If I had to do it again, I would never resist the opportunity to come outside of my comfort zone.

Over the past several years, I have learned that when you feel the most uncomfortable is when you grow and become a stronger individual. As a student, I used to be afraid of speaking in public settings; however, I ensured that I grasped onto every opportunity I was presented with to speak in front of large audiences. Although it was discomforting and nerve-wrecking at first, it is my forte and passion now solely because I came outside of my comfort zone when it mattered most. You must find out what makes you feel most uncomfortable, whether it be networking, interviewing or even expressing your thoughts, and search for opportunities to turn these “self-imposed restrictions” into personal strengths. I guarantee you that this is a step in the right direction that will lead to personal and professional triumph.

If I had to do it again, “giving up” would never, is never, and will never be an option.

 Chris Bradford, author and professional ninja, has said it best: “each mistake teaches you something new about yourself. There is no failure, remember, except in no longer trying. It is the courage to continue that counts.” Everyone has faced some sort of hardship in life, whether it is personal, academic or career-related.  To get to where I am today, I have had to endure a storm of uncertainty and challenges. But never once did I think of giving up. It was neither an option nor a thought but rather a distant myth. Even when I was at the lowest point in my personal life/academic career, I took advantage of all my resources to help me get back up better and stronger. I have never looked back since. What you must realize is that everyone experiences failure at one point in life, but how one deals with it is what matters most. You can either wallow in sorrow and disappointment and close the doors that might lead to greatness; or you can use it as a learning experience to fire you up and open all gates to success. To me personally, it has been a catalyst to self-fulfillment and “success” and I hope this is something everyone can learn from.

If I had to do it again, my friends would always be considered my most valuable asset. 

My friends have shaped me into the person that I am today. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals that challenge you on a daily basis is essential but more often than not is overlooked by many. I have always made a conscious effort to surround myself with a group of people that motivate me to become a better person. Through my high school days, undergraduate career and my professional career, I have learned that friends can either lead you through the golden path of success, or the lonesome path of uncertainty. Choose your friends wisely and surround yourself with people that will always want the best for you.                                               

If I had to do it again, my career path would always lead me to auditing/accounting.

I thrive in fostering relationships with clients and I have a passion for numbers. To me, the field of auditing/accounting bridges the gap between the two seamlessly. Having previously worked as an intern at a premier investment bank and at a leading marketing firm, I can say with complete confidence that I made the right decision in pursuing the “CA” designation. Although my experiences in the finance and marketing firms were remarkable, I was craving for more flexibility in terms of learning and growing both as an individual/professional. This is why you should never restrict yourself to an industry, especially as a student. Having worked as an intern in the finance and marketing industries led me to my quest for an internship at PwC as I knew that accounting/auditing is what was best for me only after gaining exposure to other industries.  

If I had to do it again, launching my career at PwC would always be the only option.

From my clients to my colleagues, I have truly enjoyed every relationship established thus far in my career at PwC. The firm has not only given me access to learn about market leaders in the energy, construction, food/beverage, real estate, medical and technology industries, but it has given me the opportunity to learn about and express myself as an individual. To me, this is a winning characteristic in an employer of choice, especially as a young professional who is looking to launch his/her career. To learn more about my journey and the countless unforgettable experiences at the firm, watch my video below. This will hopefully give you insight as to what the firm has in store for you in the future!

As always, I hope you enjoyed my blog post and were able to relate to it on a personal level. I know that much of the above is easier said than done, which is why you should challenge yourself starting right now. And always remember that once you have reached a level of success in your life that you are content with, don’t forget to look back and give back. Let’s make a difference together!

She laughed at me, smiled, and went on to explain her theory... Classrooms now a days are structured for students to succeed in learning the lesson plans, but too much structure is actually taking away from the most important learning, life lessons. Her theory can be boiled down into a very simple example of structure being explained by teachers removing the choice to allow students to sit wherever and with whomever they want, and removing flexibility by not allowing for a diversion from the lesson plan. Through these actions, going off track and the choice to sit with your friend and still learn the material is removed thus creating an artificial atmosphere to which short term benefits of the students knowledge are maximized.

