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[ZT] Hmmmm, Do You Find Yourself, Suddenly, With A Lot of Free Time?

本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Interesting thoughts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``


I am procrastinating on finishing some paying work. Now you know why I have a simple financial situation...

Lots of concerns voiced both in the comments and off-line to me about being suddenly out of a job. This concern is not limited to those auditors who are being or will be cut. It is, of course, felt throughout the economy, especially by those in the financial services sector.

So what to do?

Well, many will recommend the reasonable approach: Polish your resume, take advantage of any outplacement assistance offered, get out there and talk to/meet people, and get your next job before someone else does.

If you need to get a job soon because of financial and family responsibilities or you have visa issues, I can't deny that the sooner you get going, the better off you'll be. However, if you can take a breath and think a little, I might suggest some alternate paths.

Whether you have one year of experience or twenty, those of you who pursued accounting and financial careers are usually very Type-A, achievement oriented people. I saw interns at PwC a few years ago that were nice, earnest young people who had never had a chance to travel or read any books besides accounting texts in the last 4-5 years. I was interviewed recently at Jobs In The Money.com on this issue. Take a look at some of my previous posts on the "Accountant " personality and how I got to where I am. I may be poorer but I am free.

So here goes with a list of some other ways to use your new free time. Do some thinking and real reflecting on what, and who, you want to do things with next.

1)Get in the car and get on the road. Visit a friend in another state. Listen to music while driving to the other side of the country. Stay at cheap motels and read books at the bar of a neighborhood tavern at night. I highly recommend the road trip to clear your head. I've gone as far as Mexico. Next time I'm taking my Rottie.

2)Go back to school. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish in one year. There are Executive MBA programs, Masters in Liberal Arts, (something I'm thinking about), Masters in Fine Arts, certification programs so you can take the CPA, and study groups so you can pass the CIA, CISA or CISSP. If you're in Chicago, take a class at The Feltre School.

Do I guarantee you will get a bigger, better, higher paying job when you're done? No. But if you apply yourself and don't have the distraction of full time work, you can make yourself an intellectually richer person and maybe meet someone personally or professionally interesting along the way.

3)There's one month left before the election in the US. Volunteer for the candidate of your choice. Go to Iowa and knock on doors. Go to your local city council member or alderman and volunteer to register voters or be an election judge. This is the campaign of a lifetime with real issues and problems that citizens should be conscious of. Be a part of the solution not one of the whiners.

4)Volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity project. I went to New Orleans on a drop in basis and I heard that it's the new hot stop on the backpacker circuit. I'm sure Galveston also needs help. Whether you are handy with tools or like to talk and write about the issues with like minded folks, you'll find it all in places like the hostel that houses volunteers for practically no cost outside of New Orleans. Don't go with an organized group or church, just drop in and hang, pick your crew, pick your project. Here's another group in New Orleans you can check into.

5)Spend more time with your parents. Whatever your age or status. You don't know how much longer they will be around. Get to know them. Take a video camera or a tape recorder and let them tell their stories. Whether it's for your own private benefit or it's content for a novel or short movie, it's never too late until it's too late.

6)Read some books. Go to your local Borders or Barnes and Nobel and check out the speaker series and book clubs. Feed your brain. Talk to people about something other than work. Write poems and short stories. Try something creative. Again, the idea is meeting people in an alternative setting, not focused on finding a job but on connecting with like-minded folks. Take the opportunity to be around people who share your other interests. Some of them may actually be business people.

7) Longer term options for a real break include joining the Peace Corps, becoming a substitute teacher in your public school system while writing your novel, and full time volunteering for six-months to a year at a charity of your choice, maybe not in your hometown.

8)Get out and go to things, alone preferably. Not the career oriented events or ones all your "friends" are going to. I mean events that interest you, perhaps related to the political environment, global climate change, history, yoga, foreign affairs, social media, education, or whatever issues you feel strongly about. Those in bigger cities have more choices.更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
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  • [ZT] Hmmmm, Do You Find Yourself, Suddenly, With A Lot of Free Time?
    本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Interesting thoughts.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~``


    I am procrastinating on finishing some paying work. Now you know why I have a simple financial situation...

