William Nichols' E-Portfolio

It's Holiday Time

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:18:00 +0000

School has been out for a week and I finally have time to update the blog and other sites that I have left due to exam preparation. It definitely feels nice to have the stress of school temporarily lifted. I was well prepared for the exams and have received only 1 final mark so far and I am quite pleased with it.

I am back at work full-time and the Holiday season is always busy with travelers staying at the motel while they visit family.

In keeping with the employment discussion, unfortunately I was not able to land the job. I felt that I had a good interview and they even asked for references at the conclusion of the interview. I guess it's something similar to watching American/Canadian Idol: you can do well and think you've won the show, but then the next person gets on stage and does that much better. Regardless of the outcome it was definitely worth while and a great experience. I like to think that I never fail at anything twice. While there are so many external factors regarding the hiring process I can't help, but look at not getting the job as a failure. That being said, I won't 'fail' again and hopefully I will get the chance to try again soon as I just applied for a job posting I found with the firm I really want to work for. That would certainly be the best Christmas present I could hope for...

With the winter season upon us I have had the opportunity to make it up to Whistler for my first snowboarding trip of the season. There was 15 cm of fresh snow and decent weather that helped make it one of the best days I have ever had on the mountain. Last year I received new snowboard boots for Christmas and this year I will be getting new bindings (I know already because my dad and I just ordered them) and I hope to have enough money to purchase a new snowboard.

The FMA has taken a Christmas break to recharge and come back in the New Year offering several events. We have our first CA Info Session of the year set for January 26, 2011 and will try and get info sessions for the CMA and CGA designations as well.

I will be busy over the holiday season so I don't know when the next update will come, but it should be sometime in the New Year or between Christmas and New Year's eve.

Happy Holidays!!!

Some Good News & Other Updates...

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 06:11:00 +0000

This morning I received a request for an interview. I am very excited and naturally nervous. I am certainly happy because it was a firm that has been on my radar since speaking with associates at networking events. Their enthusiasm and reputation are noteworthy and I would definitely fit in.

During the recruiting process I was told about a great site, www.myCAsite.com, from a peer and used the advice and information to help me during the recruitment. Unfortunately, I was not aware of the site until after the deadline for CACEE submissions. I took it upon myself to contact the founder, Stefano, to help get BCIT and the FMA more involved with the site. Tonight I received confirmation that I would be a Campus Ambassador for BCIT and the site. Further, I would also be added as a blog contributor so I felt it necessary to make an immediate post.

Keeping with updates, today the FMA had the first CGA Info Session of the year and the turn out was better than expected and definitely and improvement over last year. Approximately 80 students were in attendance (up from 30 last year) and all spots for the upcoming office hours were booked by the end of the session.

The focus of the FMA over the next few months will be organizing the info sessions for the CMA and CA designations as well as having a kick-off party to recruit new members. As for me, I will be preparing for the interview as well as studying for finals, only 5 weeks away :S..

Not This Year :(

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 15:15:00 +0000

Unfortunately, I was unable to secure employment with a CA training office. The experience was unforgettable and saw many highs and lows. The process is grueling and can bring the best or worst out of an individual.

It was great to see how the events the FMA helped organize came through and provided students with a valuable connection with employers. I have learned a lot about myself and what I need to change to be successful in the future.

The first change and possibly the hardest would be my grades. While my overall GPA falls in the range accepted by most firms it was my current or latest year's GPA that was just below the minimum of 75% (mine was 74%).

Another change or improvement would be networking. While I was able to speak to many people at the events, often I failed to make the connection or have the opportunity to speak to key individuals with the respective firms because they were over crowded etc. I will definitely step it up next year during the process as I have gone through it this year and know what it takes to be successful.

I will be running for President of the FMA in April 2011 for the 2011/2012 school year as I can build on the success we have had this year as well as my experience. As I am responsible for keeping the website up to date it would be the best for the club if I was President next year as the transition would be smoother than someone that does not have the same experience.

A big congratulations is due to the three executives on the team that did secure offers. Their hard work has been rewarded and their experience has also helped me.

It's Finally All Over

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:52:00 +0000

After months of preparation the final event of this year's CA recruit came to an end on Thursday. The final event was held at BCIT and despite the stress and panic of changing venue, a new executive team and other unmentionable hurdles the event was a huge success.

From the feedback I have received from students in attendance, staff and representatives from the firms the change in venue was welcomed and well received.

