Paolo De Guzman
Master of IT in Business (Financial Services)
Graduation Class of 2017
Test Lead, Pactera Singapore
Before coming to Singapore for the Master of IT in Business (MITB) programme, I was working in the telecommunications industry and had no formal knowledge of the Banking and Financial Services industry. In my perspective, banks are only a place to deposit money or take a loan from.
I pursued the MITB programme because I wanted to transition into Financial Technology and Operations. The programme offered business and technical training which gave students a holistic understanding of the industry. Under the mentorship of seasoned banking leaders, the courses are designed to be interactive and relevant to the industry’s current practices. Students were given the chance to use actual banking systems to design products and get a feel of how banks operate.
As part of the programme, students were also given the opportunity to work with leading firms and apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom. For my internship, I chose to work with a Leading Asian Private Bank in their Business Management Support team. I was given a Business Analyst role in which I supported initiatives on their Avaloq Wealth platform. During my 6 months stay, I had the chance to meet members of the front, middle, and back offices who were generous to share their expertise on the domain they are working on.
The MITB programme has helped me jumpstart my career here in Singapore. I am now working for a technology consulting company and currently deployed in a top private bank. MITB has given me foundational knowledge that enabled me to quickly take on my role. I highly recommend it to anyone who has relevant work experience or to those looking to transition into the industry.
