Finally, after hours of nervous tension, the news came in that I passed my exam. It was odd - normally, people skip out of work early in order to be at home (or, more importantly, not at work) when the news comes. This time around, I was pressured into being "hardcore" and staying to hear the news with my colleagues.
Normally, the result comes in the form of a SMS text message sent directly to one's phone. It also comes by email, and later by mail. On this occasion, for some reason the text didn't come through until 40 minutes late, so I actually heard the news from people in the next room who had got the (publicly available) pass list up on the internet when it was published! The sense of relief was awesome though.
So now I'm professionally part-qualified (I get a certificate and everything!) and have to write three more exams only to become fully Chartered. Plus I can now concentrate on getting to where I want to go jobwise. So it's all good!
Friday, January 27, 2006
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Nerves!
I get my latest exam result Friday, and I'm none too confident.
There's no reason why I shouldn't have passed. Except I spent at least 15 minutes of the (3 hour) exam unable to get Kelly Clarkson out of my head, and therefore writing nothing. Another half hour was spent wondering about my friend who was also sitting an exam in another city. Turns out she was crying during that time, and I wasn't being much more productive. Plus 31% of the paper was a question about exactly my own situation - a large company shutting a division, and how to keep staff motivated. Um, try not telling them right before their exams!
So I'm pretty scared. Worst case scenario, I don't have a job Monday. Hopefully it won't come to that, but it's still holding up my plans as I don't want to push anything until I know whether I've passed. I'll look like quite a fool if I start demanding answers now, only to be begging to keep my job on Monday!
Well I'll keep y'all posted on that one. Currently, on the recommendation of Josh Homme, I'm listening to a whole lot of Johnny Cash, which I actually really like. Plus I got a Human League album today for £3.99 - Morrison's is the place to go - and I have Therapy and Further Seems Forever going on too. So it's all good.
There's no reason why I shouldn't have passed. Except I spent at least 15 minutes of the (3 hour) exam unable to get Kelly Clarkson out of my head, and therefore writing nothing. Another half hour was spent wondering about my friend who was also sitting an exam in another city. Turns out she was crying during that time, and I wasn't being much more productive. Plus 31% of the paper was a question about exactly my own situation - a large company shutting a division, and how to keep staff motivated. Um, try not telling them right before their exams!
So I'm pretty scared. Worst case scenario, I don't have a job Monday. Hopefully it won't come to that, but it's still holding up my plans as I don't want to push anything until I know whether I've passed. I'll look like quite a fool if I start demanding answers now, only to be begging to keep my job on Monday!
Well I'll keep y'all posted on that one. Currently, on the recommendation of Josh Homme, I'm listening to a whole lot of Johnny Cash, which I actually really like. Plus I got a Human League album today for £3.99 - Morrison's is the place to go - and I have Therapy and Further Seems Forever going on too. So it's all good.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Back to work
The dreaded day came - returning to work. Today was possibly one of the darkest ever - it didn't even get light enough to turn off the car headlights. By the end of it I was so depressed I didn't know what to do with myself, other than write on here, drink a beer and go to sleep.
The day held some good news, though. I'm not sure what took me so long, but I realised last night that there is an ideal path to moving to the US, courtesy of Sen. Sarbanes and Rep. Oxley. Their legislation (cunningly named the Sarbanes-Oxley Act), signed into law in 2002 by President Bush, was brought in to sort out the accounting world after the Enron and Worldcom scandals. As luck would have it, the law is so strict that it applies to overseas companies which are owned by US firms, and to UK firms which operate in the US.
The result of all this is that, incredibly, it is possible that I can specialise in work that involves US companies, US laws and US standards - without leaving Britain! I have asked my firm to consider transferring me to the group that deals with this - so fingers crossed they'll allow it. I think at the very least I'll be able to do that sort of work some of the time, but it would be awesome to be able to specialise completely. Then, when I qualify fully in a year's time, I'll be able to transfer to a US-based partner firm through our international network.
I'm not getting too far ahead of myself, because it could all go horribly wrong, but I think it's a pretty good plan...
The day held some good news, though. I'm not sure what took me so long, but I realised last night that there is an ideal path to moving to the US, courtesy of Sen. Sarbanes and Rep. Oxley. Their legislation (cunningly named the Sarbanes-Oxley Act), signed into law in 2002 by President Bush, was brought in to sort out the accounting world after the Enron and Worldcom scandals. As luck would have it, the law is so strict that it applies to overseas companies which are owned by US firms, and to UK firms which operate in the US.
The result of all this is that, incredibly, it is possible that I can specialise in work that involves US companies, US laws and US standards - without leaving Britain! I have asked my firm to consider transferring me to the group that deals with this - so fingers crossed they'll allow it. I think at the very least I'll be able to do that sort of work some of the time, but it would be awesome to be able to specialise completely. Then, when I qualify fully in a year's time, I'll be able to transfer to a US-based partner firm through our international network.
I'm not getting too far ahead of myself, because it could all go horribly wrong, but I think it's a pretty good plan...
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Porn free
I've decided recently that, despite the ever-increasing availability of pornography, it is fundamentally wrong. It's a fact that most men, whether they admit it or not, use or have used pornography in the past. But not me any longer.
Now I'm not some sort of religious zealot, although I am a practising Catholic. My view is based on the fact that, in my opinion, pornography demeans and exploits both the women who star in it and the men who use it. It also promotes an unrealistic view of female sexuality.
Yes, I'm aware that the girls who star in it are often paid huge amounts of money for their "services". But what price human dignity? And how many of those women are pressured to do things they don't want to, with money and the threat of violence as incentives?
