Shankar Gopaldas

Name: Shankar Gopaldas
Nationality: Malaysia
Current Role: Senior TMT Consultant at EY (Malaysia)

Why did you choose to pursue MBIS?

What motivated me the most to pursue the MBIS course was predominantly due to the unique structure of the course in its blended learning of both business and IT components, in which it highlights how IT can be used to empower and drive better value in organisations today, which was one of my core interest in furthering my knowledge within upon completion of my undergraduate degree.

Why did you choose to study at Monash Malaysia?

The main reason for me in choosing Monash Malaysia as my primary option in pursuing my postgraduate degree was predominantly due to the vast experience and research background the university has established in the field of IT over the years alongside the diverse and highly experience cohort of lecturers available within the course. Besides that, the established ranking of the university to be within the top 100 universities worldwide alongside its globalised network of campuses (for student exchange programs) was another reason for me in choosing Monash Malaysia, as it provided students with better value for money in exposing students to experience global opportunities with only having to pay local prices (tuition fees) – not something you can attain from other universities.

How has your learning experience at Monash been so far? What do you like best about studying here?

The learning experience has been nothing short of amazing. From the lecturers that facilitated interactive and creative learning through various informal in class discussions / presentations alongside the diverse international student base with varying knowledge backgrounds, the learning journey was inspiring to say the least, as I have learnt to not only look at a problem through a one-dimensional view but to actually think in a more critical and holistic manner to how these solutions can be developed and interacted from a communal point of view, thus creating a win-win situation.

While at Monash, what type of opportunities did you participate in?

One of the opportunities that I participated in during my study here in Monash was to become the student representative for the MBIS programme, to which I have learnt to communicate effectively and help students solve issues relating to their study needs. This included garnering feedback from students regarding the unit workload / assignments and the facilities provided to them, for which feedback attained would be brought up during school meetings for further action.

What do you love most about your student life at Monash?

The friendship and learning aspects that I have gained over the two years. This is in which coming into a new environment within a subject area of vast difference from my undergraduate studies, the friends that I’ve met throughout the course were extremely helpful and somewhat of a family (due to our small group size), to which the bonds built not only help me better my knowledge within the subject area but to also learn and experience different culture and languages, to which I’ve now improved my mandarin speaking skills!

What are your career goals?

My career goal pretty much lies within the business analytics and intelligence sector for which I aspire to help use the knowledge gained to enhance organisational insights towards current trends, to help better drive products that bring value to both businesses as well as its customers. In the long-term, I hope to expand this knowledge into the social entrepreneur sector, for which I would like to bring such technology to the underprivileged communities in order to enhance their lives and to provide a platform for learning, to ensure these communities are able to grow out from the poverty trap, and to help realise their dreams / potentials.