You need to be curious, diligent and have a growth mindset if you want to be a successful accountancy student in today’s world, according to ICAEW’s Chief Learning Officer, Dana Day.
In a recent interview she also revealed her top three pieces of career advice. At number one was save for your pension. This, she said, was serious advice and she doesn’t want students to ignore it.
Day said: “The best advice I was ever given, aged 23 and in my first real job, was to pay into your pension and max out my pension contributions.”
At two was be kind. She said: “Kindness and empathy don’t cost you anything to give out. And the more you give out, the more you get in return. Build your network thoughtfully, be trustworthy, and have integrity, because your network is going to be your greatest asset as you grow older.”
Finally, she said you have to say ‘yes’ to more things and maybe take a risk. Day stressed: “Just take a shot and trust yourself; you’ll figure it out. If you make a mistake, own it, apologise if needed, get back up and keep going.”
