a university professor. Back then I didn't know what path this dream would require, a path that began with street sweeping and, through continued education, led me to a PhD.'

Every day before the sun rises, cleaners work in the street; With the same orange and blue clothes that are a badge of honor for them. Mohsen Mohammadzade Asal is one of these pakbans. He decided to change his life path 17 years ago, in the winter of 2007, when he faced the contractor's contempt for his work clothes. Mohsen did not even have a diploma at that time, but today he is a PhD student in human resource management. His story is the story of breaking stereotypes; A young man who proved that no job can stop him from achieving his dreams, if there is a strong will behind it.

Mohsen Mohammadzade Asal, a young man born in 1364 and a resident of Karaj, still remembers that day with all the details. He says: "My educational path did not start at university, it started with a bitter incident at work. It was 1987, a cold winter day when we were not given proper work clothes and I was working in personal clothes. His very sentence made me realize that I have to change myself. Although maybe that person was right in terms of administrative regulations about work clothes, but the way he said it changed the course of my life. I even thanked him later, because he made me start my studies again, get my diploma and continue my studies until now, when I am a PhD student in management. I chose the field of human resources management because I understood that behind all organizational issues, there is a human being, and I believe that human resources are the biggest asset of any organization, and I have experienced this issue not only in books, but in my work environment."

He says: "In my childhood and teenage years, when I was asked what I wanted to do in the future, I said without hesitation, university professor. In those days, I didn't know what path would be taken to reach this dream; The path that starts with the work of cleaning and with the continuation of my studies, will lead me to the doctorate. When I was a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a university professor, I did not even imagine that the path to achieving this dream would pass through the streets and clean work clothes; A path that started from zero and was followed step by step with work and study at the same time. "Looking back today, I see that my teenage dream has become more real," he explains. "My whole goal is not to use my knowledge just to get a degree, but to be able to use it to solve the problems of organizations and society."

Purgatory for Mohsen was not just an individual choice; His father also worked in the same job for many years and by retiring from it, he left a part of the family path for his son. Mohsen says: "What impressed me more than my father's job title was his attitude towards work and service and halal bread. My father always emphasized on helping others and being able to be the source of the work. I learned from him that the value of people should not be measured only by their job title or their income. If I do something right and serve others through it, that work is worthwhile. This look is always with me during my years of work and education; That's why I don't see cleanliness as just a means to earn a living. Cleanliness is not just a job for me; My identity is my work and my life.

"While I'm working at the same time, I'm thinking in my head about complex concepts of human resource management or urban management theories, for me these two worlds are completely complementary," he says. This means I didn't just learn HR management from behind the desk. I study about this topic, but I am one of the same human forces that works in the organization. I deal closely with issues such as the work environment, motivation, job security, organizational justice, and the manager-employee relationship. "Sometimes a management concept that I read in a book has a different meaning in the real work environment."

Believing that academic knowledge is incomplete without touching the realities of working life, Mohsen says: "If human resource management wants to be truly effective, it must be able to establish a direct connection between academic knowledge and the lived experience of employees; That's what I try to achieve in my research."

For Mohsen, wearing Paqbani clothes is not just a continuation of his father's work; In the early years, he entered this job without a university education and because of the family atmosphere, but today he has a completely different look at it. Mohsen explains about this: "I do not feel ashamed that I have a history of cleanliness and I am still engaged in this work. By the way, I think this experience is part of my social and professional capital. Learning to work from the bottom of the organization and seeing the realities of the field is a blessing that not everyone experiences in the path of organizational progress. Sometimes when my son likes to come to work with me, I take him to work. I want him to see the environment and communicate directly with the day and night efforts of Pakbanan and Sabzebanan."

