What were you doing in your last summer at school? We’re constantly told that our future is is in our own hands but the youth of today are really putting teenage-ZBW to shame with their drive and their commitment to making this happen!
Every year, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (the ICAEW), runs an annual competition called BASE – Business, Accounting and Skills Education – don’t we love all these acronyms? It’s an initiative to provide school and college students with a taste of what it’s really like to work as a Chartered Accountant.
ICAEW BASE has grown in size year-on-year, with more than 4,000 students taking part this year. The programme aims to give students insight into working in business and the key role that we chartered accountants play in helping organisations grow and prosper. (Of course I’m biased, having qualified as an ACA after I graduated)
This year, the students were set a fictitious challenge and asked to advise a technology start-up company. The competitions allows them to use key employability skills to develop business recommendations and deliver these to their board of directors – just like in real life. There are a series of online challenges for each school team, and it culminates in a huge national final, where real-life Chartered Accountants act as judges and mentors.
Not only was I a judge this year, I was honoured to be asked to deliver the keynote speech at the final. Now I’ve spoken in front of large crowds before but speaking to hundreds of teenagers is perhaps the most daunting (Read: terrifying) task I’ve faced this year. Thankfully, working for Depop and referencing Love Island is an automatic qualifier to be a bit more ‘down with the kids’ than your average accountant.
The main message from my keynote was to remove the pressure from making perfect choices and picking the ‘right’ career. Especially when there are so many options and everything on Instagram seems so perfect. In reality, what you want and what you consider important will constantly change as you continue on your journey. The path isn’t a straight one, it’s a series of turns and decisions – and the decision you make when leaving school might seem huge but is just the first of many to come.
Read more about ICAEW Careers here and the BASE competition.