    Lots of concerns voiced both in the comments and off-line to me about being suddenly out of a job. This concern is not limited to those auditors who are being or will be cut. It is, of course, felt throughout the economy, especially by those in the financial services sector.

    So what to do?

    Well, many will recommend the reasonable approach: Polish your resume, take advantage of any outplacement assistance offered, get out there and talk to/meet people, and get your next job before someone else does.

    If you need to get a job soon because of financial and family responsibilities or you have visa issues, I can't deny that the sooner you get going, the better off you'll be. However, if you can take a breath and think a little, I might suggest some alternate paths.

    Whether you have one year of experience or twenty, those of you who pursued accounting and financial careers are usually very Type-A, achievement oriented people. I saw interns at PwC a few years ago that were nice, earnest young people who had never had a chance to travel or read any books besides accounting texts in the last 4-5 years. I was interviewed recently at Jobs In The Money.com on this issue. Take a look at some of my previous posts on the "Accountant " personality and how I got to where I am. I may be poorer but I am free.

    So here goes with a list of some other ways to use your new free time. Do some thinking and real reflecting on what, and who, you want to do things with next.

    1)Get in the car and get on the road. Visit a friend in another state. Listen to music while driving to the other side of the country. Stay at cheap motels and read books at the bar of a neighborhood tavern at night. I highly recommend the road trip to clear your head. I've gone as far as Mexico. Next time I'm taking my Rottie.

    2)Go back to school. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish in one year. There are Executive MBA programs, Masters in Liberal Arts, (something I'm thinking about), Masters in Fine Arts, certification programs so you can take the CPA, and study groups so you can pass the CIA, CISA or CISSP. If you're in Chicago, take a class at The Feltre School.

    Do I guarantee you will get a bigger, better, higher paying job when you're done? No. But if you apply yourself and don't have the distraction of full time work, you can make yourself an intellectually richer person and maybe meet someone personally or professionally interesting along the way.

    3)There's one month left before the election in the US. Volunteer for the candidate of your choice. Go to Iowa and knock on doors. Go to your local city council member or alderman and volunteer to register voters or be an election judge. This is the campaign of a lifetime with real issues and problems that citizens should be conscious of. Be a part of the solution not one of the whiners.

    4)Volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity project. I went to New Orleans on a drop in basis and I heard that it's the new hot stop on the backpacker circuit. I'm sure Galveston also needs help. Whether you are handy with tools or like to talk and write about the issues with like minded folks, you'll find it all in places like the hostel that houses volunteers for practically no cost outside of New Orleans. Don't go with an organized group or church, just drop in and hang, pick your crew, pick your project. Here's another group in New Orleans you can check into.

    5)Spend more time with your parents. Whatever your age or status. You don't know how much longer they will be around. Get to know them. Take a video camera or a tape recorder and let them tell their stories. Whether it's for your own private benefit or it's content for a novel or short movie, it's never too late until it's too late.

    6)Read some books. Go to your local Borders or Barnes and Nobel and check out the speaker series and book clubs. Feed your brain. Talk to people about something other than work. Write poems and short stories. Try something creative. Again, the idea is meeting people in an alternative setting, not focused on finding a job but on connecting with like-minded folks. Take the opportunity to be around people who share your other interests. Some of them may actually be business people.

    7) Longer term options for a real break include joining the Peace Corps, becoming a substitute teacher in your public school system while writing your novel, and full time volunteering for six-months to a year at a charity of your choice, maybe not in your hometown.

    8)Get out and go to things, alone preferably. Not the career oriented events or ones all your "friends" are going to. I mean events that interest you, perhaps related to the political environment, global climate change, history, yoga, foreign affairs, social media, education, or whatever issues you feel strongly about. Those in bigger cities have more choices.更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
    • Interesting. ZT Specialist, can you find any of his previous posts on the "Acccountant" personality? Thx.
      • [ZT] Soy Conservative
        本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Soy Conservative


        There is a once and a while commenter, calling himself Stu Nod, (that's Donuts for those of you who don't read backward) who doesn't much like when I "bash" conservatives. Well, I have news for him. Most accountants and auditors are conservatives. And I am an accountant/auditor. Therefore, I am probably a conservative.