Over 13 firms were in attendance and over 100 CA hopefuls attended in an attempt to win the firms over. The 'Great Hall' in SE2 on Burnaby's BCIT campus played host to the event and featured some hot and cold food down the center of the rectangular room. This area was much nicer than year's passed as the ceiling is quite high and the room had a ballroom type feel. I think that next year the event should run 30 minutes longer as there was only approximately two hours to network and this seemed particularly short as I was often side lined with student questions and responsibilities with the FMA. Further, speaking with those that attended, they were also in the opinion it should be a little longer. Something we will definitely address later on this month at our next meeting.

On the 15th we also played host to the 'CA Cram Session' which was a huge success as well. This event features limited networking, but plays more as an info session and is especially useful to students that are in their first or second year of studies.

The CACEE form (standardized 'resume' type document) is due to all firms by Wednesday September 29 at 11:59 p.m. This form is a way to standardize the application process and the back page is the hardest to fill. I will be applying to several firms that have interested me over the events that I have attended.

My next update should be after the 29th so stay tuned....

The First Week Is Always The Toughest

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 20:13:00 +0000

September 7's Orientation Day at BCIT has come and gone and a swarm of new students are not settling into their lives at BCIT or lack thereof.

This day was a huge success for the FMA as we had the opportunity to greet returning students and meet the wave of new ones entering the Financial Management program.

We started the day with 3 boxes of swag from both CGA and CA and a box of our own swag. I can happily say that all industry swag (information pamphlets, pens, spot removers) were swooped up and well received by the students. Our own swag, t-shirts and lanyards, were well received by the new students that were lucky enough to win one via trivia in their respective orientations.

Prior to the orientation the FMA website had approximately 45 members, t0day the 130th member joined the site. This is surely a testament to how successful the team was at marketing the club and website on orientation day. We also are fortunate enough to have a strong backing by the BCIT faculty who are strongly urging students to get involved, or at least sign-up to the site.

It seems as though we will be having weekly events for the rest of September in lieu of the CA recruiting season, thus it is quite easy to get caught up in it all and succumb to stress. The team is very busy preparing the events that we are to host in the next couple of weeks, CA Cram Session Sept. 15 and CA recruiting night Sept. 23.

I have taken the weekend to hide out and finish the back page of my CACEE form, the most daunting page of all. I am finding it difficult to come up with a unique way of presenting myself, therefor the page has sat blank for most of the summer as I have had the rest filled since mid June.

It has been a tough adjustment taking night courses as I only know 2 students in my class and have to admit that I miss the rest of my peers that are fortunate enough to be in the day time stream. I am still protesting my position have a last ditched hope that I can be squeezed into the day time classes. At the end of the day I simply want my education and employment, if that means taking evening classes to get there I will suck it up and get it done.

As this is the busiest time in my life I do not know how much time I will have to update the blog, but perhaps I will make an effort to do so after each event I attend; time will tell....

Success!!

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:33:00 +0000

On Friday August 27, 2010 I wrote the final to FMGT 4110, in which I was upgrading to meet the degree requirements at BCIT. I needed a minimum of 70% in order to meet the requirements; I can happily report that I finished with 78% overall.

This is a huge relief as my plans for the fall were dependent on receiving a 'passing' grade.

During the past week I shut my phone off and basically shut the world out as I focused on studying and preparing for the exam. The stress of the pending results and impact the test had on my future, coupled with the lack of sleep from studying, almost made me sick. After I had finished the exam I felt very weak, spaced out and my hands or body felt like they were shaking.

Receiving news of my mark and success so quickly, (less then 24 hours) certainly did a lot to take care of the anxiety.

I am currently focusing on the FMA as the club is responsible for all the CA recruiting events held on campus this coming fall. We have had numerous meetings over the summer to prepare and organize the events and I am confident that the team and I will be able to organize and prepare successful events.

Our first event of they year is September 7, 2010 on the BCIT campus. We will be welcoming new and returning students on this 'Orientation' day. The plans include an introduction from the executive team to all new members of the Financial Management program as well as a table display in the 'Great Hall' of the Burnaby campus.

The table will feature some free swag from our sponsors, information regarding the club and a prize giveaway for qualified (must sign-up for a free account at our website) members.

The school year is a mere 9 days away, I will update the blog likely after the first event.

FMA Website Updates

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:10:00 +0000

The FMA website is constantly being updated every chance I have a spare moment to develop it.

Recently, I have spent time coding and developing the module to integrate Google Calendar into the website. This mod allows a display of upcoming events on the left portion of the screen as well as a full size calendar with events. When users click the calendar or events a pop-up opens that shows a map to the location and details of the event such as duration, price, attire etc.

