If you’re anything like me, a young professional working in a globally-recognised field, you’ve probably thought about uprooting your life and moving to a new country. With travel and broadening cultural horizons front of mind, moving overseas with work is a tantalising option. But there’s something that often keeps us from taking that leap of faith: fear. We fear failure. We … [Read more...] about How to move overseas and not hate your life
Searching for greener grass?
Note: This post was originally posted by the author on his personal blog last year. It is reposted here with his permission because we think it’s super relevant to all of you Trench Lifers! Over the last few years, I’ve found myself cautioning those who have left our office in search of something better. “Be careful,” I catch myself telling those who’ve voiced their … [Read more...] about Searching for greener grass?
Quote on letting things happen
“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”― Leonardo da Vinci I must admit, I only happened upon (see what I did there?) this quote very recently but it really struck me as something so valid. We tend to invest so much energy in complaining about the system. … [Read more...] about Quote on letting things happen
How to get the performance reviews you deserve
If you’ve spent any time in a professional services firm, you’ll know that it’s a high-performance culture. You’ll also know that the trouble with that is everybody’s definition of “high performance” is different. Whether you’re a young attorney, auditor, consultant, or anything in between, you’ll be all too familiar with having regular performance reviews. Sometimes these … [Read more...] about How to get the performance reviews you deserve
The trick to telling someone they’re wrong
If you're working in any sort of professional services environment, chances are that you have to review other people's work. For those of us working as auditors, this is especially true; we are constantly looking at work done by our clients. More often than it should be, the work is wrong in some way. This means the chances are that you've had to tell someone they're wrong. … [Read more...] about The trick to telling someone they’re wrong
Anxiety and insecurity: The dark side of professional firms (A true story)
Insecurity and anxiety: these are two states of mind which everybody suffers to some degree. The unfortunate reality is that, within some of us, these feelings are amplified significantly. Sometimes, the feeling of anxiety can be crippling. You see, professional services firms - especially big 4 audit, or major law firms - are geared towards high performers; those high … [Read more...] about Anxiety and insecurity: The dark side of professional firms (A true story)
Quote: Dealing with failure
Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.- Winston Churchill This well-known Churchill quote has been something that will resonate with anybody who has failed recently. Whether you failed an exam or failed at a specific task, what you need to know is that everybody fails at something in their lifetimes; most of us fail many times! … [Read more...] about Quote: Dealing with failure
Are you indispensable?
If there was ever a time to ask yourself this question, it’s now. I write this post as the status quo in the world is being severely disrupted by COVID-19 and the response of many of the world’s nations to limit its impact. I write this at a time where the complacency of many is going be their downfall. The thing with complacency is that most of us don’t realise that we’re … [Read more...] about Are you indispensable?
How COVID-19 is answering Millenials’ prayers
Coronavirus has had serious consequences across the globe, with the stock markets collapsing along with everyone's common sense. Yes, it's a pretty shitty situation (especially for those who didn't stockpile toilet paper) but the panic-propelled pandemic presents a silver lining for Millenials and young professionals worldwide. For what feels like ages, we've been crying … [Read more...] about How COVID-19 is answering Millenials’ prayers
Short-term secondment: 5 reasons why you should go
A crazy number of people pass up the opportunity each year to go on secondments to other countries, especially those of the shorter-term variety. This is something that has me perplexed, so I figured I'd share my own experiences and reasons and let you make up your own mind. If you work at a bigger audit firm that allows you the opportunity to travel for work I would encourage … [Read more...] about Short-term secondment: 5 reasons why you should go