When I commenced my undergraduate Economics (Liberal Studies) degree at UNSW in 2008 I had no intention of studying Business Information Systems, let alone choosing it as my major. I was more interested in economics, a decidedly more traditional pathway. In retrospect, this decision was probably greatly influenced by the fact that I took Economics as a subject in my HSC. I also knew that accounting and finance weren’t for me. Another contributing factor was that I really had no idea what BIS was. I ended up settling on the conclusion that most other people came to – that BIS was some weird fusion of business and computers – and of course the mere mention of studying something computer related at university sends (most) people running in the opposite direction. So when pitting the more familiar Economics major up against the enigmatic BIS, Economics won hands down. |
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Kate Wilson |
Two years later when I transferred from UNSW to USYD, I was horrified to discover that BIS was one of the junior core pre-requisite units. But as the semester progressed, I began to realise the significance of BIS. My work experience at UBS contributed to this epiphany.
I joined the UBS Operations Cadetship Program in 2008. The program involves a work/study splice and provides an opportunity to rotate through the different functions of the operations of one of the world’s leading investment banks. My first year was spent in the Operations Risk Group and the following year in Operations Prime Brokerage. Even though I enjoyed both rotations, it wasn’t until I moved into the Project Management team in 2010, keen for a challenge and very interested in the process of ‘changing’ the bank, , that I felt I really ‘fit’ into my role. I had so thoroughly enjoyed my time in the PM team in 2010 that I declined to rotate, opting to remain within the PM team in 2011.
I feel very fortunate to be able to study BIS and gain experience in the ‘real world’ simultaneously. It enriches both experiences and allows you to see beyond the cycles of lectures, assignments and exams, which is not the end purpose of university.
The past year has proven to me how it is very difficult to predict where your career will take you once you leave school. As you gain life experiences and your frame of reference expands, you become aware of paths that you didn’t even know existed. So while it is important to have a goal to always be working towards, it is equally important to remain flexible and open-minded, always knowing in the back of your mind that your goals may change quite significantly as time passes.
My vision for BISA in 2011 is not to convince every living breathing student to commit to a major in BIS. Rather, my goal is to ensure that students are making informed decisions – I am not convinced that at this point in time students have a sound understanding of what BIS involves. Consequently, many enthusiastic and intelligent students who would be perfectly suited to a career in BIS are deciding on a different major that is actually not appropriate for their skill set and that they will not find rewarding once they enter employment. By increasing their knowledge of BIS, I feel BISA can empower students to make the right decisions about their future. And a future in BIS is a promising one indeed!
