{"id":528721,"date":"2026-06-10T21:17:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T21:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/528721\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T21:17:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T21:17:27","slug":"a-graduates-story-i-felt-uncertain-about-whether-to-start-working-or-continue-studying-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/528721\/","title":{"rendered":"A graduate\u2019s story: \u2018I felt uncertain about whether to start working or continue studying\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up, I watched my father, a tax<\/a> consultant, work with numbers and help businesses solve financial problems. That early exposure made me curious about how the financial side of organisations actually works, and when it came to choosing a degree, the direction felt natural. I studied business administration, majoring in finance, at Jain University in Bangalore<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I really enjoyed my undergraduate experience. The range of modules gave me exposure to other areas like marketing and HR, which helped me decide where my interests were sharpest. But what I didn\u2019t fully anticipate was how my thinking would shift beyond finance in its traditional sense. I became increasingly interested in the role of finance in sustainability<\/a> and corporate social responsibility, how businesses are moving beyond profitability to focus on environmental and social responsibility and how finance can play a role in driving that change.<\/p>\n

This brought me to Ireland to pursue an MSc in Sustainable Finance at University College Dublin<\/a>. The decision wasn\u2019t straightforward. Like many students, I felt uncertain about whether to start working or continue studying, and I weighed both options carefully. I also debated between a traditional finance master\u2019s and the sustainable finance route, and between studying in Ireland or Britain. In the end, I chose UCD and sustainable finance because I felt it aligned more with where the future is heading and offered the right opportunity for me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m now working as a sales associate at HSBC on the EU central sales team for global payment solutions, working across the European market. One of the things I enjoy most is the opportunity to collaborate with people from different backgrounds, cultures and countries. I like the fact that I continue learning every day, whether it\u2019s understanding new processes, working with different teams or handling different situations. <\/p>\n

What I find challenging at times is the balance between speed and accuracy in a demanding environment, especially while adapting to new systems and responsibilities, but I truly believe these challenges are helping me grow professionally.<\/p>\n

Beyond my day-to-day role, I\u2019m a member of HSBC\u2019s green team, contributing to sustainability initiatives from community clean-up drives to workplace recycling programmes. For me, creating an impact is more than just an added bonus. I also value being part of initiatives that contribute to a more sustainable and responsible future.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, I want to continue building my technical expertise and gain broader exposure within HSBC and the wider banking sector. Over time, I hope to take on roles with greater responsibility where I can contribute to strategic decisions and sustainability-focused initiatives. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Growing up, I watched my father, a tax consultant, work with numbers and help businesses solve financial problems.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":528722,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[73],"tags":[79,18,46878,46877,19,17,1420,12548,70755],"class_list":["post-528721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-eire","tag-graduates","tag-graduates-in-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-students","tag-third-level","tag-your-stories"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116727896152383029","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=528721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=528721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=528721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=528721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}