Exploring career options in banking, accounting & finance

School leavers and their parents learned about different jobs and the various career paths they could go on to take during a Career Talk organised by the New Straits Times and Afterschool.my. The third installment of a series of talks, the event zoomed in on Accountancy, Banking and Finance. School leavers were able to grill four guest speakers about their roles and the career paths they took.

Guest speakers sharing their stories and tips were Datuk Mohd Nasi Ahmad, president of Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA); Assoc. Prof Dr Shanthy Rachagan of Monash University School of Business; Mona Abu Bakar, head of resourcing at PwC Malaysia; and Prof. Dr Syed Omar Syed Agil of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak.

Concerned about students’ lack of interest in accounting, the MIA president observes that students find accounting ‘intimidating’ when in fact the course requires basic numeracy skills.

“There is no need to take additional maths for this course,” he said. “Having basic math skills is enough. To be an accountant you also need to have a analytical mind, the ability to think critically as well as the ability to communicate effectively.”

Here are more key pointers from last Saturday's career talk:

The New Straits Times Career Talks are free for students, parents and the public.

This Sunday, the career talk will zoom in on Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry. Seats are limited, so interested parties should register online now at www.afterschool.my/nstp, or call Ms Sharmini Bala at 012-3845670 to book your places.

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Written by Lyn Cacha