Ronojit: following in my father's footsteps
Ronojit joined the firm as a graduate in our audit practice in 2022, after an academic journey that took him from India to France and Luxembourg and finally landing in Manchester. He shared with us, how he finds adapting to different cultures, and what he has learnt in his time with us so far.
I’ve actually always wanted to work in accounting and finance since growing up and seeing my dad as a businessman. So when the opportunity came up to join Grant Thornton after finishing a Masters in Management, Accounting and Finance it felt like the natural first step in my career.
I've been exposed to a variety of different environments in my academic and professional journey. I’m originally from India and moved to France for university, spending some time in Luxembourg before moving to the UK so I'm used to being thrown into different environments that I need to adjust or adapt to. I'm very comfortable working with a multicultural team so I welcomed the opportunity to work with people from different cultural backgrounds and working styles. I think it helps me improve and grow.
Learning every day
There are a lot of myths about careers in accountancy like:
- you're expected to be super professional all the time
- going into the office or client site everyday
- it’s a really cutthroat environment
But that’s not the case. It's a very friendly bunch of people that you work with here, and you have your own space and time to do things. Of course there are deadlines and pressure but when you start, people are very accommodating about the fact that you might not come from an accounting background. So you might not grasp certain knowledge and skills as quickly as others. I think people here are very supportive and I think it's a fantastic environment to work in.
It’s more than I expected
I love the variety of work available at Grant Thornton, I'm doing audit work now but I have some experience in accounting and finance so I can see myself transitioning to those sort of roles at some point. There's a great emphasis on digital within the audit team in the UK and in terms of software and new tools. We have Digital Champions who will focus on a particular software and are then able to be a point of contact for the rest of their team for queries on how to utilise it. By doing things this way, it’s possible for a team to have specialist knowledge on all the software we use through shared responsibility and sharing the best tips for utilising the software. I also really like the amount of responsibility you get as an associate with engaging with clients, this really helps you grow into your role.
I haven't found balancing my studies with work that challenging so far, I've I liked the mix because it keeps things interesting. When I'm studying, I'm only studying and when I'm working, I'm only working and having the discipline to compartmentalise my time has been really helpful to me. If you follow the firms guidance for timings and steps then balancing both is totally doable.