Students in Focus
Museerah’s unexpected path, from medicine to accounting
University of Canberra student Museerah Suhail had always wanted to be a doctor. Growing up in Pakistan, she knew what she wanted from a young age, and so pursued a medical degree. But life had other plans, and she found herself on a very different path – accounting.
“Back in Pakistan, the whole plan was that I’d study medicine,” she says.
“But I developed some health issues that impacted my life and ability to continue my medical studies. After talking it over with my family, we decided it was best for me to pursue something else that would be less stressful and more manageable.”
After moving to Australia, Museerah wasn’t sure what to do, but eventually figured she’d try out a Certificate III in Accounting at the (CIT), as a way of exploring something new and to see if she’d be interested in it. Throughout the course of the year, she found her teachers to be very helpful, and detail-oriented in the way they taught and explained things.
“That when I started to really gain an interest in accounting,” she says.
“I ended up staying a couple more years [at CIT], completing an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and getting my first internship through the program.”
Museerah found CIT’s program delivery extremely useful and practical; it helped her a lot once she landed a job as a tax agent for a firm in Melbourne.
“It was very hands-on,” she says. “We dove straight into preparing entries, balance sheets and financial reports, and I think that was a big reason why it became interesting for me.
“We were trying to work things out and find solutions to problems. If I had been studying in a way that was much more theoretical from the start, I’m not sure I would have developed the same kind of interest that I did.”
After taking a gap year – and obtaining her citizenship – Museerah started to consider what a broader career in accounting and finance would look like – and realised that obtaining a degree would open even more doors for her.
Weighing her options, she decided to pursue a Bachelor of Accounting degree at the University of Canberra – motivated in part by being able to get credit for many of the courses she did at CIT.
“I looked at several universities, and the UC curriculum was very strong in comparison. Because UC credited many of my CIT courses, I only needed to do three semesters instead of three years, to complete my degree,” she says.
“That was important to me financially, because it allowed me to save on uni fees while still getting a quality, world-class education.”
“The other good thing was that ºÚÁÏÍø also offered a practical, hands-on approach in how the classes were taught. This made my transition to uni easier, as I was able to use all the knowledge and skills that I gained at CIT, applying them in my classes at ºÚÁÏÍø.”
Museerah reflects fondly on the doors that opened for her, throughout her journey at both CIT and UC. She credits both institutions for their career pathways, including assistance with her CV and job applications, and networking opportunities with potential employers.
Through its Careers Fair program, UC also opened a pathway for Museerah towards a valuable internship at EY. Through the internship, she was selected as part of the company’s Student Program, which she will be part of for a year, once she graduates from UC in the coming months – not bad for someone who never thought of being in the accounting field when she was growing up.
“I grew up knowing what I wanted to do in life, but one thing I’ve learned is that sometimes things don’t go to plan,” she says.
“I would advise students to go with their heart when they’re choosing what they want to pursue – but not to get disheartened when plans go awry. Sometimes, things won’t go your way, but it may lead to new opportunities that you didn’t even know you liked, so just keep working hard and just go with the flow.”
Words by Mike Verzosa, photos by Liam Budge.