I chose to do a Master of Commerce, as I wanted to develop my practical and theoretical skills and deepen my understanding of topics I was interested in. I also wanted to set myself apart in a competitive graduate market by strengthening my critical thinking and research skills. I liked having the freedom to creatively pursue my own academic interests. Without my Master of Commerce, I may never have discovered my current career as a business designer.

What drew me to management was how clearly passionate the lecturers are about the subject. I enjoyed having the ability to put our knowledge into practice with real-world case studies.

The knowledge and experience I gained through my postgraduate degree set me up for success on a variety of projects. These have included working in Indonesia with some of the world’s best thinkers on the issue of malnutrition, developing customer-centric services for New Zealand government agencies, and supporting New Zealand companies wanting to expand overseas.

I came back to University after a number of years of working and exploring the world. As a (sort of) mature student, I found it super easy to integrate myself into the way of life at Victoria University of Wellington. I found the people to be really open and hugely welcoming—diversity is just the way of being there.

All of the academic staff that I had the opportunity to learn from and work with were open, supportive, and helpful—particularly with exam prep, research, and life after University. There’s a strong integration between Victoria University of Wellington and Wellington City. Each has its own pulse, giving you loads of options for the kind of experience you want to have.

Thanks to the connections I made at Victoria University of Wellington I successfully achieved my goal of becoming a management consultant. Since then I’ve worked on some amazing jobs with highly talented people, and I’ve travelled around New Zealand. Now I live in Ireland, where I’m further developing my professional skill set and experience.

I decided to study Management and Commercial Law. Management is relevant, applicable, and useful, both in the business sector and in everyday life. And through Consumer Law, I’m gaining insights into consumer and employee rights and protection. Commercial Law has also helped me to understand how to run a business from a legal perspective. This was really helpful when I started my business, BandUp, which aims to improve men’s mental health in New Zealand.

During my studies at Victoria University of Wellington, I’ve had loads of opportunities to network and become more entrepreneurial by participating in VicLink’s entrepreneurship bootcamp and by taking advantage of The Atom innovation space.

Wellington has such a great and unique business sector. Living in the capital city offers opportunities and benefits through access to government. I love the vibe of Wellington, how easy it is to walk everywhere, and how close it is to the sea.

I found my passion during my undergraduate studies when I first encountered strategic management. This subject opened my eyes to a whole new way of thought in which seemingly independent ‘dots’ were connected through complex interdependencies. As I progressed through my postgraduate studies, first through Honours then a Master's thesis, my enjoyment and interest in strategy and business management only continued to grow. Out of the studies involved in my research I gained a solid understanding and appreciation for the interconnectedness between a business’s resources, their competitors and their business environments. The experience and content I gained from this degree has had a number of direct and indirect tie-overs to my work at Deloitte.

My degrees required a lot of hard work and, while the School of Management always pushed me to achieve, they were also brilliantly supportive. It was with their support that I believe I was able to achieve as much as I have. My experiences at the School of Management have left me eager to complete a PhD at some stage in my future, and I would recommend the School of Management's courses and degrees to anyone who is wanting and willing to learn to think.