        Ok, I admit, my accountant/auditor tendencies tend to center around the job related ones, and not the social and political ones. However, like most people who start to make more than their parents ever did, I don't like paying so much in taxes, for example. However, the difference is, I would be glad to pay more if it was used well and effectively and to truly help others.

        And I don't much like the focus the Big 4 have these days on work-life-family balance and diversity. Not because I am against work, life or family or diversity, but because I think the job is one you choose and the rest is something that you implicitly agree to adjust in order to fit in and do the job well. If I wanted to be off during the summer, I would have been a teacher. If I wanted my team to not miss me when I'm out and clients to be able to live without me when I'm away, I would have become an assembly line worker, able to turn off my job when the whistle blows. If I wanted everyone I work with to know about, respect and celebrate my personal, sexual, and lifestyle choices I would have become a nun.

        According to various career sites and psychological studies, many employers look for specific personality types to fit certain roles.

        The top three personality types in the Accounting & Finance field, according to several academic studies are ISFJ, ISTJ, and INFJ.

        For example, an ISFJ(Introvert, Sensor, Feeler, Judger)

        People of this type tend to be: cautious, gentle, and thoughtful; hesitant until they know people well then affectionate and caring; very literal and aware of the physical world; uncompromising about personal standards and easily offended; diligent and conscientious, organized and decisive. The most important thing to ISFJs is living a stable, predictable life and helping people in real ways.

        I probably fit this character profile as well as any other accountant, except for the part about living a predictable, stable life. I was never very good at that. I embrace change and variety. But I guess that's my wild card...

        I once went through an extensive personality survey and profiling process as part of the Women's Leadership program at the Center for Creative Leadership. I attended this program shortly after being promoted to Managing Director at BearingPoint, the first woman at this level in their Latin America practice,(and still the only one ever.)There I learned that I was actually, according to all the tests, an introvert with learned extrovert tendencies. In other words, I prefer to be in a one-on-one situation or even alone, but have learned how to be with and enjoy other people because of the career I have chosen and my desire to succeed.

        But this explained a lot. It's the reason I am often considered aloof, conceited and cold by those who believe I am passing judgement on them or don't care about their work-life-family balance issues (because I am single and don't have children) or that I have too high of work product standards.

        Whatever...

        The point of my story is that I'm really not so different than my accounting and auditor brethren in most of my personality characteristics, except that I have broadened them and choose to use them in different ways.

        Am I rigid? Yes, but not in the same ways as some auditors and tax accountants I know.

        Am I strict and moralistic? Yes, but not in the same ways as some of my former colleagues that could not see grey or see the fact that not everyone had the same advantages and exposure as they did when growing up.

        Am I socially conservative? Yes, I believe a day's pay for a day's work is the expectation, but I also know that some can not care for themselves and believe that from those to whom much has been given, much is expected.

        Why do I highlight the "conservative" side of some firms and some leaders of the firms? For the same reason I highlight the self-serving, selfish and transparently manipulative activity of contributing to whatever politician holds the right Committee seat, regardless of party, just because you may perhaps be able to buy their influence.

        The blog is meant to highlight, for you the reader, the broad-based influence the Big 4 have in business, politics and social policy. Their reach is only exceeded by their constant grasp. In that sense, I critique, highlight and often times criticize each equally, although unevenly, depending on how the news cookie crumbles. I also try to highlight the firms' biases equally, but I won't apologize for the fact that I find those biases falling more often on the political, economic and socially conservative side, except for their window dressing in the areas of equal opportunity and diversity. The actions of the firms with regard to equal opportunity and diversity speak louder than all the words and videos and other public relations events.

        And I won't apologize for my biases when they show. I am still my parents' daughter, with all the attendant attitudes, baggage and early life experiences that brings, no matter where the world or my chosen career have taken me since.

        It's my blog and I'll write whatever I want to.更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net