Shalinda Pathiranage started his graduate role with Findex in 2023 after finishing both a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Finance degree (whilst working as an intern) and working as an accountant at a local firm in Tasmania for a year. Now, as a Graduate in Tax Advisory, he spends his days in a supportive and dynamic team, providing strategic tax advice to companies ranging from medium-sized private groups to large listed and international corporations.

A day in the life of Tax Advisory Graduate, Shalinda Pathiranage

My morning routine depends on whether I’m working from home or the office. If I’m working from home I’ll start the day in my home gym, which saves me travel time.

If I’m working in the office, I’ll be ready to leave home by 7:30 am, catch the train and listen to various podcasts (Fear & Greed, Tax Talks, or Chanticleer) to keep myself updated and arrive at the office to start work at 8:30 am.

I check my emails, Teams for any messages, and my calendar to plan my day around meetings and pending tasks and start working on any pending or new tasks assigned to me. I usually make myself a coffee around 9:30 am and grab an apple or a banana for breakfast. The coffee machine in the office is my favourite.

Every Tuesday we have a team workflow meeting at 10:30 am where we discuss ongoing jobs for the week. This is also where team members get work assigned depending on their availability. Every Friday at 10:30 am, our team gets together to do something fun like trivia, or we discuss interesting topics such as movies/TV series.

I usually take my lunch break from 12:30 - 1:30 pm and if I'm in the office I’ll go out for lunch with my team members.

Once I’m back at the desk, I continue working through my tasks until the end of the day, with a tea break around 3:00 pm, a Black Tea or Green Tea, depending on my mood.

Throughout the day I consistently communicate with managers and partners to ensure I’m on track and meeting expectations. All the managers and partners in my team are very approachable and ready to help me if I ever need assistance.

I log off work at 5:00 pm and catch the train back home.

On the train, I listen to some music to relax and browse social media. If I'm at home, I go out for a walk after work for 30 to 45 minutes while listening to some podcasts or music.

Once I'm back at home, I help my partner with cooking, and we have dinner around 7:00 pm while watching Netflix. Once I'm done with dinner and finished Netflix, I study for about 1 hour as I'm enrolled in the CA program.

Eventually, I go back to bed around 11:00 pm.

The best thing about working in my graduate role with Findex is the people and the dynamic culture. Everyone is friendly, approachable, and helpful. The flexible work arrangements also help me achieve a good work-life balance, and I enjoy every single day working here.

Get started in your finance career with Findex graduate opportunities and surround yourself with a dynamic team that supports and challenges you to pursue the career you want.