Blogs

It was during the first term of Year 11 (aged 16) that I started to think more seriously about my future. 

Every day most of us will embark on the same routine: wake, go to work, hit the gym, have dinner, go to bed, sleep and repeat. Why not share your education with those who could truly benefit from them?

My journey started when I volunteered for New Generation Consulting (NGC), a pro bono student consulting group.

The path to a career in finance was once a no-brainer. Get a degree, head to London and work your way up the chain. But in a digital world where big data and artificial intelligence are changing how business works and how we live, is this the only route to success?

Three postgraduates who realised that they had the talent that companies outside the capital were seeking share their experiences of starting their finance and data science careers in Cardiff.

After completing my high school education in India I chose to study in the UK and to pursue my studies in business management. I wanted to study in the UK because it has always been my dream, as it is a centre of excellence that provides quality education.

If you’ve ever considered embarking on a postgraduate course, then hopefully this blog on my experiences will prove to be helpful.

When I was at school, I eagerly awaited the day I could finally leave full-time education behind and step into the real world. Most of us can’t wait to escape education and enter the workforce, the perceived “real world” of adulthood. But is this really true, or are their alternatives?

Surely, no one in their right mind would want to stay indoors and revise for that pesky exam on a sunny spring day, or would they?

One of the first things you should realise about a PhD is that the length of time it takes to complete can vary from country to country. In some countries, it can range from three to five years. In others, it can take more than eight years to finish a PhD.

We could debate for hours about whether America truly is, as it is so often called, the land of the free. One thing I know for certain, though, is that the US model of education is considerably more liberating that the British one.

“But what do you actually do?”

As PhD students, this is a question we get on a regular basis, from friends, family or even other students. Completing a PhD is very different to an undergraduate degree, or even a master’s. There isn’t a specific topic that you’re learning about alongside the rest of your cohort. Sometimes you may be studying something completely new, which no one else knows anything about (except hopefully your supervisor).

Like the rest of Christchurch and New Zealand, the events of 15 March shook the University of Canterbury to its core. Nothing can prepare for the shock and outpouring of emotion that comes with experiencing something like what we witnessed. I think for many of us, it was only in the weeks following the terrorist attacks on two local mosques that we began to process it. We were all asking ourselves why? How could this happen?

Over the past four years, I have spent approximately 36 weeks on eight internships at some amazing companies. Sometimes it has meant that I have missed out on holidays, festivals and experiences with my friends but overall the sacrifice has been worth it.