Busy

It has been too long since my last post here, it's not that I've forgotten or decided to abandon the blog. I've just been really busy. (That must be the world's most used excuse.)

In my two week 'holiday', I spent a lot of time learning more about how to write a good cover letter, how to answer applications, and completing oh-so-many practice psychometric tests. I actually discovered an entire market on the internet selling packages dedicated to practice tests, interview guidance and tips and tricks for getting into the Big Four. Did I buy them? No, not necessarily due to the price but because I was already pressed for time with all the time I was spending researching companies, looking at their social media, and tailoring my resume.

People really underestimate the time it takes to apply for jobs. For me, it was not necessarily the hunt for jobs as I already had a good idea of which companies I wanted to work for. But I wanted to give myself the best shot at applying for these companies so I dedicated a significant amount of time to these companies (possibly too long). At the end of the day, even though university is one of my highest priorities, getting into a great advisory position in a company I like is my dream. I feel that as soon as I at least gain experience with a big four company (or another great accounting company), half my worries are over. Regarding university or a career-wise anyway. Getting into an internship at these companies just meant that much more to me because I had no employment history, other than my volunteer experiences.

It also gave me the chance to see whether I really liked accounting earlier on, than being stuck in a position that I had worked over three years for and tried so hard to get into. So far, I have been rejected by two companies, no news from most and today I had just completed a video interview for one of them. I was so excited when I found out because I was convinced that I did pretty average in the last test I completed for the company. Maybe there weren't too many applicants for the location and area I applied for? Regardless, I was really happy that I had made it that far. I think after the video interview, the next stage is the partner interview or assessment centre, so it's getting pretty close. I would be a little crushed if I made it to the partner interview and got rejected as I had invested a lot of time and energy (especially emotional energy) into applying for the company.But it's all part of the learning process, right?

During the application process, I constantly told myself that all this time I was putting in, even though it may have seemed like it was 'all for nothing', was all contributing to making me better at the process. After all, when you make investments, more often than not, the results aren't always immediate.

I think the interview didn't go particularly badly? I mean sure, it started off awkward and right now, I can think of a couple of points that I should have mentioned but it wasn't a total disaster.. I really don't know. I think a good skill to have is being able to present yourself well on camera. That is definitely not an area of strength for me.

Didn't apply for as many places as my friends did. My one friend applied for over ten graduate positions, so I can't imagine how they were able to manage their time so well. While the process is somewhat exciting when you find out more about a company and what it's like to work there, at the same time, there is something just draining about it.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. Next week is a huge week for me, got an in class test, the CIMA Case Study Report due, a groupwork assessment, homework and some catching up to do. Somehow ended up making plans with two different people which right now, I am not really looking forward to.

Happy Easter!

My rabbit, Zippy (thought it was appropriate)

The Easter holidays have started and one thing I am definitely doing is applying for Summer Vacation Internships. Now that I have finally decided that I am staying an extra semester (see post below), that makes me eligible to apply for the internships because 2015 is now my penultimate year. So I haven't quite escaped the job seeking. Hopefully, lack of accounting experience won't hold me back too much with internship seeking. The process seems to be just as long unfortunately but I can really picture myself fitting in to these organisations (especially after what I've read on their websites). This Easter weekend I have been spending time learning more about the organisations and I really need to get moving with my cover letters.

Of course as any Easter, going to church is an essential part of our celebrations. Our family went to the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday and tonight we will be going to the most important mass; the Easter Vigil. There is also one more mass on Easter Sunday. Other than that, no other big Easter family celebrations this year but that has suited me just fine as I really need to get on top of these internship applications.

I have also started a Microsoft Excel course. It's with Shaw Academy, where I took my Diploma in nutrition. While I do know how to use it (not as well as I know Microsoft Word) from year 10 and in university assessments I thought it would be good to gain more knowledge about it. It is made up of 25 modules and after each module is an assessment. Should be able to fit this in my two week break whilst applying for everything. I was also planning to go to the Easter Show this Tuesday but the weather isn't really looking too good. It's going to be a busy day as after the gym, I will be spending the day with my best friend celebrating his belated birthday, then I will have to rush back to Macquarie University chiropractic clinic. Ideally, my GT application should have been finished before Tuesday as they close that day.

Found this on Instagram the other day, thought this was funny (and no, I did not lie, I know how to use Excel)

Thinking about all this is beginning to stress me out, but as long as I write everything down in my diary and form a plan, I should be able to get everything done. I can only imagine how stressed my other friends are, applying for all these graduate positions.

Also, I just found this website, Accountants Daily and spent almost an hour there. I've actually been looking for a website like this (and it happens to be Australian) because in the newspaper you find the Business and Finance section which I read from time to time but sometimes it's like the accountants live in a secret world. Unless there is a scandal or fraud. So when I get the time, I will try and post my thoughts on events that are relevant to accounting.

Cold Feet? (I have some news)

I think most university students at one point of their student life wonder whether they are doing the right degree and wonder if it is something that they are willing to spend the rest of their life doing. A great proportion of students I have come across in university have switched their degree/major at least once. I would be lying if I said that I never had second thoughts about whether I was completely happy with my degree.

In high school, all I knew was that I always wanted to work in business/commerce. At the time, my idea of accounting was working in a tall skyscraper in the city, being dressed in corporate wear and heels and dealing with money. Sort of. Of course, I gained a greater understanding of the discipline when it came time to decide what it was that I really wanted to do. . My Dad was an accountant, many of my relatives were accountants and because of the fairly good job prospects and job stability, it appeared to be the reasonable decision. So I went with accounting. I loved my first year of commerce, and surprisingly, I also loved the accounting units. I also really enjoyed and connected with marketing and principles of management.

I also enjoyed second year overall. As an elective I chose Organisational Behaviour which I found interesting but I later learnt was just not my thing. When I entered my third year, I came to terms that my life as a student was coming to an end. I realised that I didn't really want to leave. Not yet. Like I hadn't experienced all there was to experience in university. Something was missing (sounds cliched but true).

Later, doing Consumer Behaviour (my second elective), I reconnected with Marketing. I remembered how much I enjoyed learning about it back in first year and everything just seemed to make sense to me. I wasn't too sure if it was worth taking the risk because I wasn't sure if I could create a viable future with marketing. I knew I still wanted to be an accountant, and continue with CA or CPA. So for a while, I debated back and forth about whether I should major in both accounting and marketing, and what implications this would have.

I wondered if it was worth investing extra time and thousands more for something that was purely for my own personal interest. I looked further into it and discovered that all I needed was to complete only 5 required marketing units to graduate with a second major in accounting. I would be able to finish this easily in an extra semester and not a year as I had previously thought.

But even though it was only an extra semester, this still meant that I would not be able to apply for all the graduate programs that I had been preparing myself for. I would have to wait an additional year. My life would be pushed back by an entire year. This was a big deal. Or at least I thought it was. I made a friend this semester  who was taking 3 units a semester and would graduate next year too. And I thought to myself, 'what is one semester, out of the rest of your life?'. The only expectation of graduating this year was put on by myself. It didn't matter to anyone else if I graduated later. Graduating a semester later didn't make me a failure. It meant that I was willing to make a choice for myself. After all, life is not a race.

So there it is. I am staying back another semester at Macquarie University so I can graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting and Marketing. Notice that it's not a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Professional Accounting and Marketing, That is because it doesn't exist. This means I could probably graduate this year if I really wanted to because I would just need to complete the required units for both accounting and marketing BUT because I intend on being an accountant and moving on to CPA/CA next, I will be completing all the Professional Accounting units with the addition of the required marketing units.