Why did I chat to Mandi? Mandi Olivier CA(SA) is a Senior Executive at SAICA, involved in the pre-qualification process. Everything from university studies to the Board exams. I felt that students need to hear directly from the source what SAICA expects from them as they’re studying. (If you enjoyed this, want us to chat…
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Why did I chat to Pat? Pat is another example of the fact that we are NOT boring, grey accountants! He is in Business Development at BDO, he mentors students and so he understands the journeys of many students. We chatted about his journey, the idea of ‘boxing’ yourself, the breadth of your potential career,…
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And now for something completely different! Most of my chats have been a little more serious. Career and study advice. So, I thought we needed to lighten the mood a little! I came across a video from these gents and contacted them, they were good enough to do a chat with me (apparently because it…
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“Am I too old to start?” I get emails from students all the time asking me “Am I too old to start my CA(SA) qualification journey?”. I answer this question all the time, I wrote a short article on it before as well, and I thought I’d chat to someone else for their perspective, on…
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When you’re IN the moment, it’s tough to see past it I’m sharing some of my story because when you see people who are qualified and ‘doing stuff’ that you want to get to, it’s really easy to feel that they didn’t struggle the way you did, that you’ll never get there, because your situation,…
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Why did I chat to Cindy? Cindy Mati is the Senior People and Culture Manager at BDO. (Most people refer to this department as HR!) I chatted to Cindy on behalf of all those students who need to put CV’s together, attend interviews and are planning to start articles and want more information on what…
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Why did I chat to Milpark, CA Connect? Milpark, CA Connect offers an online, SAICA-accredited PGDA (CTA) and Bridging programme. They’re currently taking applications for their July 2020 programmes, so I chatted to them about their programme, and some advice on how any student can put themselves in the best position to pass. PGDA /…
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Why did I chat to Matt? Matthew Tilling is an Australian CPA who is somewhat of a self-confessed IFRS Geek. Matt was the Director of Education at the IFRS Foundation for a few years, so I wanted to chat to him to get some behind-the-scenes information on how IFRS Standards are written, and how the…
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Why did I chat to Vincent? Vincent Motholo CA(SA), RA was a UNISA Auditing lecturer, and is now at SNG-Grant Thornton. His experience as an academic and in practice is really valuable for students. I wanted him to share his qualification journey with us and take us through some of his post-qualification career decisions. We…
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What’s in this article and videos? Introduction I spoke to Bruce about career opportunities in the Public Sector a while back. I found that quite a few people were interested in exploring the topic of the Public Sector a little more, so I decided to chat to him again. This time, we chatted about the…
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What’s in this article and videos? The future of the Accounting Profession Will Accountants be obsolete in the near future? Is there a future for someone who wants to pursue an Accounting profession? This is a huge topic with a lot of viewpoints, concepts and ideas to discuss. As a starting point for this discussion,…
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What’s in the article and videos? An accounting career in The Public Sector The Public Sector (ie: Government) is a HUGE part of our economic environment and GDP. I thought it was time to explore career opportunities for Accounting and Auditing a little more. Loads of students look into doing their articles at the Auditor…
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Is your work schedule out of control? It’s tricky to balance life and work at the best of times. If you’re studying at the same time, this becomes even more challenging. I often get queries from students on how to get their work schedules under control so that they have time to study. This is…
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I’m taking Tabaldi’s FAC1502 and FAC1601 class this semester, you can register here: Register for Tabaldi’s FAC1502 online course here Email Tabaldi: queries@tabaldi.com DISCOUNT CODE: YVONNE10 Register before end-February 2020, and a get 10% discount. Use the above code Are you struggling with FAC1502 or FAC1601? I developed the online course for Tabaldi Education’s FAC1502…
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Table of Contents SAICA-accredited CTA / PGDA We all love choice, and students are always asking me what options are better for them, so I thought I’d find out more about CA Connect, to give you as a student more info. CA Connect has been assisting students with their CTA studies since 2010. In 2019,…
