For Ibrahim Kamardeen, getting accepted to the University of Reading’s Henley Business School was surreal. Enrolling at the triple-accredited elite school for a degree in Management Accounting was a no-brainer — the Business School is a pedestal that Ibrahim knew would catapult him into a lofty career in Accounting.

According to him, "Getting a Management Accounting degree at the Henley Business School comes highly recommended. And rightfully so, as the school offered me a lucrative option of a placement — which made the prospect of pursuing the degree at the school very appealing to me." Added to this enticing feature was the self-paced mode of learning, as well as the possible professional course exemptions that studying at the school offered.

Sharing on this, as well as the relative ease of the course Ibrahim said: "Initially, my intention was just to get all the possible exemptions from my professional exams, but as the course went on, I started signing up for other modules that I felt I would enjoy and started to really enjoy the whole university experience. The course gave me so much freedom to choose how my learning panned out; it gave me such a broad knowledge of accounting and management."

With Henley Business School proudly setting its students on the right career track via its effective career advisors, Ibrahim's case was a career-defining moment. "When I went to the careers advisor in my first year, we had a conversation which kickstarted my journey. It was really inspiring; I told him what I wanted to achieve and he laid out a road map for me. Without him, I don't think I would have progressed as far as I have. Throughout the course he helped me to navigate to where I want to be. I also enjoyed meeting lots of different kinds of people in and around the university because you never know who might be helpful to you in the future."

Ibrahim eventually achieved his aim of getting a placement in a global tech firm. "I had applied to a number of organisations and had several interviews. One day, I received a call from VMware saying that, although they were not able to offer me a role in the finance team, they liked me so much that they wanted me to go there in another role. The interviewer accepted that I wanted to be in finance but said: 'just get into the company, and find your way from there.' So I took the placement, and gradually worked my way across to the revenue team"

"I really enjoyed the networking and had long conversations with my Manager and the company's CFO, who eventually mentored me throughout the duration of my placement. The placement definitely changed my view, not only to my working life but to education generally. And it has all worked out well because I've been offered a permanent job here at VMware when I graduate."

Ibrahim currently works part-time with VMware amid his professional exams in Management Accounts.

Offering his two cents to prospective undergraduates, Ibrahim noted: "Be open-minded. Be prepared to try new things. Speak to the career advisors and take advantage of whatever life at Henley Business School offers you. There are no boxes."

Karmadeen’s advice couldn’t have come at a better time as Henley Business School is currently offering Nigerians a chance to experience world-class learning in a conducive and career-supported environment through its Alumni Africa Scholarship. This scholarship is worth £5,000 and is aimed at supporting Nigerian students who enrol for the September 2022 academic session in any of the following courses:

MSc Management
MSc Management (International Business)
MSc Finance
MSc Investment Management
MSc Real Estate.

The scholarship is offered once students receive conditional offers for the September 2022 start date. No other conditions are required to be met.

Applications for the September 2022 academic session are currently ongoing and will close on the 22nd of August, 2022.

For more inquiries on how to take advantage of this scholarship opportunity, send an email to oeribake@oxfordinternational.com or call/Whatsapp the number +234 916 919 9177.

Additional information can be accessed via:
https://live.henley.ac.uk/page/henley-business-school-alumni-africa-scholarship