Got my first job! Working as a business analyst

In this series, recent grads share their journey to landing that first job out of college. After years of studying and working toward a degree, these Panthers’ hard work paid off. Now they’re paying it forward by letting you know how they did it.

Name: Abeera Parwani ’17

Degree/major: Bachelor’s in Business Administration. Majored in management of information systems (business analytics) and international business.

Where are you working? Deloitte Consulting as a solution analyst

How did you get your job? I got this opportunity through the FIU Career Fair and an ISBAdepartment information session.

What’s been the coolest thing about your job so far? Other than learning and building on new technology, sometimes I get to travel for work.

How does your job connect back to your coursework? My job connects back to coursework by implementing the concepts that I have learned in a real life setting.

Looking back at your time at FIU, what were the most challenging and most rewarding experiences? The most challenging time at FIU was finding out what I wanted to major in. After changing my major multiple times, I finally settled on an MIS major. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. The most challenging part about it was trying to break my barriers and going for competitions via Association for Information Systems (AIS).

Rewarding Experiences?

• Placing in the AIS student chapter competitions.
• Helping to revive the AIS with the help of the most amazing peers and professors in the MIS department. A huge thank you to Dr. Gladys Simpson for always believing in the AIS and its potential. Not only did she push us to build a network for MIS students, she actually pushed all of us to think big and go for our goals in life.

What was your favorite class at FIU? This is a tough one. I honestly enjoyed most of my MIS classes. My favorite classes were business intelligence, taught by (senior instructor) Nicole Wishart; data mining, taught by (former department chair) Monica Tremblay; and the capstone, taught by (current department chair) Karlene Cousins. All these classes brought out my passion for analytics and made me want to learn beyond the classroom.

What advice would you give to FIU students? Go beyond the classroom. Try to break your own barriers. You can achieve much more than you would expect. If you have an opportunity to compete in a competition, just try it. You don’t have to win at all. It’s all about getting the knowledge and experience out of it.

What surprised you the most about your first job? At Deloitte there is so much opportunity to learn about new technologies. What I have learned in the classroom has really been shown in the workplace, but at a massive scale.

What advice do you have for students beginning the job search process?

• It’s OK if you get rejected from your first interview. It’s all part of the process of getting to where you want to be. Don’t let that discourage you.
• Do your research on the job titles. — that helps in understanding what you could be doing.