Student Experience

Hi, I’m Isabel, it’s nice to meet you! I’m a fourth-year student studying Biotechnology and Chartered Professional Accountancy. I value understanding the world around me and learning from people of different work/educational backgrounds, hence my choice in pursuing this program!

Isolated cubicles and endless hours of routine number crunching – that’s the impression many people have of what working in tax entails. Through the Young Tax Professionals program, I learned how the profession continues to evolve with emerging technology and changing laws. What became crystal clear to me was that the opportunities in tax are truly endless and are not one-size-fits-all.

Presenting research virtually, taking online classes, and staying connected to SAF faculty – a student’s account of the last few weeks in the PhD Accounting program.

"With a month left to go in the winter term of my first year in the PhD Accounting program, we were told to pack up our offices and prepare to not be back on campus for a while… little did I know that I was about to experience one of the most challenging yet reflective times of my life."

During my COVID-19 home quarantine I have had some time to reflect on my first year of university. Below are the three most important things that I learned:

In order to be ready to take on new challenges and opportunities I must develop myself as a professional. This means stepping out of my comfort zone, building and maintaining a strong support system and sharpening my technical and durable skills. Stepping out of my comfort zone began when I was deciding which university to attend.

It can be a daunting task to go up and talk to strangers. In the field of Accounting and Finance we are put in situations where we are constantly talking to employers and building our network. In my opinion I enjoy networking because I see it as an opportunity to meet friends and create relationships. My advice for networking is be to try and be unique and have a normal conversation.

_{In high school, I was always really attracted to computer science and finance, and I have always wanted the opportunity to develop my own programs, applications, and games. Hence why I decided to join the Computing and Financial Management (CFM) program at University of Waterloo. Since transitioning from high school to university, I have definitely learnt some valuable lessons:}