The UK provides access to one of the most varied offerings of study program specializations in the world with a rich social life and diverse activities to participate in – essentially the reason why soon after completing my A-Levels in 2010, I went on to pursue my higher education in the UK and graduated top of the class in mid-2014 with a 1st class honours degree in Business Management and Finance from Manchester Metropolitan University; for which I was also awarded the departmental prize for best overall performance.
Before going to the UK for my studies, I had only seen the country in pictures. A culture shock, in this case, would not have been unusual, but I was surprised at how easily I blended in and in a month or so, I was one them. It was partly due to the fact that I am extremely malleable as an individual but mostly because of the accepting and warm nature of the people.
Studying in an international environment not only helped my professional development but also my development as a human being. Being part of an internationally diverse academic community greatly enhanced the quality of learning, providing a wider spectrum of opinions and expertise. To be precise, the experience has made me more culturally aware, flexible and creative as an individual. A huge credit for this positive development also goes to the jobs that I did while in the UK – a student ambassador at my university, an event supervisor at one of the leading providers of hospitality staff and personnel, and a Marketing Business Consultant at a high-end clothing retailer, to name a few. These part-time jobs allowed me to take a myriad of responsibilities ranging from organizing events and university tours to creative and technical elements of marketing initiatives such as brand creation, print/Web collateral development, lead generation, channel partner cultivation, customer segmentation/profiling, etc. Not only did these experiences further develop my existing skills, but also helped me acquire new ones. Regular interactions with such a wide variety of people have had a significant role to play in making me the confident, dynamic and strong communicator that I am today, not to mention, have positively contributed to my public speaking, teamwork, presentation, time-management and networking skills.
My association with the British Council is almost a decade old and started with my O-Level exams back in 2008.Little did I know, 10 years down the line I would be working for an organization I was once petrified of. There is something pleasantly nostalgic about working here at the Council as the Business Development Coordinator for Examination Services and the past 14 months or so have been nothing short of gratifying. The skills acquired during my time as a student in the UK have been key to performing this role and I firmly believe that learnings from my rather eclectic experience in the UK will continue to propel my short and long-term goals.