"What The Heck is Even Accounting?
That’s how the host, a financial consultant from Innovia and UTSC alumnus with a degree in Political Science and Philosophy, Joel, began his session on Discord.
Joel had a lot of insights to share. After introductions and a career goal discussion, (which mostly aligned with accounting and business management). Joel dispensed some unfiltered career advice, highlighting data entry skills and taking advantage of online resources and websites. He expressed that it is more than just acquiring the pre-requisite skills for a job, but that it is vital to understand corporate dynamics and to maintain a healthy boundary with colleagues.
“At the end of the day, it's about getting your work done and satisfying your client's needs”.
He emphasized the importance of not hesitating to point out wrongful practices, in the workplace. Joel's raw advice cannot be found in any textbook or classroom but comes from lived experiences.
After a short break to reflect upon these words of wisdom, we began the mini project, which included transforming actual company data into Excel. This gave everyone a small taste of the complexities of data management. The session was more than a ‘shadow’, rather it reflected real-world tasks. Joel circled back to the first question and answered, “It’s a system of where the money goes”, highlighting the importance of keeping it simple.
Written By: Aditya Shiv Talwar