Why did you choose the University of Melbourne for your masters?
I did my degree in Accountancy and I was sure of two things: (1) I can’t do this for the rest of my life (no offence to number lovers) and (2) I haven’t discovered my potential and interest yet. My life drifted like any other self-discovery movie and I landed on a profound love for marketing. I wanted a University that had plenty of extracurricular activities and industry experience. I was convinced that University of Melbourne had the community atmosphere that I needed to flourish and to this day, my love for the University cannot be expressed.
What activities were you involved in at the University?
In my first semester, I was involved with UMSU where I volunteered. Later in the course I was part of peer mentoring programs for societies such as Enactus and IGS (Indian Graduate Society) which helped me drive my leadership and event coordination skills.
All the sessions and workshops conducted by MBS Careers and Employability helped me shape my soft skills and understand the direction I wish to take on my life. I would owe my organisation skills and even how I interact with different diversity of people to all the extracurricular activities organised by the University. Most importantly, my experience with City of Melbourne and CRI as part of Business Practicum was a huge learning curve.
How was your experience in Business Practicum?
It was without a doubt, an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Thought it was only 3 months and took place online and that I had always known that I might not get the same learning experience had it been face-to-face but it turns out that I could not have had grasped the education and learning skills that I gained had it been offline. The supervisor of City of Melbourne was very gracious and in fact, mentors me even now. The impact of the Business Practicum will not pertain to just the three months, but for the rest of your life.
Did you face any challenges during your course? How did you tackle them?
I faced many challenges that came with the transformation of the online study medium. I always wanted and always have been surrounded with people and being self-isolated and living alone was a crippling decision I had to make. I was also not sure about my career direction as well. However, what really brings us down and keeps us there, is our own mind. I always try to have a growth mindset to pass over these struggles, especially during these COVID times. I’m the example of the result of my unexpected behaviour or emotional instability can be explained by just talking to yourself. I always had an Excel sheet to track all my activities, goals and errands that I used to run everyday which helped me to keep track of my short and long term goals.
Which activities/events held by the University do you think were the most helpful?
Entering programs organised by FBE was the most useful, especially for a young lad like me who is struggling through career decisions. I faced a lot of problems approaching people during networking so the mentor was there for us around 3-4 months and he made sure to give us good knowledge about the industries that I really wanted to work with. He would motivate me throughout every personal and professional development choices and made us accountable for that. The program was very enriching and improved my teamwork. My internal networks have been strengthened by the tips and tricks he had given us.
What advice would you like to give to new students?
Find out what comfort zone you are struggling through and never go back there. You need to constantly challenge yourself and face your fears. Do not wait for miracles to transform yourself when everything is within you. Take advantage of University courses and different networking nights that constantly comes around through different clubs and society and I’m sure you’ll be able to ladder up.
MBS Student Association 