ASK HR: Your parents should not make this choice for you

Q. I am a third year Bachelor of commerce student who is between a rock and a hard place because I am not good at accounts. I keep telling my parents that I would make a poor accountant, but they are adamant that I study it, arguing that the profession pays well  - is this true? I am good at finance, and that’s what I think I should specialise in. Please help me because I am very confused because I do not know what to pick.

I know your parents mean well, but it is unfortunate that they feel the need to make a decisions as important as this for you. There is no evidence that you will be paid well if you become an accountant.  Salaries are determined by many factors, including the industry, employer, scope of work, and your performance. In choosing a career, there are more critical considerations that need to be prioritised, the most important being skills and competency. If you are already struggling in accounts at under-graduate level, you will face similar challenges when you pursue professional certification to become an accountant. In addition, you are likely to find it difficult to effectively perform your duties once you get employed.

At this point therefore, it makes sense to specialise in finance, which is what you are good at. This means that you need to be honest with your parents about this. It is possible they are not sure what job opportunities exist for graduates with this specialisation, so reassure them there are great career opportunities to pursue. As a finance major, you can work in financial planning and analysis, commercial banking, investment banking, venture capital, corporate finance and risk assessment.

To enhance your competitiveness, you could pursue professional qualification as a Certified Financial Planning (CFP) expert.

It is important to pursue a career in an area that you are not only skilled in, but have drive and passion for. Should you choose to pursue a career you are not passionate about, you are likely to lose interest, become unhappy and underperform, all which are a good recipe for disengagement. My advice is that you pursue what you are good at to lay key foundation to a successful career.

Your parents are likely to support you once they realise you have great career opportunities ahead. Explain to them how you truly feel about accounts and the challenge you are likely to face if they force you to specialise in what you are not skilled in. I am sure that despite the generational gap, they will be understanding and supportive.