Before coming to RGU in 2018, Swetha Akshita was living in Bangalore with eyes set on a career in UK journalism to take advantage of the wealth of reporting opportunities. But it was the international student offering and employability reputation of RGU that cemented her move to Scotland.

“RGU was one of my top options from the start”, Swetha shares. “I was doing a lot of research before I moved and what really stood out to me was that RGU had great employability statistics. Everything was so career focused unlike the other universities I was looking at. Getting an education is great but what about your career after?

“International students want the opportunity to stay in the UK after graduation and really establish themselves in their careers. RGU really understood the ask of international students and that was a huge selling point for me.”

But it wasn’t all down to online research. After attending a student recruitment event in Chennai, Swetha was able to find out more about the University and what life was like for international students.

She adds, “I spent some time with Michelle Duncan who was incredibly helpful in answering my many questions and her patience and advice is something that I’ll always be thankful for.

“Not only did I get to meet someone from RGU to tell me everything I needed to know about the process of coming over but I also got an insight to how things would work after graduation and finding employment. It was a personal approach built around my aspirations to make sure I would be happy and was far from squeezing me into a box. The person-centred approach made sure that studying at RGU was right for me - you’re not just a number and this plays a huge role in encouraging students to stay in the UK to work.

Swetha soon moved Aberdeen to study her Masters in journalism, where she was offered the opportunity to work within the University’s marketing team on a part-time basis alongside her studies. A seed for working in marketing was firmly planted and after graduating with her MSc in Journalism, she enrolled to study her second Masters in international marketing.

Now a couple years on, Swetha is working as a Digital Marketer with Inovar Communications Ltd – a publishing company specialising in manufacturing.

“Inovar produces three industry magazines and my role is focused on leading the marketing strategy for all the publications. I work across both print and digital platforms and my degrees in journalism and marketing were key to me securing the post. It was a perfect role for me.

“I joined the company in 2021 on a Graduate Visa and now I’ve converted to a Skilled Worker Visa to gain permanent residency and continue my work with the company.”

Looking back on her time at RGU and her early career steps, Swetha shares that RGU’s support for international students and employment focus really paved the way for pinning down her first job out of university.

“Studying at RGU is not about just about getting a degree – it offers so much more than that. Whether its networking events, placements and industry visits, RGU prepares its students for the UK job market right when they start the course.

“Gaining local experience is crucial to help international students land that first full-time job and at RGU, there’s a university-wide approach to supporting students. I received opportunities from lecturers and different departments to secure as much local experience as possible which allowed me to perfect my CV with the careers team ahead of graduation. It all tied together to make sure I had the best chance of securing employment.

“You’re encouraged to always be thinking about life after RGU and what opportunities are going to help you in your next steps. I think without my studies at RGU, it would have definitely taken me longer to get to where I am now.

“Being at RGU you’re made aware of all factors that could affect your career path after graduation. Whether that be immigration rules, life as an international graduate or skill requirements – there’s an endless stream of support that makes the transition into early career seamless.

“I would have definitely not been as aware of the things I faced if I studied at another university – I don’t think I would have had the same support.”

Find out more

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