Amaan is an ideas man. Currently completing is Diploma of Business at UTS Insearch, the budding entrepreneur from New Delhi already has some future businesses in mind. Among other things, his ideas include a clothing line and a solar power enterprise. But right now, his focus is education.
After finishing high school in India, Amaan was a few months into his tertiary studies when he realised he really wanted to study abroad and experience a wider world. He had friends studying at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). “They said it’s a young, up-and-coming university. One of my friends is studying architecture and he told me about the business building there. He said, ‘You should definitely go there.’”
Having researched it further, Amaan made up his mind. Then it was then time to explain the change of heart to his father. “I went to him one night and told him I wanted to go to UTS, in Australia. He said, ‘It’s up to you. If you get in by yourself I’m more than happy to send you.’ I think he wanted me to do it by myself so I would learn to take responsibility for my decision.”
Amaan chose to begin his university experience in Australia at UTS Insearch, the pathway to UTS. “A few friends of mine have done UTS Insearch before me,” he says. “They said the difference between UTS Insearch and UTS is that the teachers give you extra attention. There are fewer students in the class, so the teachers are more focused on you.”
Before commencing his Diploma of Business, Amaan enrolled in UTS Foundation Studies. “At the beginning,” he says, “I found it frustrating. I was getting presentation skills – learning to present myself, but at the time I didn’t see how it was relevant to my future because the subjects were completely different to my diploma subjects.
"But when I started my diploma course, I realised how much I’d learnt. Especially when it came to doing my big essays, and writing about my projects. All the UTS Foundation Studies stuff really came in handy. Without it, I wouldn’t even have known how to write an academic essay properly.”
Studying at UTS Insearch has helped Amaan to transition to university life in Australia. He says, “The education system in India is a bit different from the education system here. A very different attitude and culture. I think here, I’ve learnt to open myself up more and express myself in a way that wouldn’t happen back home. In Australia, I think I was presenting in front of people in maybe week two or week three.”
Presentations made him very nervous at first. “But when I delivered, and got a good grade, I was happy,” he says. “I thought, yes, I’ve made the right decision because I’m doing this here I may never have had the chance to do. This is a way that UTS Insearch has definitely helped me.”
Amaan says important life lessons are part of studying abroad. “One thing I constantly tell myself, and international students talk about it when we sit together, is the independence that comes with it. In India, I would still be spoiled. I would certainly not be doing the dishes for myself, or doing my own laundry. I think it’s all part of the learning – of becoming who you want to become.”
After his diploma, Amaan plans to study for a Bachelor of Management at UTS, with a major in Accounting. “Ultimately, I want to be an entrepreneur and start my own businesses,” he says, “but before that I think I’d like to be a business analyst or maybe a chartered accountant.”
Amaan’s looking forward to working in a real-world business environment when he commences a work placement very soon. “I think this will really help to give you a clear mind of whether you can do the job or where you want to work. I think it will really help me.”