An interesting theory and one that I thought was applicable to the business world. You see, every day employees and employers aim to provide structure to make jobs more efficient and effective in order to yield greater returns for our companies. But where companies lose out in this short term strategy is that employees are learning how to execute job responsibilities, rather than learning their jobs. Short term outlook, results are good, performance is high ... long term, different story.... What gets missed is the underlying long term growth and development that is required for sustained results. At PwC, we are pretty fortunate that so much emphasis is placed on this individual growth and development, this is even more apparent through a new program that was rolled out recently, Enhanced Working Practices. Essentially, it boils down to creating a work environment whereby knowledge is leveraged and employees are taught to learn how to learn and to drive their own learning.

So, my takeaway from this dinner lesson... too much structure eliminates creativity and doesn't allow for personal growth long term. Too little structure, and look out, it's anarchy in the play house or office cubicles. The perfect focal point and equilibrium is not a perfect science, but it is up to you to decide and determine. Try to find it and in the long term you will have sustained results. Go find your equilibrium, and remember that sometimes it's okay to just go with the flow.

Happy Monday.

Experiences:

1. Operations project – worked with Lean and 6 Sigma experts from the Operation competency to reduce wastes in different processes of a warehouse.
2. People and Change competency - built a team building event off site for IT senior managers across a large oil and gas company.
3. Financial Service competency – went to Montreal to work on procurement process improvements for the public sector.
4. Operations Competency – assisted in the building of network design models and worked jointly with an inventory management expert for a transportation company out of British-Colombia.
5. Sustainability and Climate Change – did research for a large multinational on the common measures used in their industry to publicly address human rights policy; was part of a research team on the impact of the climate change for insurance companies.
6. Sustainability and Climate Change – wrote two proposals for companies operating in the province of Quebec regarding their CO2 emissions strategy.
7. Operations / Financial Service – worked on developing a proposal for a retail store looking to launch a credit card in Canada.

Keys to success:

Networking:

During my first 6 months at PwC, I truly realized the value of networking. Through my different projects and multiple out of the office PwC events, I have developed a great internal network that saved me precious time at multiple occasions when facing a challenge. People at PwC realize the value of having a great network and the importance of maintaining a win-win relationship.

Team work:

On different projects, the team quickly took me in, coached me and gave me responsibilities. The “teach-don’t-tell” approach was often applied and was definitely one of the reasons why I felt involved and was able to contribute to the success of the team.

Attitude:

People at PwC are fun to work with! It does not matter if you work with senior associates, managers, directors or partners, people here bring their best attitude to work and it’s contagious! Not only does it have an impact on coworkers but the clients see it as well.

More than 6 months ago, I joined the #1 professional service firm in the world and was told that my job was going to be fun, demanding, full of challenges, learning opportunities and different experiences. I have been implicated in 4 different competencies and 7 different assignments, worked in Montreal for 6 weeks and built an internal network full of people willing to help at anytime.

All of that said, I still play hockey, train every week and manage to ski in the Rockies on the weekends. What does an opportunity of a lifetime look like to you?

Every day, we strive to make a positive difference on the environment by scaling back on our travel needs, reducing paper consumption, switching the lights off and computer monitors when not in use, and expanding our recycling programs.

Learn more about the award here.

MediaCorp. Canada Inc. a choisi PwC comme l’un des employeurs canadiens les plus respectueux de l’environnement en 2013. Cette reconnaissance témoigne de notre engagement à réduire notre empreinte carbone et à soutenir nos clients avec des solutions pour un développement durable. Cette distinction vient s’ajouter à notre récente reconnaissance à la fois comme meilleur employeur et comme employeur de choix pour les jeunes.

Nous ne ménageons aucun effort pour apporter un changement positif dans l’environnement en diminuant notre nécessité de voyager, en réduisant notre consommation de papier, en éteignant les lumières et les moniteurs d’ordinateurs lorsqu’ils ne sont pas utilisés, et en étendant la portée de nos programmes de recyclage.

Vous pouvez en savoir plus sur cette reconnaissance ici.