Sanjay Singh was at the peak of his career when he decided to upgrade his qualifications and learn new skills to complement his demanding job. Having worked in the fields of accounting and taxation for over seven years, he had served in various positions including as a Graduate Accountant to a Senior Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and then as the Manager (Fiji Operations) for Praful Patel & Associates – a Chartered Accounting/Tax Agency Firm based in Lautoka.

“After working in a managerial role for a year, I decided it was time for me to upgrade my qualifications and learn something new,” said Singh.

His choice of university for upgrading his qualifications was Fiji National University (FNU).    Singh enrolled in the Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting programme at FNU’s College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS) in 2016 as a part-time student while maintaining a senior role at work.

“Campus location and access to facilities were my prime reasons for choosing FNU.   The university is well-equipped with facilities for students, and, is also flexible to student requests during difficult times. FNU was a game-changer for me, both at personal as well as professional level.”

He completed Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting in August 2018 and graduated in December.

Singh enjoys a good challenge, so he enrolled in a second postgraduate programme straight after completing the first one. This time, it was the Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Accounting programme which was fully sponsored by The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (Fiji).

“I chose to pursue forensic accounting, as I considered it to be a challenging, yet exciting field.  Forensic accounting requires an inquisitive mind, and I was ready to challenge my capabilities.”

During the time he was pursuing this second postgraduate qualification, Singh was working at Praful Patel & Associates and was a part-time Assistant Instructor/Tutor in Accounting for FNU’s National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC) in Lautoka.

Singh graduated with the Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Accounting in March 2020.

Reminiscing his time at FNU, Singh said, “I have a lot of good memories from my FNU student days. Most of us had full-time jobs, but we looked forward to our evening classes which would often end in dinners with fellow postgraduate colleagues.  It was a journey for sure! Our Course Coordinator was very supportive of all of us and gave us personal guidance, where needed. We all know that good results don’t come easy; mine came with some sleepless nights, and a sense of contentment each time a course requirement was submitted.”

According to Singh, FNU has helped him achieve significant milestones in life, and both postgraduate streams were equally satisfying and rewarding.

“FNU has tamed me to be a more decisive person. It rewarded me in getting better appraisals at work and improving on each client project I undertook. I enjoy providing business advisory services to clients, and FNU has helped me to be a profound writer and taught me to present information professionally.”

To current and future graduates of FNU, Singh says, “FNU is a great platform for further studies. It is a great Institute to build your career, learn, become a master of things and begin a journey that is rewarding as well as satisfying. Most importantly, any student will feel accepted and at ease when commencing and continuing studies at every stage with FNU.”

Currently, Singh is on another chapter of his journey.  After serving at Praful Patel and Associates for five years, Singh resigned in February 2020 and moved to New Zealand where he is pursuing a Master of Business (Accounting by Research) at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).