Unfortunately, it was brought to my attention that users were not able to create accounts. I traced this issue to the integration of phpbb3 forums with the joomla cms. To put it simply, the integration was not so integrated and there was a circle redundancy that basically looped users into trying to create an account but being taken back to step 1 after proceeding past step 2. Thus, I have disabled the forums from the site until I can properly research and develop a more permanent fix.

With all the preparation that the FMA must do for the upcoming school year and the focus I have on developing the website, I have put FMGT 4110 on the back burner. This is not good as I need to re-teach and learn 8 chapters and write the final before September 7, 2010 so that I can be fully accepted into the BTECH Accounting full-time program.

I will likely not have another update until September as I will be focusing primarily on 4110 and the FMA until then.

BCIT's Financial Management Association (FMA)

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:51:00 +0000

BCIT's FMA's New Website is Live!

At the conclusion of the 2009-10 school year I was elected into an executive role with BCIT's Financial Management Association (FMA). For the 2010-11 school year I will be the VP of Finance & Admin for the association which focuses on giving Financial Management students a portal to employers representing the various accounting designations.

As I know how to build a website using content management systems (CMS) such as Joomla I took it upon myself to redesign the FMA's previous website to the current version seen HERE. The old site was very dated and was still not as complete as the new version.

Some highlights of the new site include:

Integrated forums so members can connect for homework help; text book sales; networking.
Integrated image gallery so event images can be displayed in articles in an easy to use and visually appealing flash module.
Facebook module which links members or guests directly to the FMA's facebook page.
Sponsor images which are hyperlinked to each sponsor's homepage.
RSS news feeds for various sponsors as well as accounting bodies.
Ability to create own advertisement system similar to google ads.

Although the website is live and accessible it will continue to change as new features are added as requested or discovered. The use of a CMS helps make the website usable for all executives on the FMA team and should make it easy for the next set of executives that are elected in the future.

Survived My First Vegas Stag Party

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:32:00 +0000

As the title suggests, I was able to survive my first stag in Las Vegas. Further, as the picture to the right shows, Vegas was good to me gambling wise.

In fact, after waiting a day and a half to play my first hand, I sat down at the 'Let it Ride' table in the Bellagio and proceeded to win $1400 USD on my very first hand.

Unfortunately, my luck kind of ran out with that hand and I ended up losing $500 of the winnings, which still left me ahead by $900. Further, the losses took much longer to rack up then the win and I was able to enjoy my time with friends.

Other highlights included the Las Vegas Gunstore where, as a group, we shot 3 guns: M9 Beretta pistol, M4 Carbine and the M249 SAW Machine gun. The power that these guns packed was scary, yet exhilarating.

The best man and the groom took a leap of faith from the 108th floor of the Stratosphere in a controlled zip line jump.

The weather was amazingly hot 36 - 43 degrees Celsius during the duration of the trip, but nights cooled to a balmy 25 - 28 degrees. I had a great time, but it was nice to get back to fresh air and an environment that wasn't all concrete and flashing lights.

Viva Las Vegas

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:56:00 +0000

Possibly makings of the Hangover 2...

On Wednesday June 9, 2010 7 of my friends and I will board an Allegiant Air flight with the hopes of safe passage to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Purpose of the trip is to have a bachelor party for one of my best friends who will marry in August. We are booked for 4 nights at Caesar's Palace and it should be very interesting to say the least.

Some of the plans include: watching the burlesque show Jubilee, going to the Las Vegas gun store to use their gun range and of course gambling.

I have never been to Vegas before, but have checked the weather and it is going to be hot and sunny, 42 degrees Celsius. Personally, I do not like temperatures over 25 here in Vancouver, but I am told that while it is hot, it is a much drier heat in Vegas.

We have made t-shirts to commemorate the occasion and the bachelor's includes a list that he must complete before he can take it off and change into something regular.

Look for my next update to come post Las Vegas

Graduation!

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:45:00 +0000

The end of my Financial Management Diploma at BCIT

On May 28, 2010 I wrote my last final exam for the Financial Management Diploma at BCIT. This marked the end of a two year journey which I hope to share on this blog, but fell victim to the demand that BCIT puts on students.

The two years was filled with highs and lows, but overall it was a great success. It is hard to imagine that in just 4 semesters I have completed 32 courses and 123 credit hours.

I was able to achieve a cumulative GPA of 78%, which honestly, fell just short of my goal of 80% and above. While this was somewhat disappointing I still feel good about the accomplishment, especially given the difficulty of balancing school with work and friends and family.

