Barclays associate director in healthcare Ranveer Bassey explains why he traded in pharmacy for a fast-paced career in the banking world

Ranveer Bassey had always been optimistic about pharmacy. Having enjoyed science at school, a career in healthcare seemed a natural choice.

Although he jokes that he "didn't come out of the womb thinking ‘drugs, drugs, drugs'", he did want to know more about pharmacology. "I was interested... that you could take a tablet to stop anything from having a headache to fits and seizures," he recalls.

So, after completing his A-levels in 2008, Ranveer went on to study pharmacy at the University of Reading. The university had only recently developed its pharmacy degree programme, which made it one of the first pharmacy schools to adopt newer teaching techniques such as problem-based learning.

"That was quite appealing because it replicated real life," Ranveer remembers. "Also they [the school] were always willing to evolve things as the course went on because it was so new. There was a willingness to learn."

So far, so good. Ranveer was keen to pursue a career in the modern world of pharmacy, in which he believed his clinical knowledge would be put to use by delivering services and giving advice to patients.

Desirable qualities for working in the banking sector

● Willingness to work hard ● Ability to juggle different projects ● Desire to learn new skills ● Solid grasp of practical maths ● Adaptability to a fast-paced environment Harsh reality

But this vision was soon shattered when he embarked on his first placement at a multiple. He found much of the job was "doing spot the difference" between prescriptions and labels, with little opportunity for clinical input.

"It became clear there was a significant gap between the vision of pharmacy we had heard of and what actually occurred in practice," he says. "You spend your time following this yellow brick road full of promise and then the screen comes down and you see what the reality is."

From that point onwards, he was determined to broaden his horizons beyond the traditional pharmacist role. After completing his second year at pharmacy school, he undertook a placement as a policy assistant at the Department of Health – helping the social care team develop a strategy and shadowing pharmacy minister Earl Howe.

A year later, he secured a placement at Lloyds Bank, which made him seriously consider the banking sector as a future career option. "It was fast-paced and a steep learning curve, which made it challenging," he says.

It was therefore little surprise that, after completing his pharmacy degree in 2013, Ranveer started working at Barclays on its graduate scheme. He had four weeks of "intense training" at the bank and then went straight into a role as a transaction pricing analyst, which involved assessing cash management deals and determining market pricing.

It was undeniably a lot to learn, but Ranveer found the environment "interesting and exciting" – getting the chance to work on high-profile deals he had read about in the press.

Climbing the career ladder

Last September, Ranveer became associate director in healthcare and the public sector at Barclays. This presented a new challenge, as he facilitated deals with "everyone from charities to government departments" and worked on complex financial modelling.

It is this nature of the work that Ranveer has found particularly enjoyable. "Everything is still very much new learning and new things every day – there are always different deals going on at the same time, so it's project management as well," he tells C+D.

Ranveer is now positive he made the right decision in his career. "I can't imagine spending 40 or 50 years as a pharmacy manager – there's a lack of a defined career route," he says. He urges other pharmacists who are interested in banking to follow in his footsteps.

Despite popular perception, a degree or even an A-level in maths is not a requirement. "I only took maths up to GCSE," he explains. "There seems to be a peculiar mindset with pharmacy students that your degree has to be relevant to your job, but the majority of companies really don't care which background you come from. They want the best talent from all graduates – they don't want to restrict themselves."

It's a hopeful message for anyone who has studied pharmacy but has doubts over assuming a pharmacist role. As Ranveer says, the pharmacy degree doesn't have to limit your career options – in fact, a wide range of employers will see it as an asset.