Searching for a Path

I couldn't say I did not regret taking accounting course as my career path. It happened really fast from what I remembered though, I mean how I came to choose accounting. 

I had few choices in my mind at that time. 

I remembered culinary arts was in my list cause obviously if you know me, you'd know I love baking but apparently, not in cooking so yeah, that's why I did not take up culinary arts.

Interior design was also one of my choices, then I realized my creativity skills are really low and even though I do know how to draw quite well but it's all mostly base on referring/copying the work of others which I feel in a designing field, one must not copy one's work. It's called plagiarism. 

To be honest, I love baking and designing is because it involves beautiful decorations. Colors.. designs..

and then I thought if I know how to draw and at the same time love it, what job scope would require drawing skills besides interior design. 

Someone gave me the idea of civil engineering (I'm not sure who gave me that idea already) 

I actually did some research on the courses and colleges to go to and obviously asked around especially my parents. 

They did described to me how my future would be like if I study towards civil engineering. Obviously, I'll be a civil engineer which means something closer to being an architect may be? 

They did also said that this type of job would not be so easily attained cause the market is not big enough in our home country. (I remembered they said something like that)

My imaginary minds fly to the future that I look at myself wearing the construction helmet. Haha

and of course, I did not like it. So the simple idea of civil engineering was turned down by me.

So I was left empty and out of ideas of what I wanted to do back then. 

It was just after I finished taking my SPM at the age of 17. When the result of my SPM was out, I got 8 A's out of 10. I was in Science stream then and I also took an additional subject which is Accounting. It's an advise from the sister so I would have variety of choices to choose from cause I could know what I like.

Eventually, I realized I'm quite good in calculations cause my Mathematics, Additional Mathematics and Accounting (all related to calculations) got all A+'s. 

and by fate or what I'm not sure, dad was leaving his company to pursue in other company, so a lady friend of his known as Selena which is also a financial controller from the company wanted to treat dad for a farewell lunch so that is when Selena introduces me to the route of an accounting. 

Selena told me if I walked down the accounting path, I may go for CAT or Diploma in Sunway or TAR College or any colleges offering an accounting course. To further my studies, I'll then go towards ACCA to take up the professional level qualifications and she said that's it. ACCA is one of the highest ranking in an accounting field. I may not need to continue taking Degree and it's okay. There would be a lot of vacancies because accountants in quite needed in the market. Plus, she did said many companies are now searching for ACCA candidates rather than Degree grads for accountants. Before ending our conversations, she did advised me to go forward for auditor rather than just accountants in the future. 

After she finalizes the route to me, honestly, I did not think or imagine a lot cause the path she described to me were all quite clear and obvious. For that, I'm thankful to her. I forgotten all about imagining the work life of an accountant or auditor.

Since I thought my accounting was really good and I get an A+ in SPM, why not? 

I started searching for colleges at that time without much thinking. Coincidentally, my family and I were at KL for sister's orientation too so we took the chances to ask for accounting courses in Sunway University College in KL and the surroundings. Back to Penang, I did went to a few colleges that offers good accounting courses. At that time, I went to PTPL College and TAR College and to realizes I would get 75% scholarships from TARC since I got 8 A's in SPM. 

I remembered I did not do much of any thinking and what I was doing was comparing which better colleges and surroundings to have for my college days. Obviously the one with scholarships though. So, the decision was made just like that. (I'm pretty sure that's how I ended up in this course)

To be honest, dad said one thing to me that to think back now, that's the reason I'm all okay and decides to take up accounting finally. 

He said something like that, "When you finally reaches to the top to be an auditor for a big company, usually there's only one highest auditor in a company, your work everyday is just 'chop and sign' that's all and your salary would be in 5 digits for only just a month!"

How tempting and attractive right? What I did not realized is the journey I had to go through to achieve and reaches that stage. 

At that time, I did not take the initiative to ask around more about the life of an auditor and the journey it takes to reach to the top. Now at this current situation, I now know that even being the highest level auditor with 5 digits salary, there would be a certain high level of stress that an auditor have to go through. 

