Hi, I’m Alex! I am a current 2B AFM student, and I recently finished my first co-op at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in their audit group. I’ve always found career reflection quite intimidating; it is difficult imagining myself leaving the bubble of university. I enjoyed my term working for PwC, but I didn’t give myself any time to really think about why I liked audit and where I saw myself working post-grad. I believe second year is a tipping point where you’ve dabbled in a variety of courses and have one co-op under your belt, and now you’re faced with some big decisions about your upcoming courses.
I think Success Beyond the Classroom (SBC) is the perfect course for any student who can relate to the sentiment above. There were so many times during the semester where I was absolutely blown away by the expertise and the talent of the guest speakers that we hosted. Within the first few weeks, we welcomed speakers who had worked at Uber and CPA Canada, as well as founders of various startups. What I found incredible was the variety of career paths that came from having a degree in Accounting and Financial Management (AFM). Having an AFM degree reaches far beyond the possibilities of working as an accountant, and is a strong foundation to be built off of.
My biggest takeaway from the course was learning about the incredible opportunities that students have to explore different careers through SAF’s excellent co-op program. As a student, testing different roles and lines of business can lead to great learning opportunities, and the University of Waterloo connects you to a great network of professionals.
SAF alumni Upkar Arora, adjunct at SAF , and Nilofer Ahmed, senior director of business and consumer strategy at Motif FoodWorks did a wonderful job this term with the course planning and lectures. We covered topics like networking, improving soft skills, and self-discovery which ignited great conversations amongst the students. SBC is not a course meant for passive listening but should be used as an amazing opportunity to engage in discussions about the realities of being a student.
Even within our class of 30, I could see a wide range of interests and goals emerge, ranging from more entrepreneurial-minded students to students drawn to the innovative world of technology. The most impressive part about SBC was its ability to cater to all students while connecting them with seasoned professionals.
All in all, I would highly recommend taking this course so that you, as a SAF student, can better understand the scope of opportunities that lie before you.