Branching Out

September 22nd, 2020

From conducting my Career/Industry Forecast, as well as my first and second Research Assessment, I learned not only the specific profession I want to pursue, but also expanded my knowledge in the field I’m entering as a whole. In terms of the profession, I have decided that I want to become a finance manager, working for different businesses and companies across my working era, helping these organizations become financially stable, or to achieve their financial goals and become successful.

Now, prior to deciding that I wanted to become a finance manager, I didn’t know that such a profession existed in the accounting field, let alone what the job entails. I had a basic understanding of the accounting field, knowing that it consisted of accountants, financial planners, tax consultants and clerks. I couldn’t decide which one of these professions would be the best fit for me, so I took some different personality tests and conducted research (Career/Industry Forecast, Research Assessments), and found that being a finance manager would be a suitable career choice for me.

So, what exactly does a finance manager do? That was a question I didn’t know the answer to in the beginning, but now can respond to without hesitation. Financial managers perform data analysis and advise senior managers on profit-maximizing ideas. Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They create financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.

Furthermore, I also learned about what finance managers mean to the organizations they work for, and how much they are needed and valued. I now understand the role of the finance manager within the organization they work for. A finance manager distributes the financial resources of a company, is responsible for the budget planning, and supports the executive management team by offering insights and financial advice that will allow them to make the best business decisions for the company.

Questions have arisen as a result of what I have learned. These questions center around financial accounting, and are directed towards finance managers, as I want to learn more about the profession, in depth. Some of these questions include: how they decided they wanted to become a finance manager, the pros and cons of their job, the skills they think are necessary for accountants, and more content-based questions about the job, as in difficult situations they may have gotten into, or mistakes they’ve made, and how they tackled those situations and fixed their mistakes.

I faced a couple different challenges during this first week of research, but the one that I think is worth mentioning is that I found it hard to balance ISM with not only my AP classes, but yearbook as well. As a senior, the AP classes I take are AP Calculus AB, AP Literature & Composition, and AP Macroeconomic (this will switch to AP Government second semester), and because these are all college-level courses, the work is quite rigorous, and requires a few hours spent each week just to stay on top of things, not fall behind, and make sure that I am understanding the material.

Additionally, I am the Lead Copy Editor for yearbook, and this requires me to constantly check in with other staffers, make edits on their work, make sure that they know what they’re doing, and if they need help with yearbook or other things, I’m there for them. Much of this position requires me to constantly be updating their progress and making sure they turn their assignments in on time/correctly, while also working on my own assignments.

So, as a result of these classes, and the fact that I have most of them back to back on A days, I do sometimes find it stressful and often wonder if I can even finish all my work and study and allot enough time to each of these courses, with ISM included, as necessary. This challenge taught me that it’s best if I make an agenda of what I need to get done, and tackle everything based on how soon it needs to get done, as well as its importance. By doing this, I was able to stress a little less (as I’m stressed 24/7), and get everything done in a timely manner.

I was successful this week by getting all of my ISM work done in a timely manner, without rushing it. I thoroughly completed all my assignments, and did the same thing for my other courses as well. I spent a couple of hours on ISM each day I had the class (about 2 hours) to get my work done efficiently, and out of the way, so that I could tackle my other assignments, and get them done in the same manner. I was able to successfully manage my time, and give myself some room to breathe and relax, even if it was just for a couple minutes a day. I felt better mentally and physically, and was proud of myself for getting done what I wanted to get done, and more.

Something that I need to work on next week is allocating more time for AP Calculus AB. It’s my 1A class, and oftentimes, gets taken for granted, as I don’t spend as much time on it as my other AP classes. As I mentioned before, I was able to get my ISM work done efficiently and thoroughly, which is good, but I also have to balance it with my APs. For AP Macroeconomics and AP Literature & Composition, I allot a couple hours each week for both courses (for AP Literature, to read our assigned chapters, complete the reading journal entries, and work on our essay writing; for AP Macro, to read our assigned chapters and take notes as necessary), so that I don’t fall behind and remain successful.

I think because I have these two courses B days, and I have Calculus AB A days, I don’t realize how much time I should be spending on it, making sure I’m grasping the concepts, and am able to apply it to the problems so that I can solve them and get the correct answer, while also showing the correct work to receive maximum credit. So, this is definitely something that I need to work on: spending more time on AP Calculus AB, so that I can be as successful in it, if not more successful, as my other AP classes.

Something that I have discovered that I want and need to learn more about is my choice was the right one for me. I’m 85% sure that becoming a finance manager is the most suitable profession for me, but I’m still wondering if I should pursue this specific accounting profession, should find a different one, or should just enter a different field altogether. I have taken accounting and business classes, and find them both interesting and easy to understand, so I think I have chosen a suitable profession.

At the same time, however, I have recently found interest in criminology and psychology, wanting to become an FBI criminal profiler. I haven’t taken the appropriate courses to pursue this, but I still think it’s something that I would enjoy doing and studying/learning more about. So, I think I really just need to decide if it’s what I want to do, and that I need to settle on a career, and be certain that I want to pursue it, and direct all of my ISM research, interviews, and studying towards it.