Graduate Sergey Ananyev loved the way he could forge his own path at Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus.

Sergey was born and raised in Moscow. He has a bachelor's degree in intellectual property and has worked as a manager on projects related to the production and distribution of video and audio content – such as songs, audiobooks, cartoons, and television.

Most recently he worked at Animaccord Studio - a big animation studio in Russia with international productions. Their television series Masha and the Bear can even be found on TVNZ.

Sergey decided it was time to compliment his management experience with a qualification.

He was interested in studying in an English-speaking country because he had been involved in international projects and had to communicate with partners in Europe and the United States.

“I wanted to improve this part of my professional knowledge,” he says.

Sergey had visited New Zealand as a tourist several years ago so knew what the country was like.

“Despite the fact that New Zealand is relatively young, it already has its own unique traditions, and people here are open and always ready to help.”

He decided the Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Management at OPAIC would be perfect for him.

Studying in New Zealand was a new experience.

“Students are given independence, but they are also responsible for the results,” he says.

“I worked independently, but at the same time, if I needed any advice, any support, I found it immediately.”

While OPAIC expected a lot from students, it also offered freedom of choice with regards to topics for study, and research tools and techniques.

 “The best thing was that I was free to choose the topics of my assignments, my work.”

He undertook work related to his previous professional experience and successfully completed his professional project in the digital content area.

Sergey has just been awarded his qualification with merit. Now he’s continuing to improve his English and looking for a job in management and perhaps the production and distribution of content.

“The plan is to find projects where it will be possible to put into practice the knowledge I gained at Otago.”

Read more about the Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Management.