En route to remarkableness!

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

This is the case for Ali Borazjani who, setting himself on a double degree dose of business and law, will see his studies take him well beyond his comfort zone in the not too distant future.

The Collins SBA Graduate Accountant is one of just a handful of students from University of Tasmania awarded a spot on The Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Student Exchange Program (ECKSEP), which will put him in a law study placement at a host university in Hong Kong.

But it’s no junket when he embarks on the program in January 2015. Ali, who currently juggles part time work with university study, will spend the five months abroad getting four law subjects under his belt. The scholarship ensures that his transport and accommodation costs are taken care of.

With candidate suitability assessed on academic merit, it is easy to see why Ali was selected.  During his 12 months on Collins SBA’s accounting team, he has already been exposed to some exciting and challenging work.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to work on some of Collins SBA’s larger scale client work and to gain an insight into how those clients operate.”

“I will never forget the moment I mentioned my scholarship offer to Collins SBA Principal Andrew Pearce. Without hesitation he told me I must accept. I thought to myself, wow, this is the kind of place you want to work.”

Given the entire reason for completing a degree is to land a job, Ali thinks more students should be taking advantage of UTAS’s free service which facilitates job placements: UTAS CareerHub.

Thanks to UTAS CareerHub starting the ball rolling, Ali eventually landed his role with Collins SBA, and even found their mock interview services a useful stepping-stone to his prior position as a PASS Leader at UTAS.

“The mock interview sessions are extremely helpful,” says Ali. “UTAS CareerHub staff will analyse the position, prepare questions they think might pop up, and literally interview you on the position. Afterwards they will provide feedback on your performance.”

For Ali, undertaking a study exchange in Hong Kong is a priceless, once in a lifetime opportunity for personal and professional development in a city that is clearly going places.

The opportunity does come at some cost however. Shortly after receiving receipt of the scholarship, Ali was offered a volunteer position at the 2015 Cricket World Cup, a sport he is passionate about. The World Cup conflicts with Ali’s time in Hong Kong, forcing him to turn it down.

For more information about ECKSEP or any other UTAS finance and scholarship programs, please visit http://bit.ly/1yTfYKS.

Article originally created and published by Collins SBA Complete Wealth Specialist, Hobart Tasmania http://www.collinssba.com.au/en-route-to-remarkableness/