I have already applied and received provisional acceptance to the BTECH - Accounting program which is a one year degree program beginning in September 2010. I have decided that I would like to pursue a Chartered Accountant designation and will be preparing myself for fall recruitment over the summer. This decision was solidified during one of the final projects in which my group researched different professions in tax. We were able to speak to a tax lawyer, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, an entry level accountant from Deloitte and finally a free lance accountant who does not hold any designation. This project's scope was tax related employment, but it also gave us the opportunity to research the different designations as well.

My summer plans include: catching up with friends; a friend's wedding; my mother's wedding; full-time employment; a trip to Las Vegas and finally a camping trip or two. I hope to update this blog more often, but we will see how much free-time I will have.

Where's My Wallet?

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:18:00 +0000

I have lost it which means I need a new set of identification, SIN card, debit card and of course a wallet!

I was bowling on Friday and the last time I actually saw it was when I paid the cashier. I drove home and when I wanted to go out later that evening I couldn't find it. It was somewhat of a blessing I suppose because it forced me to stay home and study, but now I have to replace everything that was in my wallet in the first place.

I don't know how I could lose it I keep it in my pocket at all times and have never had this problem before. I keep hoping it will turn up in the most random spot at home, but unfortunately it hasn't. I have stripped both my car and my room looking for it, but again it eludes me.

Luckily I didn't have any cash in the wallet nor any credit cards, but I did have a $25 gift certificate and a $10 ticket to an event. With that in mind and the cost to replace everything I put the value of the loss at around $100. That's the latest info with me, hopefully my next update will be a lot better :D

The Rigors of Full-time School

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:56:00 +0000

As you can see, it has been a long time between posts. Such is the rigors of going to school full-time. A lot has happened since the last update. I am now into the second and final term of semester 2 at BCIT. Term A of semester 2 is in the books and I have 3 final marks from that term and the other 5 courses carried over and a new set of 3 were added.

I was happy with most of my marks and mid-terms except for my Business Info Systems 2 as I finished with 69 which was my worst performance to date. I don't know what happened as I did very well on the courses midterm (90%). There was a group project that was worth 25% of the term grade and our team didn't do well apparently. Oh well it's in the past now and I still have a great GPA.

I finished with a 95 in computerized accounting and 83 in business management. I was also able to improve my stats mark on the mid-term which was a big relief as many failed and subsequently had to withdraw.

I am still thoroughly enjoying being at BCIT and I enjoy my peers and teachers. Check back as I will be updating this more (at least I hope to).

BACK!!!....and so SoOoOn!

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:24:00 +0000

The Christmas holidays were definitely welcomed after a 7 course grueling semester that was Fall 2008 at BCIT. I had a great holiday despite being snowed in for about a week.

I saw my friends, snowboarded, turkey dinners and the best present of all might have been my marks. I did better then I expected, as the end of the semester wears you down and leaves your head both cluttered and scattered.

This semester I have 11 courses over 20 weeks and it having just finished the first week, the work is already accumulating. Most of my classmates made it to the 2nd semester, however there were a few people that didn't make it and a few surprise exits. I guess it goes to show just how tough the program really is...

I have taken a break from blogging over the holiday, but will try to keep up with it in the new year... the next article will likely be sports related, so until then....

Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 01:52:00 +0000

School is out finally!

After a week of no school I cannot believe I am saying it, but I actually want to be back in class. After going 100 mph for the past couple of months, this screaching halt has left me bored.

Being anxious to be back is a little extreme, I think what I need to do is find more activities to keep me busy. Luckily Christmas is just around the corner (6 days and counting) and the snow is falling so snowboarding will be an activity I can soon par-take in.

School will be back in session January 5th, and then it will be back to 100 mph and all the stress that goes with it. At this time it is a relief to be bored and free and enjoying the holidays.

Merry Christmas to those that take the time to read this blog!

Exams!!! - 2 week countdown

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:27:00 +0000

They're coming

My first semester at BCIT is officially in its wind-down as I only have 2 weeks of instructional time left and 1 week of exams. It is hard to believe that I am entering week 13 of school already.

The exam schedule is posted and you can visit it by clicking here my schedule is found under FMGT 1F which is highlighted in blue.

I only have 1 early exam and each of the five exams fall on its own day. I have already started studying in order to do well and I cannot wait for this semester to be over so I can be 25% done my program.

Keep checking back for updates!!!

New look!

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:35:00 +0000

So I had some spare time on my hands and decided to change the whole look of my blog. Unfortunately, the change did not come without expense as I had to remove my music playlist, but I am in the process of recoding so that I can have it embedded once more.

You can visit the old version by clicking here. Please continue to check my blog and feel free to leave feedback.

Playoff Bound!

