Chasing Success Outside The Comfort Zone
There are only a few students that manage to step outside their comfort zones in the pursuit of success. Ansh Seth is one of them. A BBA 2023 graduate from the University of the Fraser Valley, Ansh has always strived to go beyond the ordinary.
From challenging himself in balancing academics with the Student Company Program, from meeting deadlines to consistently achieving results, Ansh has been a student of par excellence. It continues to be reflected in his professional achievements as well.
Let’s get to know more about Ansh Seth!
Please shed some light on your professional journey and your current job. What are your professional aspirations for the next 5 years?
My real professional journey began when I transferred to UFV in Abbotsford in September 2021. While I was learning to live independently, I took up my first job as a cashier at an electronics store.
Since then, I have gained a wide spectrum of exposure through different on-campus jobs, such as Research Assistant, Student Voices Coordinator, and IT Lab Monitor. Finally, after a lot of hustles, working multiple jobs, and gaining some administrative work experience through these positions, I was able to secure my first part-time accounting job in May 2022 as a bookkeeper at a local CPA firm in Abbotsford.
After exploring different fields, I decided accounting was the right career for me and started seeking full-time jobs with Big 4 accounting firms.
After graduation, I moved to Vancouver and have worked as an Assurance Associate Trainee in External Audit at PwC since then. I aspire to expand my accounting expertise by gaining the CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation.
I have also accepted a full-time offer as a Staff Accountant with KPMG for the upcoming fall, wherein I will be working full-time and studying part-time for my CPA modules. Over the next 2-3 years, my entire focus will be on securing my CPA designation while continuing to work on what I love and grow further in my professional journey.
How was your experience studying at FVI?
I had a well-rounded learning and development experience at Fraser Valley India. From academics to extracurriculars to internships, I strongly believe that FVI provided ample opportunities to explore my personal interests while developing some crucial soft and hard skills.
Do you think being a part of the Student Company Program impacted you?
Yeah, it actually was one of the major highlights of my journey at FVI. Being onboarded as an Accounts Manager was my first exposure to the fascinating world of accounting, which soon turned out to be my career path.
Being a first-year student, who wasn’t sure which major to pick, the Student Company Program provided valuable insights into a plethora of different business departments like manufacturing, marketing, accounting, and finance to help make this decision easier.
Apart from that, I greatly enjoyed the transformative journey of professionalism and experiencing entrepreneurship at its core through this program.
What was the one factor that made you choose Fraser Valley India?
I think the transferable credit program after 1 or 2 years was the one factor that made me choose Fraser Valley India. Back in 2019, just fresh out of high school, it was a bit difficult for both me and my parents to think about moving to a completely different continent and starting to live on my own.
Living away from home (Delhi) in Chandigarh helped me bridge that gap from the uncertainty of living abroad to being confident and enjoying my own company. In a nutshell, it was a gradual rather than an abrupt transition while not compromising the quality of Canadian higher education.
What would you like to say to the current and prospective students of Fraser Valley India?
For all of those who are planning to become independent and a better version of themselves and prefer a progressive transition, FVI is a great option. I understand it takes great courage to leave your homeland and adapt to a different country and culture. There will be times of uncertainty, anxiety, unfaithful friends, and helplessness when you will feel the urge to give up and just go back to your privileged life.
My advice is to have faith and keep hustling because it is well said by Abraham Lincoln, “Things may come to those who wait…but only the things left by those who hustle.”
In the end, rest assured when you will look back on your journey of perseverance; you will be glad that you took the tough road and believed in yourself to become what you are today! All the best!
