Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to a university program that will prepare you for a career in business. Now it’s time to figure out what courses to take.
A one-time supervisor of studies, Chartered Accountant Sandra L. Daga, is a senior lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Scarborough Campus. She’s helped hundreds of business administration and accounting students navigate course-selection to prepare themselves for successful business, finance and accounting careers. Here are a few of her tips for planning an education that will give you the training you need and make your university experience both personally enriching and professionally rewarding.
Do your homework
Does your chosen profession or career require certain courses? Licensed Chartered Accountants in Ontario must successfully complete 17 specific courses as part of their university degree, and not every school offers them all. Websites like the
Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario’s is the best source of information for qualifications, required training, and courses. They also provide links to the schools which offer them.
Keep your options open
Students sometimes have preconceived ideas about what they want to do and may not see other options. Career changes are not uncommon today, and exposure to a variety of courses in university can help you prepare for alternatives or even introduce you to whole new fields you hadn’t considered.
Make the most of high school career days, job fairs and academic advisors Take every opportunity to learn about jobs in your chosen field. Corporate recruiters, professional organizations, and even governments can provide valuable information about what accountants, financial advisors or corporate comptrollers actually do. They can also advise you about other jobs or careers that require your special skills and strengths, and which industries, fields or even areas of the world have the greatest demand for them or will offer the best opportunities in the future.
Network
Senior students who have completed courses, co-op placements or internships in a specific field can be a valuable source of information. Some schools even have formalized mentorship programs to promote these connections among students.
Ask your friends, family or teachers for contacts in your chosen field who might be willing to talk to you about what they do. Join your school’s student association or a club that can give you some practical experience in a low-risk environment. Volunteer to help with a worthwhile community project that lets you hone your skills and make contacts, too.
The best education is a well-rounded one
Don’t ignore the soft skills. Employers today are looking for more than good technical know-how. Business acumen, strong communication and people skills all count. University courses and practical experience in these areas will not only help prepare you for a business career, they will make you a better candidate for that first job and, later on, promotions to more senior roles.
Inst. of Chartered Accountants——
Bio and Archives
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario’s 33,000 Chartered Accountants and 5,000 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession’s high standards of qualification and the enforcement of its rules of professional conduct. The Institute works in partnership with the other provincial Institutes of Chartered Accountants and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants to provide national standards and programs that are used as examples around the world. </em>