According to Mohsen, cleanliness, like any other job, is like two sides of the same coin; One side is hardships and the other side is a pleasure that only the worker understands. He says about this: "Cleaning may seem like a simple task from the outside, but in reality, it is a lot of pressure, both physically and mentally. We are constantly engaged in physical work in the very early mornings, in the cold or the excruciating heat, but that is part of the story; The main problem is not the difficulty of cleanliness itself; It is a look that is imposed on us. In fact, the problem of cleaners is not their job, the problem is that, unfortunately, sometimes we confuse a person's human dignity with their job title. This reductionist view harms not only individuals, but the entire system.

A successful organization or society is a place that can differentiate between job title, expertise, responsibility and human dignity. Society needs all expertise to move forward; To janitor, nurse, employee, university professor, fireman and manager. Each of these have different roles, but this difference in role should never mean a difference in human dignity. These are two separate categories that must be properly addressed in society; Not to sacrifice one for the other." He says about the sweets of his job: "We have sweet events and moments during work that make all these hardships pale in our eyes.

A few hours after starting work, when I see the street cleaned and the atmosphere changed, I feel that I have improved part of the quality of people's daily life; This direct and positive effect on the beauty of the city has a unique feeling for me."

Mohsen says about how he balances the heavy physical work in the early mornings with the mental focus for research and writing: "The truth is that coordinating things is not an easy task at all. I spend most of the day at work, and then I have to spend energy on reading and writing. But in this way, more than time management, I learned to manage energy. Because the hours of the day are not the same for humans in terms of mental quality, I dedicate the times when I have a higher mental focus to reading and writing. But I must also say this; I have a wife in my life who has followed me along this path and has passed her own wishes. If it wasn't for my wife's support, it would have been very difficult for me to continue on this path. Despite all the financial problems we had and still have, he always prioritized my education.

He neglected many of his own needs and spent the money that might have been his right on my education. I consider part of this success to belong to him, who has always been by my side and my helper. At a time when for many, articles, books and doctorate degrees are merely a ladder to raise the rank, get a faculty seat or build a resume for immigration, the inner motivation of this scholar is of a different kind. He considers research not a tool to escape from reality, but a bridge to correct it. Mohsen says: "For me, research is not just a means to get a degree or just to improve my job; I want to translate some of the experiences that I have touched and lived with in the workplace for years into scientific language. If a research can make a manager make a better decision for his employees, if an article changes the way organizations look at employees, or even if a scientific idea can make the working conditions of even one human being a bit better and more humane, I have fulfilled my mission."

He summarizes the ultimate goal and the inner motivation of all these night wakings and his scientific searches in one sentence and says: "I want to convey the voice of the experience of the workers and employees of the organization to the ears of society and decision-makers in the language of science and management."

A book for those who did not give up

If one day I write a book about my life, sufferings and experiences, I have already chosen the title. Saying this sentence, Mohsen says: "I will name that book "Pakbani who did not cry." Of course, I don't mean that I have never been tired, depressed or helpless along this path; I have definitely had many hard days; Both mentally and physically, and in terms of financial pressures. But I always tried not to let any obstacle or difficulty stop me. From the day I entered this job without a degree to today, when I am a doctoral student, it was not an easy path, but my teenage dream of reaching the position of a university professor and turning knowledge into a factor to serve people will always remain alive in my eyes." He explains: "If I were to dedicate this book to someone, I would definitely give it to my wife and child; Especially my wife, who was always my main encourager during all the difficult years and under the financial pressure and provided conditions for me to pursue my goals. "Maybe today, scientific degrees and titles will be registered in my name, but a large part of the truth of this path belongs to my family."

This pakban says: "We pakbans, who do not have special support, must stick to our goals and never abandon them; Because we have no other choice. I tell my Pakban and Sabzban colleagues all over Iran and even their children to create precise, attainable and realistic goals for yourself and fight for them; If you have a plan for your dreams, there is no ceiling to fly to. Because a person can change his life by learning, persevering and helping each other, and our starting point may be different, but we can build the future with knowledge, effort and hope. The starting point of life may not be our choice, but how far we continue can be our choice.