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Are you too old to pursue that goal? I get this question all the time. “Am I too old to study?”; “Am I too old to get this qualification?” Here’s what I want to say to you: I chatted to Gareth from CA Connect about this I thought I’d get someone else’s input for you…
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What’s in this article? Are you studying properly? MOST of my Study Coaching students struggle with this. I’ve lectured for over a decade, THOUSANDS of students. You WANT to pay attention to this. What are your expectations with your study process? Is it really how it works? 90% of my students avoid Step 1 I…
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i chatted to tim about his book We don’t always realise that our actions and what we do are governed by our beliefs about ourselves and how we feel about ourselves. When I coach students and younger professionals, they often identify their challenges as “I’m not DOING something”. (Studying, working etc). They want me to…
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“make enough mistakes…” Most of my students are not ok with failure and making mistakes. I get that. I’m there too! Trying to really comprehend and value the benefits of the mistakes we make, is tough. But I really want you to think about why someone like this advises you to make LOTS of mistakes!…
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Study Coaching assessment I use the questions in this quiz to help assess my Study Coaching students and their study habits. The answers help me understand where they need to focus, and the types of things they’re struggling with. Each of these questions have an impact on your exam performance, directly or indirectly. what do…
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Do you need motivation to study? I get messages from students every single day, saying that they’re not motivated, or they’ve lost motivation. They’re worried because without motivation, they’re not studying. What they’re hoping I can do is ‘motivate’ them so that they feel like studying again. This is a bit of an oversimplification, but…
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books for your career and personal growth Your successful career is going to involve way more skills and knowledge than your exam syllabii. Thankfully, not all of this knowledge requires exams. That’s good news, right? There’s SO much information out there, so I’ll start you off with a few topics and fields of interest that…
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Get marks for format questions One of the topics I spend time on with my study coaching students, is how to get marks in exams, with limited knowledge. In this case, I’m referring to your ability to get marks in format questions. Format questions are popular. Financial Statements; Notes to the AFS; Deferred Tax tables;…
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Does highlighting information in your exams help you get marks? Students LOVE highlighters! (I do too, I love stationery!) We have developed the habit of highlighting (or underlining) information thinking that it’s going to help us learn and get more marks. We feel that it’s ‘active reading’. Take a look at this video and think…
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We all need a little light-hearted moment, so take a breather from your studies, and do this personality quiz. Forget your career choices, let’s see what your persona will be around the office! [interact id=”5d8b6084504e4c0014e5da12″ type=”quiz”] Surprised? Share it with your friends and family. Make sure they know who they’re dealing with!
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How should you study for your Accounting exams? I’ve lectured thousands of Accounting students for over a decade, so I’ve seen a LOT of study tips about how to study to pass exams! Here’s some of my study advice: Find out what the exams want you to DO with the content you’re studying Identify and…
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Recorded Webinar A lot of students ask me for advice about how to structure their study plans for the final exam stretch. What should they focus on? How much should they revise? What if they’re not ‘ready’ for questions, or have forgotten Test 1 topics?! I’ve recorded a webinar I ran, to help you make…
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Over 70% of students I survey say procrastination is a big issue for them I respect you for the sacrifices you make for your studies. There are a lot of them, and they’re not easy to keep making, day after day, year after year. No matter how many lectures / tutorials / online courses you’ve…
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Perfectionism: use it? or lose it? A lot of people believe that perfectionists make the best students. They have drive, ambition and a desire to achieve. surely this would make them excellent students? Take a look at this video from my Study Coaching Programme, in which I explain why perfectionism can make studying tougher: Did…
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More than the theory of our subjects, and the technical details, ineffective study habits can keep students from succeeding. A lot of students need to change their study habits. I wrote an article recently on how studying is like going to gym. SO many students sent me messages saying how much they relate to it.…
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