Interview with current MSc in Finance Indian student Sujatha Shankar
Before joining the program, current Indian student Sujatha Shankar completed a Bachelor in Accounting & Finance and worked in the Risk Advisory Services team in EY Chennai as a consultant. Realizing that she needed further education to break into the world of Corporate Finance, she joined the MSc in Finance at emlyon business school in 2019.
1. Why did you decide to join the MSc in Finance?
Though my Bachelor’s degree was in Finance, most of my education post that and my work experience revolved around auditing. If someone had asked me, hey do you know ANYTHING about, let’s say, Corporate Valuation? I would be drawing a blank. My purpose for pursuing this Master’s degree was to attain a solid foundation in Corporate Finance and more specifically in-depth knowledge of the latest techniques of Financial Analytics, which aid in corporate decision making. I also wanted an international experience as it would open doors to jobs anywhere in the world. Upon doing some research, I stumbled upon this Master and decided to pursue this.
2. What are in your opinion the strong points of the program?
The choice of subjects in this program are in line with what is relevant to the current business world. Heavy importance is given on soft-skills, which I feel would enable us succeed at work - as when we grow high up the corporate ladder, sometimes soft-skills take precedence over actual work experience. In addition to standard Finance-centric courses like Valuation, Portfolio Management, Options, etc., the program also include subjects like Strategic Analysis, Business Models, Innovation where we slightly drift from core finance to understand the ‘why’ instead of the usual ‘how’. The business trip to Shanghai or Casablanca and the learning trip to the US or UK were intriguing, as the same was not offered by other schools. I chose to go to Casablanca for the first business trip, because I was curious to learn about the culture of business and finance in Africa, and of course, because of the movie!
3. Have you already completed an internship?
Not yet. Our program requires us to start the internship only after the completion of the course, which is June 2020.
4. What do you wish to do after you graduate?
I wish to land a job as a Consultant in France or anywhere in Europe, where I can put my previous audit experience and the Finance degree to good use.
5. Do you receive support from the Career Services Center?
Yes, the conferences organized specifically for International Students were useful. It gave me an idea as to how the French job markets or European job markets operate in general.
6. Do you have any advice for candidates applying to the program?
If they wish to do CFA, this program really helps in completing the first two levels. Also, please learn French before coming. Makes life in France so simple!
