The beginning
In less than a years time I will qualify as a chartered accountant (all being well) and I always assumed that at that point I would naturally know exactly what I wanted to do in life. Accountants know stuff don’t they? They understand the world of business and have an unrivalled knowledge of how the various areas fit together. And what the people in each of these areas do. On a day to day basis. And how happy they are. And consequently what the perfect job is. And they’d be awesome at that job because they are an accountant. And everybody needs an accountant. Don’t they? So basically by this point my career would be sorted.
Sadly I’m coming to realise that this is not the case. Accountancy is just another area within the world of business. You can sit and crunch the numbers, and you might be able to draw a few conclusions from them, but that alone doesn’t help to see the wider picture. Not properly.
A couple of weeks ago I realised that I still had no idea what I want to do when I qualify, other than that I don’t want to be an auditor. That’s what I do now. I’m at one of the big four and although this provides a great opportunity to make contacts and really explore all the potential career paths you could take, I haven’t exploited any of the resources available to me. It’s becoming ever more apparent that its not enough to just be there and do a good job. You have to get out there. Meet people. Be proactive.
These things terrify me. The thought of taking myself out of my comfort zone and talking to people in business about business- a subject that I’m meant to know so much about already- is enough for me to convince myself that actually I will be very happy in audit. I won’t mind spending my evenings and weekends checking people’s accounts. It’ll be fine when I find a massive error in them at 3am, when they’re meant to be signed the next day. I also enjoy abuse from clients, and arguing with them as to whether they refer to their widgets as ‘inventory’ or ‘stock’.
Okay, maybe not.
So I’ve decided this is my year of enlightenment. I need to see what else is out there. I know I have a head for figures, and that actually there are many aspects of accountancy that I really enjoy, but surely there must be something more exciting than just producing the same spreadsheets month after month? Or am I just being naive? Is a job meant to be something we do just for the money and actually derive little pleasure from?
This year I will bite the bullet and throw myself into the world of business. I will attend events and ask the stupid questions that I haven’t dared to before. I will research- through whatever medium necessary. And I will learn. By the time I qualify I will know the next step that is right for me to take, and during the year I will have accumulated a vast amount of knowledge.
That’s the plan. To get me started I need something big. Something that will kick start me into the process, and will inspire me to carry on. Such a thing presented itself serendipitously whilst out for lunch with friends last week, when one announced that she would be going to an event for budding entrepreneurs in which they would be given the task of starting a business within 48 hours (‘launch48’). After a little research into the event and a fierce battle with my inhibitions I signed up for it.
The year of enlightenment has begun…