Hi, adulthood.

Three years of degree life has come to an end last month. After receiving my results for the final semester, I have experienced a tremendous transition from student life to adulthood. Desperate job seeking, preparation for job interview, anxious wait for interview results, pre-employment medical checkup, received offer letter from company, got my first car, refreshed my driving skills to buying my very first insurance plan. All happened in a short span of time.

And now, I have started my career for two weeks. My first job is not in my plan, regardless the company or the department. COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted everyone's plan for year 2020. My ACCA sitting in June was cancelled, and my job offers were put on hold until further notice. I was confronting with a dilemma, unsure whether to continue waiting endlessly for reply from my ideal company, or proceed to look for a temporary job so I could cope with part time ACCA studies. Although we have witnessed gradual economic recovery following the announcement of RMCO, numerous corporations have decided to freeze hiring on top of cost containment strategies.

Words couldn't articulate my feelings when the HR congratulated me for successfully passing the final interview stage. Finally, I can become financially independent from my parents. I am grateful to land a job in one of the big 4 accounting firms at this tough job market condition. 

However, anxiety hit me badly before I start to feel excited about the idea of getting a new job. On the bright side, being an IT auditor has opened many doors for me and I believe kick-starting my career in one of the prestigious firms would go too far wrong. On the other hand, I had totally no idea where my life will be headed with this job, as compared to my original plan to become a tax accountant. 

Uncertainty is unsettling, especially when watching my friends landing in companies with higher salary and seem better job prospect. I couldn't refrain myself from questioning my decision to not applying for management trainee program and follow the traditional pathway to start my career at big 4 instead. For the very first time in my life, I questioned my choice to study ACCA. I even started to be skeptical about the return on investment of taking professional papers.

That was the point that I realized I had lost myself in the endless cycle of comparing myself with others. I have forgot the fact that pursuing accounting profession is my passion! When my mind was busy comparing myself with others, I have failed to recall that my passion to study accounting is the reason that drives me throughout the ups and downs in my university life.

But now, I am second-guessing my decision because my friends are getting higher pay than me. I couldn't believe that I feel like a failure as I reckon them more successful than me! I am frightened by the idea that monetary compensation has become the only benchmark in defining success. Besides, all of us have just started our career, it would be to soon to assume success. Life is a marathon, we got a long life ahead! In fact, running a marathon takes perseverance and dedication. Early bird will get the worms for sure, but late birds could have amazing skills in catching worm too. Who knows eventually which bird will hunt the highest number of worms?

Upon reflection, I have realized the importance of resilience, which refers to the ability to handle hardship in life. Life can always throw us unexpected challenges, and resilience is the key that allows us to handle them properly rather than fall apart. Once, I had a misconception that someone who is mentally strong would not be emotionally affected by any problems. In fact, they will feel sad, depressed, frustrated or anxious, just like everyone else. Beyond feeling so many emotions, they are able to pick up pieces and move forward. Instead of giving up easily, they take these failures as growing experiences and come out stronger than they were before.

It has become my expectation that working hard and being constantly busy will get me everything I want. However, there are times that we would not get what we want when we want, no matter how much effort we have put in. This is where resilience comes in. I have to pick up and move on. When things do not go your way, who knows something better might come along? We could choose to see the good in every occasion. 

Adulthood begins now. Despite the fact that I thought I am well-prepared for it, the transition from student to employee still caught me off guard. There is nothing that I can do other than accept and enjoy it. The small small wish I have for the rest of my life is, I am able to follow my passion and be happy everyday.

"Cross the bridge when one comes to it"

Call me pretty ATM, would you?

Why is everyone asking me for money since morning... Even my sister... (Dad no please no I'm an unemployed poor kid 

My brother can do anything if you buy him drinks 😂

Work-Life Balance - Is It Possible?

Once we step into the corporate world, it is inevitable that a significant portion of our days is spent at work. Our paid employment is crucial in ensuring that we are able to make our ends meet and are financially prepared to pursue our life goals. Ironically, it could be the other way round - we are overwhelmed by our workload, and ended up facing trouble to make time for ourselves, not to mention time to achieve our goal. 

Therefore, working adults are in search of a healthy balance between career and personal life. Work-life balance carries different meanings for different people, and their common ground is the ability to fulfill the demands of their career without deteriorating the other important aspects in their life, such as family-related and personal interest. A harmonious work-life balance is less about devoting an equal time between work and personal life, instead it is more about having control over our life. We wish to have the flexibility to accomplish tasks in our professional life, whilst having the time and energy to live our life to the fullest. 

A poor work-life balance could be resulted from toxic work culture, where the workers are expected to work themselves to death but not being financially compensated for their sacrifice. Technology advancement has enhanced our social connectedness, on the other hand increased the accessibility of workers around the clock, making work-life balance more impossible. The current global recession and layoffs looms have exacerbated the job insecurity, thus the workers are forced to constantly plug in. 

Besides, there is a trade off between work and personal time. The opportunity cost of enjoying personal quality time rather than working is higher than one climbing up the corporate ladder. Consequently, the employees are burned out, which in turn suffer low productivity, deteriorate their physical and mental health, jeopardize their social life and escalate the company's workforce turnover rate.

As the workplace trends are transforming due to millennials' demand for work-life balance, numerous organizations have emphasized the organizational culture in supporting the goal of work-life balance. They have adopted remote working policies and valued their employees' integration of work and private life. Remote working has also become a key method for the organizations to stay ahead of disruption and boost employees' morale. The ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease has accelerated the digital transformation of work, resulting in more companies embracing work from home arrangement. 

Sadly, remote working does not necessarily lead to an achievement of work-life balance. The boundaries between work and private life have been blurred, and the lack of performance visibility has resulted in an increase in either surveillance by superiors or expectation to boost productivity. The homebound employees are logging in longer working hours than in office. The never-ending workday compounds their stress. The underlying problem is, there is no legitimate excuse to escape from impromptu meetings or con-calls, with the expectation that people have no where to go and nothing to do except their job.

The hard truth is, work-life balance does not exist. There is just work, especially in the Asian countries which highly value the culture of long working hours. It would be awesome to achieve a balance but our lives do not exist in silos. Some suggest that workers should instead pursue work-life integration or harmony. They are advised to think about their work and the other aspects of life as a whole, rather than separating the compartments of their life. Balance tends to imply a strict trade-off, which is difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, there are counter arguments that work-life integration or harmony is merely an euphemism for working outside hours.

Attaining work-life balance is a never ending process, yet we should not stop fighting for it! If we are not the one who care about our well-being, who else will?  Hence, start treating yourself better today for working hard. It could be a small cup of coffee, a home-cooked delicious lunch, some good music, or a short break. Useful tips to achieve work-life balance are available at Forbes and The Guardian, provided by career experts. Do try the method that is suitable for you!

"Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life."