Back To School
The leaves have fallen, like opportunities in another passing recruiting season.
So what one of the things a CEO would do if his company isn't doing so well? Reposition the company and change the corporate strategy. So likewise, I decided to change my approach and see if that opens up any opportunities for me.
I'm going to study for the Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation.
For you people south of the border, it's the Canadian equivalent a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), but it's also recognized in overseas. You can also obtain a CPA once you have a CGA, provided you take a few courses and exams to reconciliate the different study areas. Sure, it's not as prestigious as the Chartered Accountant (CA), but it's not as brutal. (Recap: We have three acronyms so far: CA, CGA, and CPA. Got them all?)
In undergrad, I once had a roommate pursuing a CA. He was studying for the uniform final exam - the dreaded UFE (sorry, too many acronyms). I swear the guy never left the room except to eat (anything instant), workout his emaciated body (I think lifting his gym bag was enough workout for the poor guy), or go to the toilet (or maybe empty his jars of human waste). I never had a conversation with him that lasted longer than 10 seconds.
Who can blame the guy? The UFE consists of a 4-5 hour paper written in response to a simulation/business scenario, once a day over three days. But that's what's not brutal about pursuing a CA. The harshest thing about that program is that they have a "Three Strikes And Yer Out" policy. You fail the UFE three times and you are never again allowed to pursue a CA. Not only that, but as a final act of rejection and humiliation, they smash your calculator in front of everyone at the examination hall.
That said, I have decided to go for the CGA. Perhaps if I have sufficient experience and confidence, and if the resulting opportunities are good, I'll take a shot at upgrading to CA. But first things first. I have to print out copies of every relevant course I've taken during my MBA in Miami for transfer credit because it's not a Canadian school; as far as the CGA Association knows, what Americans consider to be "accounting" could very well be making reed marks on a clay tablet, or counting heads at Farmer Brown's cattle ranch.
After a long and grueling voyage of transit hopping, I finally show up at University of British Columbia, my undergrad school, to pick up my transcripts for the CGA application. After five years of changes, I don't really consider it my university anymore. A couple of sure signs is that my student cafeteria is more alloted to franchises (e.g. A&W, ubiquitous Starbucks), and they've taken away one my favorite places to sleep. They used to have these really comfy couches in the lounge at the Student Union Building. Now in their place are a bunch of cold, sterile seats...with armrests. I have to spend a day here to see if all my secret nappy spots are gone, but the weather is shitty, and I'm in a hurry to get this application in. Another day.
I rushed to the CGA Association office in a bus packed with noisy undergrads, and made it just before closing to turn in my application. So this is it. A new beginning for me in hopes that it will spawn a lot more new beginnings.
I hope I find a job before not only the leaves, but the whole tree comes down.
So what one of the things a CEO would do if his company isn't doing so well? Reposition the company and change the corporate strategy. So likewise, I decided to change my approach and see if that opens up any opportunities for me.
I'm going to study for the Certified General Accountant (CGA) designation.
For you people south of the border, it's the Canadian equivalent a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), but it's also recognized in overseas. You can also obtain a CPA once you have a CGA, provided you take a few courses and exams to reconciliate the different study areas. Sure, it's not as prestigious as the Chartered Accountant (CA), but it's not as brutal. (Recap: We have three acronyms so far: CA, CGA, and CPA. Got them all?)
In undergrad, I once had a roommate pursuing a CA. He was studying for the uniform final exam - the dreaded UFE (sorry, too many acronyms). I swear the guy never left the room except to eat (anything instant), workout his emaciated body (I think lifting his gym bag was enough workout for the poor guy), or go to the toilet (or maybe empty his jars of human waste). I never had a conversation with him that lasted longer than 10 seconds.
Who can blame the guy? The UFE consists of a 4-5 hour paper written in response to a simulation/business scenario, once a day over three days. But that's what's not brutal about pursuing a CA. The harshest thing about that program is that they have a "Three Strikes And Yer Out" policy. You fail the UFE three times and you are never again allowed to pursue a CA. Not only that, but as a final act of rejection and humiliation, they smash your calculator in front of everyone at the examination hall.
That said, I have decided to go for the CGA. Perhaps if I have sufficient experience and confidence, and if the resulting opportunities are good, I'll take a shot at upgrading to CA. But first things first. I have to print out copies of every relevant course I've taken during my MBA in Miami for transfer credit because it's not a Canadian school; as far as the CGA Association knows, what Americans consider to be "accounting" could very well be making reed marks on a clay tablet, or counting heads at Farmer Brown's cattle ranch.
After a long and grueling voyage of transit hopping, I finally show up at University of British Columbia, my undergrad school, to pick up my transcripts for the CGA application. After five years of changes, I don't really consider it my university anymore. A couple of sure signs is that my student cafeteria is more alloted to franchises (e.g. A&W, ubiquitous Starbucks), and they've taken away one my favorite places to sleep. They used to have these really comfy couches in the lounge at the Student Union Building. Now in their place are a bunch of cold, sterile seats...with armrests. I have to spend a day here to see if all my secret nappy spots are gone, but the weather is shitty, and I'm in a hurry to get this application in. Another day.
I rushed to the CGA Association office in a bus packed with noisy undergrads, and made it just before closing to turn in my application. So this is it. A new beginning for me in hopes that it will spawn a lot more new beginnings.
I hope I find a job before not only the leaves, but the whole tree comes down.
posted by Cosmic Ocean at 12:22 PM
4 Comments:
Good luck with that too. You're always up to something.
Back to UBC? Wow, I think we've both spent way too much time there. Just picking up forms, I hope! Even though it's been just one and a half years since I've left, I wonder what it's like these days. A&W? Oh man, it would have been nice to have that while we were there. I could really use a good and proper burger, not the slop you get at Rotten Ronnie's.
Hey Vince, if you happen to go by the Registrar's Office in the next few days, could you do me a huge favour? Could you inquire about how someone like me would go about ordering official transcripts from Japan? I'd call them up myself, but it's difficult to find a time that works for me, and having had enough years of experience at university, I know they'll probably put me on hold until my calling card expires. If you can't, then no problem. Thanks.
Actually, as long as you remember your student ID number and your Student Service Center password (ie. Student Information System that you use on the telephone), you can do it online.
First, you have to sign up for their new Campus-Wide Login, which is where you'll need the information above. You'll find instructions to sign up once you hit the LOGIN button on the Student Service Center.
The URL for the Student Service Center is:
http://students.ubc.ca/ssc/
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