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| What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path? |
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In my Leaving Cert I did Maths, English, Accountancy, Business Organisation, Biology and Geography.
I was rubbish at languages, and repeated my Leaving - so there's hope for everyone! Of all the subjects I've got to say I've always had an interest in Business, so Business Organisation and Accountancy had a big impact on my career path.
When I went to college I found my course subjects were far more focussed and interesting. I did I.T. for five years in college. This did not involve any Accountancy courses, yet when I moved on to do my Masters I needed some Accountancy skills. Strangely, I still remembered the key concepts from the Leaving Cert and knew how to read a balance sheet. This is a skill I still use every day in my current placement.
I know people might not like to hear this, but I also think that Maths and English are key to any business role.
In many roles, Maths is very important so I'd advise people who are not so good at Maths to really focus on it - it's definitely a big plus point for anyone. As for English - well, it's a bit of an obvious one really!
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| What is your education to date? |
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I did my Leaving Cert in CBS Synge Street.
As I didn't get the points I wanted, and wasn't really sure about college, I repeated in Rathmines Senior College. Rathmines was a great experience, I really enjoyed the learning focussed environment - and the social life!
I then attended the National College of Ireland where I did a National Certificate in Computing and a BSc (HONS) in Software Systems. This ended up taking five years - two years for the Cert, followed by three years for the degree. I think I was very lucky to do this course as it contained a number of business modules, which made it easier to move into a business area.
Finally, I completed a MSc in Strategic Management in D.I.T. This was my favourite year in college. It was really intense and difficult for me as I came from an I.T. course. But I must say the lecturers were excellent and my classmates were a joy to be around (I'm still in contact with most of the class now). I also found the subjects really interesting, which for me is very important.
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| What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job? |
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Well, my current role involves reviewing the audited returns of companies, so Accounting (Leaving Certificate) and Corporate Financial Strategy (MSc in Strategic Management) have been really beneficial.
In my last placement I worked in a Change Unit, so Project Management (MSc in Strategic Management) was hugely influential. I even took my Project Management book to work! In all my placements I've used VBA Macro's to automate some features in Excel, so Software Development (BSc in Software Systems) has also had a big impact.
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| Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job? |
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There is ongoing training and development within the Graduate Programme. So far I've completed a number of one, two and three day courses. These were in Report Writing, Career Development and Project Management respectively.
In the New Year I plan to do some professional qualifications at night. Possibly CIMA or Project Management.
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