My studies

I’ll take hands on learning over structured study any day of the week.

The ability to memorise something temporarily for an exam and the actual process something are quite distinct from each other and the latter wins. How many MBAs actually know how to build a successful business from scratch? Now how many college dropouts are doing just that? Managing an already established and successful business is one thing, finding a niche, building and commercialising a profitable and sustainable business is another. For more on this topic, check out Josh Kaufman’s The Personal MBA. Nothing beats hands on learning and having a genuinely inquisitive nature.

Having said that, the classroom and the value of structured education cannot be discounted completely. It just depends what your goals are. If you’re looking to climb the corporate ladder, become a doctor, lawyer, accountant or engineer, then structured learning is necessary – but the real learning begins when you step into the workforce and it never stops.

I try to learn 2-3 new things each year which in today’s age is not difficult at all. Free online resources such as MOOCs (massive open online courses) offered by Stanford and Harvard among others as well as the plethora of free courses offered by other organisations make learning new skills very accessible. My current project…Ruby on Rails.

Tertiary education:

• Master of Professional Accounting – 2009
• Southern Cross University, Australia

• Bachelor of Business (Information Systems) – 2004
• Victoria University, Australia

Other qualifications:

• Google Analytics (Fundamentals) – 2013
• Google

• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) – 2011
• ISACA

• Certificate of Freelancer Journalism – 2007
• Australian College of Journalism