munsta ramblings

What if....

1. Accountancy was deemed a "safe" career choice...in good or bad times, accountants were required.
2. I was offered a full scholarship to take up the degree overseas.

Nevertheless, when I returned to Malaysia, many friends had committed to continue with an accounting professional qualification. Worrying that I'd be left all alone at the bottom of the corporate ladder and egged on by mum to do something worthwhile with my spare time, I'd jumped on the bandwagon and followed the crowd too.

I have put in effort and made sacrifices in pursuit of the qualification and upon completion, I was happy and relieved that it was done and over. But, unfortunately, I do not feel proud of the achievement, nor do I feel like this is a feather-in-the cap in my career advancement plan. To me, I have just fulfilled the expectations of those around me, but I can't care less if I were ACCA qualified or not.

Am currently dabbling in corporate tax...and must say that life isn't all that bad. But these few days have been wondering:

1. What if I had been braver and gone on to take up architecture instead??

Back in those days, although I had the grades, I'd opted for the Arts stream, knowing fully well I had no interest in being a doctor/ engineer/ anything remotely related to the science subjects I had to take...nevertheless, I'd opted to do additional maths and kept up with art as a subject...in the event I'd decided to do architecture, I would have the necessary subjects to qualify. But, the degree would have taken many years, plus scholarships for achitecture were unheard of. If i had failed to get a spot in the local universities, private education would have been impossible. To make matters worse, the economy wasn't that great...and mum and dad used to tell me: "It'll be difficult getting a job...let alone, a stable income"

2. Would I be happier working in a PR firm?

I've had experience working in the corporate communcations department of a conglomerate before...assisting in press releases and event management and I'd had fun doing it. Things are hectic but hey...it could get very interesting indeed. Admittedly, I was only a trainee back then so stress was very much shouldered by my bosses....things would be a lot different when one was a grown-up employee! :)

3. Maybe I could set-up a business - nothing near the corporate world, but maybe something closer to daily needs, like a catering service/cafe?

hmmph...yeah easier said than done! but really...I wonder if I'd be able to make things work? There could be many other brains behind the scenes, but I could volunteer to be in charge of operations, something more hands-on......hmm, requisite experience and funding may be a problem...hahahahaha

Sigh...many people I meet cannot believe that I am an accountant, specialising in tax. They always think that I'm more suited to be in a more "happening" industry - ideally in service and communications....and it makes me wonder, could they be right?

munsta ramblings @ 8:45 pm