Phoebe Silke
Vice President and Programme Manager for a global change strategy team at JP Morgan.
When I completed my BA international (French and Irish) in 2014, I decided that I wanted a change of direction and to pursue a career in business. Having attended the University of Galway Postgraduate Open Day, and explored the range of postgraduate courses available, I had the chance to speak with current students and lecturers and was drawn to the masters in International Management.
However, although a background in business was not a requirement to do the masters, I felt I was still unsure management was definitely the right choice for me, and I owed it to myself to find out more about the other areas of business. At the Postgraduate Open Day, I was amazed to discover the wide range of postgraduate course options that were available to students. There was something for everyone. I left that day, and I decided on a postgraduate higher diploma in business studies (DBS). This course gave me a flavour of all aspects of business from Human Resources to Financial Accounting and everything in between.
After graduating from the DBS, I moved to New York on a one year graduate visa and worked for a highly successful Trade Show company in Midtown Manhattan. The city opened my eyes to numerous incredible opportunities and inspired me every day to better myself so I could become as successful as so many of the people I met throughout my year in the Big Apple.
The MSc in International Management was always in the back of my mind and I eventually came to the decision to continue my studies when I returned to Galway. I knew that I wanted to study my masters at the University of Galway, because of the incredible experience I had throughout my undergraduate degree and diploma.
The masters was made up of a lot of different modules- my favourite being Business Strategy, and Human Resources and Cross Cultural Management both of which had a strong focus on developing practical presentation skills. The highlight of the course (other than meeting a number of great friends), involved a business trip to Hong Kong which was an unforgettable experience and it re-ignited a spark for the opportunities available working with global companies.
I graduated in 2017 and soon secured a job in KPMG, where I spent 3 years working on different projects with various clients. I am now in my fourth year with JP Morgan, working as a Vice President and Programme Manager for a global change strategy team, where I utilise skills that I learned at the University of Galway on a daily basis.
Your Postgraduate Studies at University of Galway 