The Memoirs: The Reflections On The 1st Semester of 2nd Year In UCT

I just love reflections, though I don't usually do them. They give me a chance to realize how far I've come and how far I also need to go. Things get boring when we just continually do them, without pausing and giving ourselves a chance to ask why we are doing and where do we want to up. It's only through my reflections that I learn about my mistakes and shortcomings, and they help me to find a way I can improve going forward. I'm gonna be trying to assess myself after the semester that I had just recently had. I believe tests and exams are not necessarily a true  representation of how a semester has been. I believe there's more to student life than just books, it's all about the holistic development of person.

Change Of Curriculum 
I was initially registered for Bcom Accounting With Law but I only had to start doing some Law courses in my second year. I was so happy that I was doing something so unique and that I would hopefully enjoy. It helped to work really hard in my first year, as there were some minimum requirements I had to meet if I were to pursue my studies of Law. I'm glad I worked hard enough to meet the criteria.

After receiving my final first year results, I had to think about what I really wanted to do with my life. UCT believes that one cannot make a final decision about what they wanna do in matric, so Bcom degree is structured in a way that one keeps their options open throughout their first year of study. This means that I could still choose to specialize in anything within the Bcom programme. One thing I learnt as I was thinking about what route to take was that I really don't know what I wanna do with my life. I wish I had something like a calling, something I can't get enough of, something that will make my life worth living and  that would make me feel fulfilled at the end of each and every day.

Bcom Accounting;CA Stream  was the safest thing I could do. I've always been good in Accounting, I almost got full marks in my matric exams. People get surprised when I tell them that I'm studying Accounting but I do not want to be a Chartered Accountant. The only motive that most people have for becoming accountants is that it pays well. I don't wanna be a paid slave, I wasn't brought up in an environment that values money more than anything. Now I'm studying Accounting:CA stream and all that I'm looking forward to is to get my Accounting Honours at the end of my fourth year. I don't believe that life has to stop because I don't know what I want, no. I believe that things have their own ways of working themselves out. What's important now is for me to get a Bcom. something to fall back on.

I'm glad that I'm not signed, which means that I'm not obliged to do my articles with an accounting firm immediately after my Honours. I'm loving the flexibility that this gives me, I can't get into commitment when I don't even know what I want. With more exposure and maturity, I believe I will choose to do something that will work out the best for me. For now, I can't know what's best for me. Things change, what's looks good today may not necessarily be good in the near future.

It's not like I'm hopeless though when it comes to what I want, I'm seeing some light gradually. I'm an Accounting tutor at my residence hall, and I'm loving teaching it to the freshers. The feedback from those I have tutored is quite impressive. I think I can do teaching, obviously not high school teaching. UCT Commerce has this Academic Trainee programme that offers the Accounting Honours graduates a chance to do their first year of articles with them, while they are teaching undergraduate students. It's a wonderful opportunity that I would like to have. It would give me a chance to see and compare the real corporate world with the academic world, allowing me to choose where I think I will fit in best. Surely I will have to get very good grades to be considered for the programme. It's a goal that I will be working towards in my UCT career and I hope eventually everything will work out for me.

I believe we all deserve to be given a chance to do what we love and make a contribution where we feel it will be more appreciated. Although I'm in the dark now, I believe there's so much to look forward to in my life. May the good Lord allow me to fulfill the mission for which He sent into this world