Fortunately or not, I still haven't had the chance to experience whether I could handle the stress life of an auditor. So I'm now here not regretting it yet. 

Currently I'm still sitting for my ACCA last optional two papers. I failed once and did not plan to fail it again, NO I cannot!

I do think that I'm actually wasting time not gaining any work experience by full time studying on my own now. 

But I did do a bit of job searching for short term employment about 3 months may be? cause I did send resume to Deloitte (one of the Big 4's) and to what I was told, they put me on hold until I passed from all my ACCA papers (I estimated by July 2016) then most probably they would hire me. 

At first, I planned to work full time but short term while studying, so I would have to find a simpler job with not much stress. (Of course provided with something to learn, something to earn and something to gain experience on) I ought for any administrative work in any company but apparently, no company wanted short term. They said,"Just about to train/teach you everything, by then you're about to leave again and they would have to retrain new people again."

So, I was turned down quite a number of times and finally think of a contingency plan. Hehe

The contingency plan was actually suggested by my mom. I told her the problem of not being employed short term and she said, "Don't worry, do anything you want or you like, go out, gain life experience and expand your views. The money/salary doesn't matter. It's better to do something out there than to just rot at home. It doesn't need to be related to your studies now. Never stop learning......"

When she starts the life speech, it's not gonna end any sooner. It's really full of inspiring stories and facts to learn that I would really love to pass on to my children in the future. I don't think I'll be able to dedicate life experiences and stories like how my wonderful mom projected hers to us. Hope she's gonna pass it to them on her own too. 

Okay back to my contingency plan. Heh

When she said all those, I highlighted these words in my mind,'do anything you like'

and yes, what I currently love doing is BAKING which I think I will probably enjoyed and learn something from the working process. It's not gonna be my permanent career of course. Anyways, I've always express my love towards baking so might as well experience it out there how the real baking industry works right. Maybe I would grow to dislike it after these short 3 months of working? Heh who knows hmm..

I sound so confident that I would get the job I wanted right.

Yupp, you're right. I found the right work at the right place and right timing in just three days time after I decided to find for something I like to do for my short term work. When there's a will, there's a way right?!

Actually it's pretty simple la, I just type Penang Cakes in Facebook (sometimes FB is really useful) and all the pages of cake shops pops out so I literally message about 20++ shops (there's a lot more actually but I wait for the first 20 to reply and see how first lo)

Obviously, there are a few replies and finally, I found quite a good deal and the best working hours la weyyhh. Hah 

Why is it the IDEAL one ?

Shervone Cakes at Crystal Point (Very near to babe's office so he could find me for lunch or buy me lunch when I'm busy?)

Monday to Saturday, 11am - 3pm (4 hours of work only so syok plus I even have time for my studies than I originally plan. The time also does not clash any busy hours so I don't need to stuck in the jam to and fro to work)

Service Crew, Baking Cakes, Decorate Cakes (The ideal job scope I wanted. How to find work like that for a person who has no baking qualifications besides homebaked experience only)

RM500 per month (I guess it's about RM5 per hour. Fair enough since my purpose is to learn, not earn. By the way, in these one week time, I already overtime for extra few hours le, so yeah for some additional $$)

**Head over to my DAYRE ("dayre.me/vickykhoo") for my working environment visuals if you're keen to know or perhaps my SNAPCHAT (@vkykhoo) for some baking processes updates. Heh**

For now, this is my current situation. Working short term as a baking crew while studying for my last paper on this coming June 2016. 

Tbh, I'm not really good in multi-tasking but I hope I could continue to stay focus in both studies and working. 

Signing off soon la. This might be the first fully longest worded post in a very long time. Hah

If you did read until this very end, applause to you and love you la since you spend your time knowing and interested about my boring life.

I don't think this will be the end of my long worded post, maybe more to come. I'll tell you all why if I have the mood to explain why I finally prefer to spam my blog with my long winded words (stories) rather than just visuals (pictures)  

Cheers ~

Loves,