From Mumbai To Singapore To Australia: How An International Business Education Shaped My Career Journey

When I began my Bachelor of Business Administration at SP Jain School of Global Management, I knew I wanted an education that would take me beyond the traditional classroom. What I did not realise at the time was how much moving between different cities, cultures and professional environments would shape the way I approached my career.

My journey took me from Mumbai to Singapore and then to Sydney, where I completed my degree with a specialisation in Marketing. Today, I am based in Perth, Western Australia, working full-time with APM Employment Services as an Employment Consultant while also undertaking a full-time Graduate Diploma in Teaching.

Looking back, my career has not followed a completely straight path and that is something I have come to value rather than worry about.

3 CITIES, 1 DEGREE

One of the defining aspects of my time at SP Jain was the opportunity to experience different environments throughout my degree. Moving from Mumbai to Singapore and eventually to Sydney meant constantly adapting to new surroundings.

Each transition taught me something different. I had to build new relationships, understand different cultures and communication styles, and become comfortable navigating unfamiliar environments independently.

Singapore was particularly valuable in shaping my early professional experience. Alongside my studies, I had the opportunity to gain workplace experience and see how the concepts I was learning in business could be applied in a multicultural and fast-paced professional environment.

Moving to Sydney gave me another opportunity to apply those skills. During my time there, I gained experience across marketing, communications and customer-facing roles. My marketing specialisation taught me how important it is to understand people’s needs, motivations and perspectives and communicate with them effectively.

AN UNEXPECTED TURN

At the time, I thought these skills would primarily lead me towards a career in marketing. I later realised that they were transferable to almost any career involving people.

After graduating, my career took a direction I had not originally anticipated. I joined APM Employment Services as an Employment Consultant in Sydney.

My role involves supporting people who may be experiencing disability, injury or other barriers to employment. I work with participants to understand their circumstances, identify their strengths and goals, develop employment plans, connect them with opportunities and support them as they work towards employment.

FROM AUDIENCES TO INDIVIDUALS

Although employment services may seem very different from marketing, I quickly recognised how relevant my business education was.

Marketing taught me to understand an audience. Employment services have taught me to understand an individual.

Every participant has a different story, different strengths and different challenges. There is no single approach that works for everyone. Building trust, listening carefully, communicating clearly and adapting my approach are central to my work every day.

ONE PARTICIPANT’S COMEBACK

One experience in particular has stayed with me.

I worked with a participant who had been out of employment for more than two years and was experiencing homelessness. Returning to work was a significant step, so we focused on finding an opportunity that was realistic and aligned with their circumstances and capabilities. Eventually, I was able to support them in securing full-time employment in a warehouse.

Seeing that transition was incredibly rewarding. The outcome was more than simply securing a job. Employment provided an opportunity for the participant to rebuild routine, independence and confidence.

That experience reminded me why I value working with people. Sometimes, helping someone recognise their own potential can be just as important as the practical steps involved in finding employment.

STARTING OVER IN PERTH

My journey continued when I relocated from Sydney to Perth, Western Australia, where I continue to work with APM Employment Services.

Moving to Perth meant entering another new environment and building new personal and professional connections. While it was another significant adjustment, I found myself drawing on the same adaptability I had developed through my international education.

There is something valuable about repeatedly putting yourself into unfamiliar environments. You learn that you can start again, build relationships and find your place.

That mindset has become one of the most important things I took away from studying internationally.

WHY TEACHING

My career journey is still evolving.

Alongside working full-time, I am currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Teaching with a specialisation in Business Studies on a full-time study load. Returning to study while working full-time has been challenging, but it has also given me the opportunity to explore another area where I can use the skills I have developed throughout my education and career.

My interest in teaching is connected to many of the experiences I have already had. Whether I was working in marketing, employment services or studying business, communication and understanding people have always been central.

Teaching gives me the opportunity to explore those skills from another perspective helping students develop confidence, understand their strengths and navigate their own learning journeys.

YOU DON’T NEED THE WHOLE MAP

It has also reinforced an important lesson for me that career development does not have to be linear.

If there is one thing I would tell current students and recent graduates, it is not to feel pressured to have their entire career mapped out from the beginning.

When I started my degree, I could not have predicted that my journey would take me from business and marketing into employment services and then towards teaching.

Each experience has added something to the next.

EACH MOVE, A NEW CHAPTER

My international education gave me more than a degree. It taught me adaptability, independence and the confidence to work with people from different backgrounds. My professional experiences taught me how to apply those skills in the real world. And my current studies are allowing me to continue exploring where those skills can take me.

From Mumbai to Singapore, Sydney and now Perth, each move has brought a new chapter, a new challenge and a new opportunity to learn.

I have learned that a career does not have to be a perfectly planned journey. Sometimes, it is about being open to opportunities, learning from each experience and having the courage to take a different path when your goals evolve.

For me, that has been one of the greatest lessons of my SP Jain journey: the world is bigger than one career path, and an international education can give you the confidence to find your own way through it.

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Nandini Kesarwani is a graduate of SP Jain School of Global Management. She is an employment consultant for APM in Perth, Australia.

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