I had many different interests in school, however I always seemed to perform better in subjects involving numbers. As I had no clear picture at that stage of the type of career I wanted to go after, it felt most apt to choose a science degree where I was able to focus on area’s such as maths, statistics and physics while simultaneously being actively involved in the huge range of extra curricular activities on offer in UCD.
While the course did cover the theoretical aspects of these subjects, I particularly enjoyed the practical real-world application of these methods such as figuring out the statistical probability of a certain business decision or understanding the structure behind complex financial instruments.
In an overall sense the degree instilled in me the concepts of breaking down problems into smaller manageable chunks, as well as being able to view and tackle problems from multiple perspectives.
Towards the end of my studies it became clear to me that I had no real desire to be a scientist or statistician, and instead I followed my intuition to pursue a career in finance and tax, which I now really enjoy. As finance lead for Organon Ireland, a global healthcare company with a focus on women’s health, I am pleased that the concepts learned continue to serve me very well.
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These regularly come into play, whether I am dealing with complex global supply chain transactions, or resolving issues with financial systems or processes. Additionally, the ability to be comfortable with large amounts of data is of increasing importance as finance roles continue to evolve and incorporate elements of data analytics.
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