When we started employing staff in the financial services business, I was often asked why I searched for young commerce graduates to join my team.

The answer was and still is pretty simple. I believe education is about learning to think. By looking for young graduates to join the team, I had some idea about their academic prowess. If they held a commerce degree, I could make some assumptions about their understanding of finance - although sometimes that was limited.

However at the end of the day, through their studies they developed the ability to think and reason critically. We then could teach them about financial services, and more importantly the life skills required to "sell" financial services.

I often comment that the only thing I learned in my engineering degree was the ability to think and search for answers. The postgrad degrees were much the same, albeit at a deeper level.

A number of Australian universities have shifted from direct entry into fields such as medicine and law by directing students to a general undergraduate degrees. I firmly believe that this is good for the academic and metal development of the students.

What did you learn through your studies ?