Bachelor of Applied Business – Financial Services
Business Administration – Accounting Diploma
Graduate, 2015
“George Brown College provided me with a base that I needed to start my career in the accounting/financial industry.”
As Gurjinder Singh talks about his career path, it’s clear that he’s constantly absorbing new experiences and adjusting his plans to find the best route. And the strategy is working—he loves his job as an analyst in Scotiabank’s Commercial Banking Development Program, and was recently selected as one of a handful to participate in the company’s nine-month leadership development rotation program.
George Brown has been a reliable partner in navigating these career decisions. Choosing the Business Administration - Accounting diploma program for its co-op offerings, Singh says his placements at State Street and KPMG were instrumental in helping him to see his options in the field. When he realized he wanted to take a degree rather than a diploma, the college allowed him to switch from the Business Administration - Accounting diploma program to the Bachelor of Applied Business – Financial Services (recently changed to the Bachelor of Commerce- Financial Services). He also realized he didn’t want to be a typical accountant. Again, his program came through with an internship in wealth management, which helped him realize an interest in the similar field of finance. “Learning a background in accounting really prepared me for my role in finance. In finance, you're taking the accounting information and you're making decisions off of it,” says Singh. Another factor, the side jobs that he worked in retail, made Singh realize he liked something he had never considered before – sales.
As he prepares to continue working in a career trajectory that combines finance and sales, Singh says he is using the skills he learned at George Brown every day. “The accounting and the finance courses I took, no question about it, you have to know those like the back of your hand,” he says. But less specialized courses have had an equal impact—Singh says he relies regularly on the skills he learned in Speaking with Confidence and Business Communication to create great relationships with his supervisors.
Now that he has the right background, Singh feels like he’s poised for success. “There's just so much more to learn and there are highly educated people that I'm working with at the bank. It's a really exciting time right now, for me especially,” says Singh.
Gurjinder’s Advice for Success
“Don’t limit yourself to the curriculum in your program. Continue to seek knowledge by taking professional courses, and reading the news and professional articles. This will allow you to be ahead of the pack when seeking employment and climbing the proverbial corporate ladder.”
