SBS Blog > Leap of faith brings career rewards by Ayushraj Pandey

Leap of faith brings career rewards

By Ayushraj Pandey - Posted on 28 March 2024

Ayushraj Pandey did the Masters in International Management at Strathclyde and now has a job in regulatory reporting at Barclays. He says his ‘leap of faith’ to study abroad has certainly been worth it.

Before deciding that I would do a business degree, I had already ventured into start-ups with two side projects but I shut them down after a year to learn more about business abroad.

When I read about the Masters in International Management (MIM) programme, I was instantly interested. I felt that my decision to leave my country would be an advantage in the International Management context. This would also open the doors for managing teams and operating across multiple countries which was appealing. The project-focussed curriculum offered more practical experience, this kind of ticked all the boxes for me.

When I was researching universities, I was assured that the course at Strathclyde would provide the maximum opportunities to mix with a multicultural team of professionals and learn from them.

The reason I chose Strathclyde was down to its reputation, the way they are positioned as a modern place for useful learning and the great list of alumni also influenced my decision. Glasgow itself was also a major factor. Of all the curriculums I looked over within MIM, Strathclyde's subjects made the most sense to me. The way professors teach and the way the courses are structured here are effective and fun. We were graded on the projects and papers that we wrote, and, more often than not, these projects were a group effort.

One of our modules involved us working in groups as consultants for various startups. The entire module was a competition among all the classmates - I had never seen a class so engaged in a subject before. I think the course offers a great deal of exposure to business and the professors are very skilled but many people forget that more than half of all the time dedicated to a module is self-reading. I enjoyed reading the suggested books - they were carefully chosen and provided a great understanding of the respective subjects.

I also enjoyed some great guest lectures that were held during the course. These lecturers were professionals at the top of their field - a great part of the programme.

No question, I would recommend the course - especially to anyone interested in learning about running a business that operates in several countries. People often think that MIM is just a slightly different management course. While there are indeed some overlapping modules from other management courses, the focus of MIM at Strathclyde was truly international. The very first module was called International Entrepreneur! So only go for this if you're ready to do your thesis with an international element to it.

While at Strathclyde, I was offered plenty of opportunities: I started a new society in the Strath Union, represented my class and also worked part-time at the union building. Not to forget, I was offered a scholarship from here so in a way Strathclyde primarily enabled me to get my current job.

I am currently working in Regulatory Reporting at Barclays as a Graduate Technology Analyst. It is a permanent graduate position and I believe that the degree from Strathclyde helped me tremendously in getting this position.

Being at university is not just about the academic side of things and Strathclyde happens to nail every aspect of it. I often visited the careers, being a part of the Student Union Staff I was always closely working with everything they offer. I benefited from, and saw many other students get, crucial support when it really mattered thanks to the student services at Strathclyde.

I appreciate the uncertainty about everything in the world right now but if you're wondering about going abroad and studying, and if your intentions are to study, learn and grow before anything, then don't doubt yourself – do it.

It’s the right decision - a leap of faith that offers many rewards. There are risks, yes, but you are always going to be a better version of yourself at the end of this.

Ayushraj is happy for any international Strathclyde student/applicant who might have questions about studying here to contact him via his Linked In page.