Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2018

30. Humble beginnings - working environment

I must say - when I started my training as a trainee accountant, I was frustrated at the "lame tasks" (according to me) I was getting at the time. I wanted the real deal. I wanted accountant-related stuff. And I was so wrong! 🙈 You know how people emphasize on the basics? I'm familiar with that term from university. The basics are the foundation, and foundation is the most important part of anything that anyone wants to excel in. Let me fill you in on the basics I'm talking about. These basics are things I didn't think were so important (in addition to other minor accountant-related work I had been doing): So glad that my colleague agreed to be featured on the blog! Yas! 😜 1. Every morning, I make filter-coffee for the boss:  I have never made filter-coffee. I don't even drink coffee! You can imagine how clueless I was in putting the right amount of coffee. I had to taste it, so that I make sure it is something I would drink. I realised tha

29. Money

Oh yes, let us talk about money today. Money - one of the reasons why we study to get that qualification; that drives us to work; that gets us so passionate about holding those big positions that the world has already taught us are high-paying positions. The fuss about money is understandable. I mean we need money to live in this world, right? We need to be able to afford to live. We need to be able to buy food, clothes, afford a house to live in, afford a car that will take us where we need to get to and back any time (more especially when public transport disappoints us at times). We just want to be able to afford anything we want and need without limitation. Trust me - I know. I've been in financial trouble long enough and was so close to being in poverty. It's frustrating. But here is my concern: the danger of running after money. https://www.gettyimages.com If you recall from my blog post #16 - Quitting , you will remember that I mentioned quitting the j

28. Tme: one of the most precious resources

I was waiting on a train around past 6 am! Yep! We make time, even for selfies. See, if we can make time for selfies so early in the morning, surely we can make time for anything we put our mind into. There's this very common saying that "time is money".Ok, it's emphasis on how important time is - I get it. I really wonder, though, if we realise how precious the time we are given is. Consider this for a minute: regardless of how you spend your time, you will never be able to get those minutes/ hours back. You can't take that time you didn't spend doing something productive, and add it on the days that you need it the most. The most fascinating thing I discovered about myself quite recently is how much I always want to keep busy, and how when there are things I need to do, I do them as soon as possible. I'm so fast,  every time there is something to do, I jump to it as if I'm the only person that can do it, as if I cannot do it another ti

27. Employability: a qualification alone might not be enough - part 2

The result when we steal a moment to take a picture: either early morning or during lunch - CAN'T POSE because inside office, because serious environment (lol)! On the first blogpost about employability , I shared the fact that there are graduate attributes and skills that we ought to have as students over and above our academic knowledge. There is one other thing that greatly contributes to employability that was not addressed: training. It is very fortunate that there are courses that incorporate training/ work experience in which the knowledge gained is applied during tertiary studies. However, there are other courses that do not incorporate training during studies, and students are expected to complete training after completing tertiary studies instead. The most unfortunate thing in this case, which I had witnessed and experienced, is the fact that employers expect results. It is as though they forget that as graduates, we come straight from tertiary and are not familia

26. Taking breaks at work: how important is it?

https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/changes-in-eating-habits/ You have to admit that throughout the whole blog, the blog posts have been encouraging hard work, dedication, focus, efficiency in both studies and work. What about taking a breather from all of that to refresh and rejuvenate? The importance of taking breaks is actually not hidden at all. We get lunch breaks during school and tertiary. Even at work - there are tea breaks and lunch hour. The unfortunate thing, which I’ve witnessed both at tertiary and at the workplace, is that I’d find people doing work during their breaks: students perhaps doing admin things like photocopying or printing out notes; and employees trying to get done with the workload that is more than enough for one person within the limited working hours. My concern, particularly when breaks are disregarded in the workplace, is that one gets overworked and ends up making mistakes. We are not machines but humans. Let’s look into the purpose of