I was recently interviewed by the University of Western Sydney (UWS) Gradlife magazine about my life experience and achievements since graduating with a UWS Bachelor of Business Computing (E-Business) degree in 2002.
The interview was published on the front page of the latest issue and can be seen below (click on the photo to see a larger size that can be read).
Article Transcript
Neerav Bhatt has put his UWS Bachelor of Business Computing (E-Business) to good use, establishing himself as one of Australia’s highest-earning bloggers.
Even if you’ve never met Neerav Bhatt, you might have heard of him – he’s on of Australia’s highest-earning bloggers, with over one million page views last year alone. “I started blogging because I had knowledge about many topics which people were looking for on the internet which no one else was writing about,” he says. His ‘Rambling Thoughts’ blog covers everything from finance, politics, social issues and exploring current events like the Beijing Olympics.
Neerav graduated from UWS with a Bachelor of Business Computing (E-Business) in 2002, which he says has allowed him to establish himself in a diverse career in the emerging online industry. “I remember three lecturers specifically: Keith Simpson taught me to write programming code to a high standard, Paul Davies got me interested in web design and Penny Rossiter sparked my involvement in Politics,” he says.
“My UWS degree and experience in the web development industry meant I didn’t have to pay anyone for web hosting, design or modifying website code, because I could do it all myself” he says. “I also already had the business skills to do effective sales and marketing, set prices, handle invoicing, make people pay my bills etc. These were big advantages.”
He also works as an IT consultant, which gives him the freedom to blog. “The key is to determine what your priorities are. I’d rather work hard three days a week and earn a good income to allow me free time for other activities,” he says.
Neerav also has a passion for politics – last year he was nominated as the Greens candidate in the seats of Werriwa and Menai in both State and Federal elections. “Some people asked me why I bothered being a candidate in the 2007 State and Federal elections if I knew it would take up a lot of time which lose me business income and I wasn’t going to win, but I believe one person can make a difference. Many people think that they’re only one person and can’t make a difference to large organisations like governments. I think you can change the system from the inside like Gandhi who said, ‘We must be the change we wish to see’ “
“I learnt many things including just how much time is spent organising campaigns behind the scenes, how to deal with the media and major party candidates.”
Neerav says careers in the future will be a lot more flexible and require a diverse range of skills. “Those who survive and succeed in the future will have flexible minds, a willingness to try new things, learn new skills and gain specialist knowledge in more than one area of work so they aren’t caught unprepared by shifts in the economy or workforce,” he says. “I could have earned more money during the last few years if I’d specialised in one area and lived to work, but that wouldn’t have been enjoyable, and I would have missed many opportunities to learn and meet interesting people along the way.”
Get in touch: Neerav would love to hear from people he studied with and ex-lecturers. You can contact him and visit Neerav’s blog www.bhatt.id.au/blog/
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