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MSc Business Studies (Class of 2006)
Sarojini says that armed with her MSc employers took a completely
different view of her as a potential senior manager. This has
certainly proved to be the case as she now has a highly demanding and
responsible job with the internationally renowned sports and
leisurewear company, Nike.
She studied at Aston from September 2005 to July 2006. It was the
first time that Sarojini, then just 25, had been to Europe and the
experience could have been quite daunting. But she fell in love with
Birmingham as soon as she arrived and threw herself into both her
studies and a new social life which was completely different from her
life in Sri-Lanka.
But tragedy struck just as Sarojini was enjoying student life. Sadly
her father died and she had to cope with the bereavement as well as
finding the will-power to continue her studies. She recalled: “My tutor
provided tremendous encouragement and assisted me in so many ways. The
response and support I got from him and some other people will always
be remembered.”
With the help and support of Aston, Sarojini stuck to the course and
returned to Sri-Lanka where she is now a Production Analyst for Nike at
a large regional factory. Nike has a huge brand image throughout the world and is a
particularly demanding company. Key jobs with Nike are aspirational and
Sarojini is certain her Aston MSc played a major role in her gaining
her position with the company.
“It changed my career prospects tremendously. Employers
view you differently. They believe an individual with a Masters level
education has been ‘groomed’ for management, bringing immense value to
the organisation and creating the opportunity for overall culture and
knowledge building. In essence, this eases the training aspect of the
employer.”
Sarojini had taken a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (CIM UK)
before deciding to take an MSc and had always had a strong interest in
the clothing industry. She had worked as a merchandiser with a company
in Sri-Lanka which produced clothes for well-know companies such as
GAP, Old Navy, Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Sag Harbour, Ralph Lauren,
Helly Hansen and Adams childrenswear.
She learned about Aston Business School from a number of sources.
“My main reason for selecting Aston was its reputation and ranking as
the third best business school by the Financial Times in 2005.”
Her mother is a teacher and her late father, although a farmer at
heart, had ended up working in an accounts office. Sarojini said: “My
path has been completely different to my parents, but they were
definitely an inspiration to me in many ways and enabled me to pursue
my dream of obtaining a qualification from overseas.”
Her first impressions of the city of Birmingham and the Aston campus
were perhaps surprising from a young lady from Sri-Lanka. She said: “I
liked Birmingham from day one and its mixture of urban and country. Initially I thought the Aston complex was small and not quite the
university I had envisaged, but with time I really liked the size and
location and it really made life so simple.”
Sarojini says she didn’t find the MSc course hard. “But there were
tough moments. I would say that it enabled me to think outside of the
box - think broadly and to try and make a strategic difference every
step of the way. I enjoyed the group work in particular. It made possible a real
feeling of teamwork and enabled me to understand the positives and
negatives of working in a team. There are so many elements in team
working which are often hidden, and it was great working in a
multi-cultural team.”
There was a lot more she enjoyed and learned from too. The module
allocation for terms suited Sarojini’s study pattern. She added: “I
liked the design of starting assignments with group work, which then
facilitated individual work and helped to build tremendous confidence
and learning from each other. I also think that the assessment
techniques were very good.”
On the social side, living and working in Birmingham was a whole new
experience for Sarojini. She made great friends and thoroughly enjoyed
herself. “It was very different from Sri-Lanka. As a group of girls we
could walk around the streets or go for dinner or a night out in
Birmingham without much fear for our safety, something I couldn’t do in
Sri-Lanka.
“I absolutely enjoyed making ‘flat friends’ and stayed on campus. I
can tell you that without a doubt, I made friends for life at
Aston and enjoyed everything from flat dinners to nightly chats to
nights out – it was amazing and is among my treasured memories.”
She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Aston Business School to anyone
considering an MSc. “It’s a brilliant place to study for two reasons:
the quality of the teaching and the course content is of a very high
quality and the short time period means that you get familiar with the
environment immediately. The size of Aston accommodates this aspect and
it’s such a friendly atmosphere.”