So there we go. Everyone that I've mentioned this to so far has disagreed with me - and the biggest argument I had so far was on Friday night with my two (female) friends. So please tell me what you think - it would be good to get a proper discussion going on here for once!
Now I'm not some sort of religious zealot, although I am a practising Catholic. My view is based on the fact that, in my opinion, pornography demeans and exploits both the women who star in it and the men who use it. It also promotes an unrealistic view of female sexuality.
Yes, I'm aware that the girls who star in it are often paid huge amounts of money for their "services". But what price human dignity? And how many of those women are pressured to do things they don't want to, with money and the threat of violence as incentives?
So there we go. Everyone that I've mentioned this to so far has disagreed with me - and the biggest argument I had so far was on Friday night with my two (female) friends. So please tell me what you think - it would be good to get a proper discussion going on here for once!
Friday, January 06, 2006
Change is good (I think)
Since my last post, which was quite some time ago now, everything has changed.
Firstly, my firm have, in their wisdom, decided to close the Yeovil office where I work. All clients will transfer to the Bristol office and most staff have been offered the possibility of transfer too. It's all come as a terrible shock to most people, mainly because most don't want to move to Bristol or drive every day (almost two hours each way). We had a really warm sense of community in the office; everyone got on and pulled together - it was almost like a family. Naturally that is falling apart now as people pursue different courses of action, and to some extent people go head to head over the available jobs with other firms in the area.
If you read my previous post, you could be forgiven for thinking that my mind must surely now be made up, and that I will be going to Bristol. To an extent you would be right (although there are significant issues which will need discussing). Incidentally, the way is open to transfer to any other office in the country - the firm have offices in all major cities in the UK.
However, in an odd way this has all become somewhat irrelevant now. Following my trip to Florida for Andrew's wedding, I have come to a much more radical conclusion - I am moving to Orlando! I have never been as sure of anything - when I consider the other alternatives it is the only one that actually appeals. Sure, I have nothing against Bristol or London or Manchester or Edinburgh, but I just feel that the United States (and specifically Florida) is the place for me right now. After all, I have no committments in the UK - no girlfriend or kids, and let's face it my success with English girls has been, shall we say, limited. My job has to change anyway, and I don't own property. The only thing I will miss is my close family, who I still live with; however, they probably won't mind coming to visit once in a while!
What has ultimately done it for me, aside from the weather and standard of living, is the people. Almost without exception, everyone I have met on my visits to the US has been friendly, generous, kind and most importantly understanding and talkative. I find that people in the UK are often closed-minded, and although the qualities just mentioned do exist here, on the whole I find people here can't be bothered to try and understand me or listen to what I have to say. Apart from a small number of close friends, most of my interpersonal relations are quite one way, possibly because I do make an effort to listen and understand, but more probably because others don't.
Of course, I realise the following: I only got back yesterday; I went there on vacation and for a wedding; I haven't thought absolutely everything through; I might not be offered a job; the people I met might not be representative etc. etc. I will, of course, have to think about things a lot more, take another trip, and there is a lot to be done in terms of sorting out a secondment and planning the change. My parents don't seem as upset as I thought they would be, but perhaps they think I'll change my mind as time goes on. In fact, every day since Andrew suggested it, I become more certain that it's exactly what I want to do.
More on this story later. Any comments will be most appreciated!
Firstly, my firm have, in their wisdom, decided to close the Yeovil office where I work. All clients will transfer to the Bristol office and most staff have been offered the possibility of transfer too. It's all come as a terrible shock to most people, mainly because most don't want to move to Bristol or drive every day (almost two hours each way). We had a really warm sense of community in the office; everyone got on and pulled together - it was almost like a family. Naturally that is falling apart now as people pursue different courses of action, and to some extent people go head to head over the available jobs with other firms in the area.
If you read my previous post, you could be forgiven for thinking that my mind must surely now be made up, and that I will be going to Bristol. To an extent you would be right (although there are significant issues which will need discussing). Incidentally, the way is open to transfer to any other office in the country - the firm have offices in all major cities in the UK.
However, in an odd way this has all become somewhat irrelevant now. Following my trip to Florida for Andrew's wedding, I have come to a much more radical conclusion - I am moving to Orlando! I have never been as sure of anything - when I consider the other alternatives it is the only one that actually appeals. Sure, I have nothing against Bristol or London or Manchester or Edinburgh, but I just feel that the United States (and specifically Florida) is the place for me right now. After all, I have no committments in the UK - no girlfriend or kids, and let's face it my success with English girls has been, shall we say, limited. My job has to change anyway, and I don't own property. The only thing I will miss is my close family, who I still live with; however, they probably won't mind coming to visit once in a while!
What has ultimately done it for me, aside from the weather and standard of living, is the people. Almost without exception, everyone I have met on my visits to the US has been friendly, generous, kind and most importantly understanding and talkative. I find that people in the UK are often closed-minded, and although the qualities just mentioned do exist here, on the whole I find people here can't be bothered to try and understand me or listen to what I have to say. Apart from a small number of close friends, most of my interpersonal relations are quite one way, possibly because I do make an effort to listen and understand, but more probably because others don't.
Of course, I realise the following: I only got back yesterday; I went there on vacation and for a wedding; I haven't thought absolutely everything through; I might not be offered a job; the people I met might not be representative etc. etc. I will, of course, have to think about things a lot more, take another trip, and there is a lot to be done in terms of sorting out a secondment and planning the change. My parents don't seem as upset as I thought they would be, but perhaps they think I'll change my mind as time goes on. In fact, every day since Andrew suggested it, I become more certain that it's exactly what I want to do.
More on this story later. Any comments will be most appreciated!
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