Jessie Du Preez

Accounting exposed Jessie to the language of business along with writing and communication skills she uses daily in her career in risk assurance.

I always loved accounting and business studies during high school. As business is something that shapes our everyday world, I also wanted to do something where I could hopefully one day be the voice for others and make a contribution. In those days I was also fascinated by what ‘businessmen’ did. That was something I noticed back then–there were more men than women in senior commercial roles. I wanted to do something to prove that women can also be successful in leadership positions.

I would also like to break the stereotype that accounting is boring. There is so much more to accounting and business studies than numbers. Sure, studying Accounting does require dedication and, like anything, it is not always fun, but it will pay off in the long run. Management accounting especially is never dry and, in your studies, you can combine it with other disciplines such as Psychology, Marketing, or Criminology to gain a wider perspective. Studying Accounting opens so many different doors for you in the business world and not all of these lead to accounting-specific roles.

It seems a simple thing, but professionalism is such an important concept in the workplace. By communicating with lecturers, PhD students, tutors, students, and potential employers it is as if I learned a new language. Accounting and business studies give you a platform to understand basic business language, to really read the numbers and understand how to apply them in the real world. Also, the tight deadlines and short study periods before exams prepared me really well for work routines. Often I am juggling multiple engagements (jobs) with deadlines that I need to prioritise for and meet.

That moment in my first year when I realised that I could actually express an opinion on something was amazing and I have come to love communication and presentation. Reading and writing are just as important as numeracy. I used to hate all the report-style exams I wrote, but now I find I write at least one report a day. Without all that writing practice during my studies, I would not have been prepared.

Update: Jessie is currently Senior Manager Risk Assurance at PricewaterhouseCoopers