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:53:00 +0000

Team Noodle Time of Set 1F FMGT at BCIT has made it to the playoff round of intramural dodgeball

With an even record of 2W-2L, Noodle Time has made the playoffs and have their first match next Tuesday (opponent TBA). We faced a few hard teams, but really came together as a team at the end of the regular season.

Our 2 losses could have easily been wins as we lost by 1 game. Our last game was against the defending champions and we lost in a sudden death and we were short players for the match due to a math test that morning.

Look for our team to be tough competition in the upcoming games. Go Noodle Time!!!

Group Project - Why I Chose BCIT

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:09:00 +0000

Why I Chose BCIT - A group project in BSYS 1000

For our first project in BSYS 1000 our group had to make a powerpoint presentation and convert it to youtube. The topic for the project was 'Why choose BCIT'.

This was the best project I have been assigned to so far because it was open to whatever idea our group came up with. Our group enjoyed coming up with a commercial concept and converting our powerpoint to a video to be uploaded on to youtube.

Unfortunately, when we made our project an issue was the timing and playing of our videos.

As you can see in the youtube video posted to this article we have two videos with one of our group members. If you click here for our actual powerpoint presentation you will notice that there is a screen shot from both videos on an actual slide. These slides included the videos, but when integrated into powerpoint and timed, they did not play for some odd reason.

This was a major disappointment because we had rehearsed the required timing, but when uploaded to our teacher's computer they would not play.

Despite this mystery, our group was overall pleased with the project we submitted. We all enjoyed the freedom we had and look forward to more group assignments in this course.

My Resume

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 03:45:00 +0000

I have included my resume under links (found at the bottom right of the page) and in this article by clicking here. If you are a prospective employer feel free to click 'contact' at the top of the page in the event you had any questions.

I am currently getting grades back on a few assignments from BCIT so please check back often to see the new highlights.

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:01:00 +0000

I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving and shares it with family or friends. I had my family Thanksgiving turkey dinner last night, and had another Turkey dinner with my friends tonight. Turkey coma has definitely settled in and my bed is calling my name.

I have finished the layout of my portfolio and am awaiting the return of some school work so that I am able to post them. You will notice the navigation bar at the top where you can visit several different pages on my blog. On the right side you can watch the slideshow which highlights some of my favorite moments. You can also click to see examples of my work or subscribe to my blog.

If you have any questions or suggestions please click "Contact" at the top right of the page. Please check back for updates and new content.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Marketing Case Study

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:52:00 +0000

Marketing Group Presentation
'An Apple a Day Keeps the MP3 In Play'

My group for Set 1F Financial Management is called the A team as we were assigned as 'team A' to begin with, so the simple name change seemed appropriate.

For our first marketing case we were required to present orally regarding Apple and their share of the MP3 player and download market.

Apple as of 2005, had 83% of the market and we needed to create a product related solution to help ensure Apple continues to dominate the MP3 industry.

You can click the picture to the left to view our Powerpoint presentation or you can click here to download a copy of the presentation.

My Team's Team Charter

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:02:00 +0000

Organizational Behaviour 1000 - Team Charter

The first assignment in Organizational Behaviour was to develop a Team Charter with the groups we were assigned to.

A Team Charter is a contract between our group members that outlines goals, objectives, disciplinary steps (if needed) and how to obtain them.

It also includes a schedule for meetings and how we will stay focused and on top of our assignments.

If you click here you can preview our Team Charter or you can save a copy to your computer for later viewing.

Individual Marketing Project

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:58:00 +0000

Environics Survey - Consumer Traits

My first marketing individual project was regarding consumer traits. We were required to take a survey online (if you click the picture above you can take the same survey).

The survey asks several questions that relate to your views on money, work and views as a conscious consumer. After completion of the survey you are grouped into a 'tribe'.

I was put into the 'thrill-seeking materialist tribe and some of my idols included basketball star Vince Carter and Canadian actor Pamela Lee Anderson. Most of the traits and examples that the survey came up with related to my habits and views as a consumer and it was definitely interesting to compare the different tribes.

Feel free to take the survey or you can view my written submission regarding the survey by clicking here.

BSYS 1000 - Assigment 1A & 1B

noreply@blogger.com (William Nichols) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:40:00 +0000

For our first set of assignments in BSYS 1000 we were required to do a 'treasure hunt' assessing the BCIT computer resources. We were also required to set-up our file storage on the BCIT computer network.

The assignment was not very time consuming, but was worthwhile and enjoyable as it familiarized my self with the different resources available to me.

You can access both of these assignments by clicking the following links:

Assignment 1 - 'Treasure Hunt'
Assignment 2 - 'File Management'