Prateek Shrivastava

Master of Digital Communications (2006)

“I am currently a Risk and Security analyst at Information Technology Managed Services (ITMS). My primary role is to secure the data flow among different clients of ITMS such as banks or health services. My job also involves maintaining networks and addressing the network security for these clients located all over Victoria and New Zealand.

"I decided on postgraduate studies because my parents always encouraged me to focus on getting as much knowledge and education before stepping foot into the industry's work culture. Also I knew that an internationally reputed postgraduate course would help enhance my knowledge to a totally different level.

"The structure and the flexibility of the Master of Digital Communications, allowing selection of units from other faculties on any topic, really attracted me to this course. As this course doesn’t have any core units I had the option of taking any combination of units of my own choice to make the studies more exciting. There is a good balance between the class room study and learning through practice. This means the course is a fun and challenging way of acquiring the right knowledge!

"Before selecting a unit I went through the detailed course structure of that unit (which is easily available on the faculty website). By comparing this information with the online job profiles advertised by many different firms, I could see that the units I chose are quite up to date with current IT industry

"Master of Digital Communications incorporates a mandatory research project in the last semester as a part of the course work. This project gives you an opportunity to have a deep understanding of the chosen topic. The project also lays a foundation to advance into research and gives a feel of how it is like to be a researcher.   

"My main interest is in Network Security. The research project I did was on wireless security, this topic gave me a chance to meet and interview people from IT Services division at Monash about the work and methodology taken to implement information security solutions in the university. This immensely helped me in understanding how a big organisation implements its security policies to ensure data safety of its computer users. 

"My postgraduate qualification has assisted my career by earning me a recognition in today's IT industry. With the amount of knowledge I got from the course, I can confidently face challenges put forward by the competitive IT market. 

"A prospective employer looks how much practical experience one has, together with the theoretical knowledge gained. Having use of advanced laboratories equipped with most up to date technology in this course has helped me acquire that practical perspective.

"I would definitely recommend a postgraduate IT course at Monash as it provides you a platform to advance your career to a next level. The university has an excellent infrastructure and a very friendly staff together with cultural diversity.

"Melbourne is a type of place where one can enjoy all moods of life. The city is affordable to live and also has enough attractions to relax after hard day of university. Melbourne provides a balance between having lots of fun at an affordable price, and being able to enjoy quiet times for study. Students can supplement their living expenses with the numerous part time opportunities available in the city. While it is true that many students struggle for the first few months after their arrival, don’t get disheartened if things are not going exactly as planned! Just give it some time and soon you will realise Melbourne has even more to offer than you expected.”