“What do I need to do to qualify as a Chartered Accountant?” I get this question ALL the time! Along with “How do I pass CTA?” I can help with both, but let’s focus on how to become a Chartered Accountant here. Here’s the basics: SAICA-accredited degree in Accounting SAICA-accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (CTA…
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What do you do now? Why? I’ve recently changed jobs, and I now lecture Auditing for Tabaldi Education. I am here because after 20 years in the auditing profession, (you can see all the stuff I’ve been up to a little further down!), I realised that I must finally do what gives me the most…
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What do you do now? Why? I am a lecturer at Tabaldi Online Education Lecturers in my journey left a mark on me, and made me realise that this is how I want to make a difference The lecturers who made a difference to me were the ones who believed in me and who’s stories…
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I want to talk to all of you who are feeling ‘stupid’ while you’re studying. As you’re on your study path (whatever it is that you’re studying), those feelings are real, and they definitely impact your stress levels, your mental state and even the way you study. The world tells you to “Be positive!”… but…
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Who did I talk to? – Thabo Godfrey Mongatane CA(SA), Director Kolano Investment Solutions Also, our part-time Financial Accounting lecturer at Tabaldi Online Accounting Classroom (Second and Third year… I’m not letting my First year’s go!!!) Why did I talk to him? Godfrey has an amazing passion for up and coming young professionals. His qualification journey…
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“Life is a series of choices.” This can be both an exciting thing to hear, as well as a little daunting. It’s great that we have so many options, but it also means that our choices may lead us down the wrong path, or take us somewhere we’ll regret. This is even tougher if there are…
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I knew my qualification journey was going to be tough, but until I was actually ‘in’ it, I had no idea what it would take from me. I think it’s similar to having children, (so I’m told!). You think you know what you’re in for, and then they arrive… and rip your life and sanity…
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Bad study advice nearly ruined my career. (Read here for that story!) Don’t let this be you as well! Part of my discussions with students at all levels includes the things that they should be careful of when choosing their study and career paths. It’s exciting to have options and spend time deciding what to…
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That’s a joke, right? I’m willing to bet most of you giggle a little nervously at the picture at the top of this blog… it’s funny… because it’s true! I get a LOT of UNISA CTA students asking me for advice on their studies. I can’t always help massively… obviously I have paying students I…
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I spent quite a lot of time thinking before I started writing this article. It’s a direct response to a question I was asked on my Facebook support group (Yvonne’s Auditing Support), but it’s also extremely relevant to pretty much anyone on the CA(SA) journey. Let me start by saying that this is a HUGE…
DetailsEvery semester, every year, I counsel students on how they should study. They always want the ‘secret to success’ for their studies… well… here it is… Work through the picture slowly… think about each step… follow the numbering (it is a little chaotic!)
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What’s in this article? Please ask me questions! As a lecturer, I can SEE the confusion and the stress on students’ faces, so I’ll ask “Are you all comfortable with that?” and you get uncertain nods from everyone, while they quietly look around at everyone else. They’re hoping SOMEONE will ask the question they’re too…
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Related Online Course Online Course: Mental Prep for Accounting Students Does your studying never match your study plan? Do you struggle with time management? Do you find yourself avoiding certain topics and questions, and make excuses about it? Do you find yourself working harder and harder as you study higher levels, but seem to get…
DetailsI’ve been lecturing Auditing for nine years now! I’ve always loved it…. and I’ve always been a little sad that most students don’t love it. I lecture it online now, and I always battle to explain to students who I am, and why I think it’s so great for them, and actually, better than my…
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Who did I talk to? Prof. Jade Jansen CA(SA) Subject Head: Financial Accounting University of the Western Cape Why did I talk to him? As we walk the path of a very tough journey, we constantly ask ourselves whether we’ll make it to our goal, whether we’ve got what it takes and how this…
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Management Accounting is probably the subject in UNISA CTA that most students struggle with. Understanding why this is, can be the first step in figuring out how to approach it and get through it successfully. For those of you who know me, you know that Man Acc wasn’t my strong point in CTA. I sympathise…
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Students who are studying Accounting often battle to visualise exactly where their learning will be used in the ‘real world’. People who aren’t studying Accounting often have no idea what the Finance department does, and why they want certain information. There are also people who wonder about studying ‘accounting stuff’, but aren’t sure what they’d…
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we measure ourselves against everyone How often do we compare ourselves to others? In life, studies, career, earning potential, beauty, (yes ladies, this means clothing sizes too!), relationships… we have a tendency to compare our space in life with those around us as an evaluation of how ‘far’ we are in the ‘game of life’.…
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Background & Why this article is important I first wrote this article in mid-2014. It was going to be the first year that SAICA’s second Board Exam candidates would write the new APC exam instead of the old PPE exam. in 2013, I worked for a training company that wanted to develop an official APC…
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It’s nearly here. As much as you want it to be over, you have to go THROUGH it first! Auditing has never been a popular subject with students. To my eternal sadness, students don’t see the value of the skills and knowledge the way I do. I have to work so much harder when I…
DetailsIn my experience, Management Accounting is responsible for more nightmares and tears than any other part of a student’s qualification journey! For a lot of students, this is the killer. This is the hateful, painful, awful subject that threatens to be the monster that prevents them from qualifying. I imagine that there’s a lot of…
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A lot of people (mainly those that don’t study it, or haven’t worked in the fields!) don’t really understand the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant. I created an infographic to try explain it to non-students or people who don’t work in finance at all! It’s probably a little over-simplified, but if your family…
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So… Heritage Day is to celebrate your culture and the culture of those around you. You, however, have a different culture… the Student Culture. It’s represented by books and calculators, study schedules and calendars mark down the days, hours, until D-Day, and there are probably summaries and notes on your wall to remind you of…
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Distance-learning students (especially UNISA students) miss out on the types of discussions that normally take place in classes. They use these discussions to relate to other students and ‘measure’ themselves up against the group to gain comfort (or panic!) about their studying. How can we simulate that discussion? I lecture the online FAC1502 course for…
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Every semester, students face the dilemma of how to prepare for their exams in the limited time that they have available to them. The balance between theory and questions is a tough one, and is debated every semester! [expand title=”Why are exam courses so popular?”] One of the most popular solutions to the exam-preparation challenge…
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A quick visual look at ISA 240 – The auditor’s responsibility for Fraud in an audit of Financial Statements
These two modules seem to cause endless grief for a lot of students who need them to finish their degree; those who haven’t studied Accounting in High School or for a while since then and even those who are planning on taking Accounting as a major for their degree. Why should I make an effort?…
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It’s good to know where you fit into the current academic landscape. Knowing what the big picture of higher education looks like puts your position, achievements and future employment into perspective, and also highlights challenges faced by students around you. Employment statistics by education levels Looking at statistics published by Stats SA for the first Quarter…
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I’ve lectured for over eight years, most of that being in the face-to-face environment. Shifting from that to our online learning platform has been fascinating and challenging for me, and I’m loving it! I often get queries from people about the pro’s and con’s of this form of learning, so I thought it was time…
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Regardless of how last semester went, take a deep breath and appreciate that it’s over, even just for a little while. The second semester is coming… but for now, enjoy the respite! For most students, no semester goes as planned. The great study plans become “How am I going to get through all this?”; the…
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