Well, for the most part.
At the age
of 22, I have finally left business school and therefore, the British
educational system altogether. Well, on a full time basis anyway. I will continue to be thankful
and appreciative of the opportunities such an educational system has and will
continue to provide, but to be honest, I am thankful it has come to an end.
Looking back
in perspective, I probably wouldn't have done anything differently and
therefore I can't look back with any regrets. However, I do look back with a
touch of disappointment. This disappointment stems from the feeling that I
haven't gained as much as I would have liked in regards to "relevant"
and "practical" knowledge that would have been useful out in the work
place. This, over time, has made me quite cynical of the "overly
academic" focus of the British university system in general. This overly
academic focus, I feel, has no clear or direct use for the ordinary graduate
out in the world of work. Furthermore, I found this academic focus to be
repetitive which often left me feeling unfulfilled when carrying out my
studies.
For these
reasons, I tried to fill up my time with extra-curricular activity. This often
included taking part and attending guest lectures, sports teams (namely
fencing) and various societies (among other things). This was with the intention of creating a sense
of fulfilment and a feeling that my time at university was worthwhile. However,
these things on their own are not enough, especially when paying over £3000
(€3500) and now £9000 a year to do so.
Now when I say "overly
academic", and maybe I should have said this earlier, I am referring to a
system where memorising dates, authors and theories are more important than
knowing the relevance and how to use such theories out in the work place. It is
this difference in style that I believe was my weakness during my time in the
business school. Not a lack of work, commitment or knowledge, but a difference
in style and culture and what I wanted out of my time at university. I carried
out my university work with the aim of getting the most out of what I
considered would be "useful" out in the work place. Maybe I should
have just yielded and gave the markers what they wanted, namely dates and
names. This would have probably resulted in my end grades being higher and me
getting a first in my undergraduate degree rather than a 2:1. However, if I did
this, I would have felt like I had copped out and I probably would have ended
up regretting it. But saying that, if I did end up getting a first, that
probably would have made me feel better.
Long before
I found out my final grade, I had come to accept that fact that I would
probably end up with a 2:1 thinking I would never get anywhere near a first. However, missing out on a first by the smallest of
margins (0.25%) did feel like putting a pinch of salt into a fresh wound.
However, knowing that I got that close while sticking to what I wanted to get
out of it, it makes me feel like I am getting close to finding that balance
that will likely help me in later life. In the short to medium term, it
may have helped my career prospects if I did get a first, but in the grander
scheme of things, if you are good at your job, there shouldn't be a difference
between getting a first and a 2:1. Well, I hope so anyway.
My
opinions, both consciously and subconsciously stems from me comparing my time at
a British business school with my time at a French business school. As a
result, I can't discuss this topic without mentioning the difference of the two
and my opinions on such differences. Now while the British system can be
described as being "overly academic", the French system is quite the
opposite where development of skills is considered just as important as the
development of academic knowledge. In countries such as Germany, this difference
is even more stark. This difference included the much wider use of practical
simulations to use the skills developed at university rather than
constant academic essay writing in which, in my view, has no real value to
students, especially in the longer term.
However, in order to try and create some balance, maybe I should consider some of the positive things that have come out of my time in the business school. Thanks to my degree, I can now more quickly become a fully accountant due to the exemptions it provides. Furthermore, it allowed me the opportunity to study for a year abroad in the south of France completely changing my perspective on life. These two things have made my time at university worthwhile and why I can't look back with any regret.
Now this
blog wasn't necessarily written to inform readers, but more for my own personal
reflection and to help me to better pan out and organise my thoughts. Nor was
it aimed at any particular institution or body and nor should it be taken as
such. This is why I have kept it quite general referring to the British
educational system in general while leaving out the finer details of my
thoughts. As stated, it was simply to help me organise and reflect on my
experiences and thoughts over the last few years.
I now look
forward to moving on to the next stages of my life, namely getting a job, becoming
qualified and potentially, well hopefully, living and working abroad.
Where? I don't know. At present I am leaning towards staying within Europe.
This is purely for professional reasons and dependent on which countries my
accounting qualification(s) will be recognised. This is in most countries with
the notable exception of the US. However, this will hopefully change in the
coming years, especially with the recent news on negotiations on a new free
trade and investment deal between the US and the EU. However, that will take
years of negotiations, maybe even decades. So at present, unless things change,
my plans are to keep within Europe or maybe somewhere like Canada or Australia. Part of me wants to work in a country
like Sweden or the Netherlands, purely for cultural reasons. Another part of me
would want to live in the Mediterranean, perhaps the south of France or Monaco. This is purely for the weather and the fact that Monaco is a grand place to set up a
career accounting and finance, but that's another story and as the saying goes, the world is my oyster.
Well, I hope
you enjoyed, like I said, this blog was more to help me to organise my thoughts
rather than to inform, but nonetheless. Until next time,
Thank you.
Jason Cates
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