Business Administration - Accounting
Graduate, 2013
“George Brown College provided me with a base that I needed to start my career in the accounting/financial industry.”
Rushi Patel has known since high school that he wanted to be an accountant. Growing up in the town of Nadiad in the state of Gujarat, India, he might not have known that he would carry out that quest via George Brown College’s Business Administration – Accounting Advanced diploma program. Or that he would end up as a Senior Investment Accountant with State Street Corporation just two years after graduation.
When a friend suggested George Brown to him, Patel says it was the co-op opportunities that convinced him. Turned out to be a fortunate suggestion, as his internship with State Street led to a job after graduation, from which he was promoted to his current role. Patel says his accounting and taxation courses were his favourites, and that he’s also found he really uses his business communications course.
While Patel says that working with a team is probably the best part of his job, he also really likes the technical side. Both skills he says he solidified at George Brown. “George Brown provided me with a base that I needed to start my career in the accounting/financial industry. The practical experiences and real-work exposure that I got as part of my program were immensely helpful.”
Now that he’s in a more senior role, Patel also regularly trains juniors entering the company. He says he discovered this passion for teaching and mentoring while working at George Brown as a peer tutor for students with disabilities. “When I would tutor the students, I would feel really charged up because at the end of our session they'd feel a lot more confident, and they'd thank me for all the teaching that I did, and that would boost me up—I cannot explain it in words,” says Patel.
Now that he’s established in the field, Patel plans to pursue his CPA designation. And what does his family back home in India think of this success? “They are really proud of me,” he says.
Rushi’s Advice for Success
“Work hard and do not rest until you achieve your goals. Also stay focused - but have fun at the same time.”
