Pranav Ramji graduated in July of 2019 and studied the Master of Management (Accounting and Finance). Pranav studied at the University after 10 years of work experience and continued to work alongside his studies for companies such as Deloitte in financial management services. Currently, he is a financial accountant for a wealth management and private lending company called Payton Capital.
How has your journey been after graduation?
It was a hard task getting opportunities especially as an international student but interacting and networking with others on a professional level has helped me to land jobs in the past and even the current job I’m in.
Being an international student makes things a little harder but if the opportunity persists and you are persistent for looking out for the right career path, you can still find your niche and spot in the economy.
What activities have you been involved in at the university?
Whilst I was at university, because I had the tenured work experience, it was a little difficult to mingle with the peer group and most of them were actually seeking advice from me. At university, I was actively teaching music and still teach music and play concerts across Australia on the weekends. Teaching music also helped me navigate the professional network because it helped me find my way and speak to peers who were also interested in the music industry.
I was not particularly part of any societies or clubs, I probably interacted with more of the professors and teaching assistants who had similar experiences as me. It was good for me because I was seeking a change after ten years of work experience and it helped me to get through those 3 hour lectures.
What were some of your best and most cherished experiences at the University?
I think some of the university lecturers were fantastic. They had some insights into the real world and industry which you don’t really get from India. All the group work that I managed to do with international students and younger students from all across the world was fascinating. They were technically turned on to the point that I felt inadequate but I learnt how people overseas interacted.
The MBSSA events that I was able to attend were also valuable. The networking events also helped me interact with very talented industry professionals from the accounting and finance industry which was definitely a big part of what I cherish from university life.
What were some of your favourite subjects on campus?
From a finance perspective, Derivative Securities was something that I had an inkling towards. Granted, it was one of the toughest subjects in finance but at the same time the professor and course coordinator gave us live examples that we could definitely take into the economy and our future real world experiences.
It’s definitely a subject that you should take as a finance student if you have a chance. It combines your economic, financial and statistical understanding and merge them to create a niche for yourself when you’re looking for a job.
Any key takeaways from your experience?
One of the key takeaways was interacting with the younger students especially those right out of undergrad and it was commendable to see how serious they are with their respective careers and see themselves progress in a whole new country. It’s been good to interact with people from all different backgrounds.
The Indian Graduate Society also created an amazing environment for people to talk and chat about anything and everything that was happening. They made everyone feel at home in a completely different country.
How did your previous experiences lead you to take up the Masters of Management?
I finished my undergrad in 2008 and ever since then, I’ve been working. I’ve not had the opportunity or luxury to entertain the option of studying again but studying a Masters allowed me to identify that my technical ability was not accurate after the 9 years that I had worked at. I was interacting with professionals that were technically very sound and I realised that I needed to study more to get ahead and find the right trajectory for my career which drove me to do a Masters program.
I didn’t even know that the University of Melbourne would take me because I had lots of experience because I thought they would put me into an executive program but I’m very grateful that they accepted me as a Masters student.
Any advice for fresh graduates?
I think the only advice I would have is to get a hold on how much networking you can do. Make sure you’re putting yourself out there as best as possible. There’s no harm in saying you don’t have experience or the right technical ability because from my time in the Australian workforce, they value the fact that you can bring honesty or loyalty to the table. These are the soft skills you can develop and as long as you have these, you’re going to do well. In addition to that, don’t treat the VISA or anything as a deterrent to your career. It’s a matter of being persistent, stay hungry and get ready to be exploited is what I’ll leave you with.
For more information or queries, you can find Pranav on LinkedIn here.
MBS Student Association 