Learning is Lifelong

Within the accounting industry, continual education is incredibly important to ensure that we stay up to date with legislative changes and reporting obligations. In addition to the ‘legalities’ continued learning means that we remain at the top of our game in a competitive industry by providing our clients with innovative and strategic advice.

The option to study, however, can be SO much more. It creates new opportunities within your current workplace, provides the opportunity for career advancement and often leads to a sense of personal accomplishment.

OVERCOMING FEAR

During a recent catch-up with our Director, Andrew, he made mention of the opportunity to study within Illumin8. It is fair to say that when presented with the idea of return to study it was somewhat daunting (ok, terrifying). I had not entered a class room or completed study for many years and all the memories of university came flooding back. 9-hour days sitting in a lecture theatre, hours upon hours of study, 3-hour exams that would result in many sleepless nights, hours of anxiety resulting in an addiction to caffeine (and a love of coffee).

Thankfully, I was offered an incredible amount of support, encouragement and advice within Illumin8, and I knew they had my back 100 percent. Their encouragement gave me the confidence to believe that anything is achievable.

RESEARCH

Before embarking on your study journey, you’re going to have a tonne of questions. What do I study? Where do I start? How do I juggle study, work and family?

If I can offer one piece of advice when returning to study...research, research, research!

I wanted to find a course that was going to optimise my knowledge and position. I consulted people within the industry, researched courses available, read reviews etc. Throughout my research it became very apparent that there were hundreds of options available, however, the relevance was not always there. As I was dedicating a substantial amount of time to study, I wanted to ensure that what I was learning could be used on a day to day basis.

IF YOU WANT IT, YOU’LL MAKE IT WORK

Now comes the question “how do I find time”? I would love to say that it was through organisation; that I set aside time every day to sit down and study, that I spent my weekends allocating time to study but that just isn’t the case.

My evenings where spent mothering, cleaning, cooking etc, so it’s fair to say that by the time I finally finished for the night at 10PM, my brain was not capable of studying corporation law. But, I still did it. Early mornings, half an hour here or there, an hour while sitting at my daughter’s gymnastics practice. Whenever time presented itself, I'd sit down and complete some more readings. I just made it happen. That was one huge advantage of online study, you can do it anywhere.

Although there has been a couple of sleepless nights, doubt and a bit of anxiety, the feeling of accomplishment upon passing each exam outweighs every negative emotion. I've gained a far better understanding of the importance of my role within Illumin8 which has also enforced a new-found confidence not only within my position within our business, but also on a personal level.

There will also be doubts and fears, but they’re not reasons to stop you from creating opportunities within your career and achieve your dreams and goals. At Illumin8, we aim for our clients to get out of bed every day and devote their time to what they value most, no matter what that is; and as an employee, it’s important for us to practice what we preach.