Off the Ledger
Your days as a college student are almost numbered. The working world is calling. As you get ready to embark on your career, you have to be thinking, “What am I going to do when I graduate?” “Is a job in public accounting right for me?”
Where do you want to go?
You have so many options. Big firm or small? How do you decide? Where can you go to get the real, honest look at a career in public accounting? What is it REALLY like to be an intern? What will my life be like as a staff accountant?
See your future...
At Porter Keadle Moore, LLP (PKM) we’re here to help. We’ve created this blog site just for you! To help you find answers to these and other questions about working in a public accounting firm. Real interns and brand new staff accountants chronicle their experiences with our firm. Read what they have to say. Ask questions, share your opinions and we’ll respond.
Be your own Cheerleader!
Doug Kant- Audit Associate
In this industry, working 40 hours or more a week is far from a phenomenon. After a while, your daily routine may become monotonous, and you cannot always rely on external incentives to get you going- which is why it is important to be able to motivate yourself. Donald Latumahina’s recent article on self motivation summarizes many realistic ways to keep yourself driven, whether it be at work or any other aspect of your life.
1.Have a cause- Find a cause you care about. While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can inspire you indefinitely. It’s a spring of motivation that will never dry
2.Have a dream. A big dream- Having a dream is important because it’s difficult to be motivated if you don’t have anything to shoot for. You need a goal. That’s what your dream is for.But just having a dream is insufficient. Your dream must be big enough to inspire you. It must be realistic but challenging. It must stretch your ability beyond your comfort zone.
3.Be hungry- To be truly motivated, you need to have hunger and not just desire. Having mere desire won’t take you through difficult times since you don’t want things badly enough. In many cases, hunger makes the difference between the best performers and the mediocre ones.
4.Run your own race- Comparing yourself with others is an effective way to demotivate yourself. Even if you start with enthusiasm, you will soon lose your energy when you compare yourself with others. The only competitor
5.Take one more step- When you meet obstacles along the way, there could be the tendency to quit. You may think that it’s too difficult to move on. You may think that your dream is impossible to achieve. Just focus on taking one more step forward. Don’t think about how to complete the race. Don’t think about how many more obstacles are waiting for you. Just focus on taking the next step.
6.Let go of the past- Today is a new day and you have the chance to start again. No matter how bad your past might be, you still have a bright future ahead waiting for you. Just don’t let the burden of the past stop you.
Keep these tips in mind and you will be able to keep yourself motivated even when your goals seem completely unattainable.
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