accountforthatstuff

[accountforthatstuff]

Communication Challenges

There are four basic types of communication: verbal, non-verbal, written and visual, and within these basic types of communication there can be many different challenges and barriers. The use of jargon, disinterest, distraction, differing points of view, hearing, or speech disabilities and even language and culture. I would say that my communications skills are pretty good but there’s always room for improvement. One of my biggest barriers is distractions, I get distracted very easily and can lose focus and even lose interest quickly if the information being conveyed isn’t very interesting or relevant. Trying to stay focused on what people are saying by looking them in the eyes and concentrating on one thing at a time could really help anyone with this problem, putting the phone, computer or what ever back ground noise aside and just listen. I could practice reflecting instead of deflecting, paraphrasing what the communicator is saying instead of deflecting their conversation (Indeed, 2020). Another way to stay engaged in the conversation is to ask questions and get involved in what they are saying, this will ensure I am present in the conversation. 

When I worked at Metro Inc. in the deli I would sometimes need to be in charge when the boss was off or would leave for the day. The boss would communicate to me verbally all the things that needed to be done for the day and because there were customers shopping, other workers walking around and machines going off, a lot of background noise, I would forget things or have a very hard time paying attention to what she was saying and I would continuously be asking her to repeat herself. As I started to realize how much this was happening and effecting our communication and my work. I knew needed to come up with a solution, so we would walk into the back room where it was quieter and have a one on one conversation and I would be able to focus on just what she was saying along with making eye contact and to ensure that I didn’t miss anything I would write a note of things that needed to be done. Written communication should be used when making a more formal or record type or communication, where spoken should be use when it is less formal and more interpersonal, more of an exchange of ideas. Spoken communication can get your message across and receive a response quicker but also may have more miscommunications, while written communication, will make your message will last longer and have proof of instructions or documents and have far less miscommunications (Surbhi, 2018).  

Indeed Career Guide. (2020, November 23). Retrieved from Indeed Guide: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/overcome-listening-barriers

S, S. (2018, July 26). Difference Between Oral Communication and Written Communication. Retrieved from Key Differences : https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-oral-communication-and-written-communication.html

Communication Barriers. (n.d.). Retrieved from Phicare: http://phicare.com/competencies/communicationbarriers.php

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Career Aspirations

The idea of taking this Accounting Business course through Durham College came very quickly, I didn’t have much time to think about where I was going to end up, I just knew that it would give me lots of opportunities for a great career at the end. I did do a small amount of research to make sure that there would be a demand for this field in the future and the course would only take me four semester to complete, because lets face it at my age I don’t want to be in school for years and I don’t want to choose a job that will become obsolete in the next few years either to put me right back where I started. Now would be a good time to start thinking about where I want to end up in my career path so I can figure out where I need to start. I guess I’ve already taken the first step, I enrolled in college and I am now in my third of four semesters. So where do I want to end up??? Well there are so many options in the financial field, which is great, it’s one of the reasons I chose this path, also I’ve always had a passion for number and organization.

I would like to eventually obtain my CPA, but for me I feel like that is very far down the road more of a five to ten-year goal (CPA, n.d). When I finish school, I would like to get a job where I can learn an abundance of information in the finance field such as filing taxes. I hear from a lot of people who have been in this field that this is a great place to start. After I acquire all the knowledge I can, I would like to move on and get a job as a bookkeeper or accounting assistant where I can learn more about bookkeeping as well as journalizing, and really put my knowledge and schooling to good use. I’m hoping that it only takes me three years to get to this point, that’s my goal. After this I would like to have a salary of $40,000-$50,000 per year. After I have absorbed all the information and knowledge that I can being a bookkeeper or accounting assistant, I would like to become a junior accountant or a junior analysist and get all the hours I need to got back to school and obtain my CPA. At this point I would like to start taking classes two or three at a time online, because I like the freedom it gives me, and the convenience. After I obtain my CPA I really hope to work for a small private company being the CFO, with flexible work/life balance (with the new way of life due to the pandemic, working from home has become the normal anyway). I would like to be working fulltime and have a base salary between $80,000 and $90,000 a year (Ziprecruiter, n.d). The end goal for me would be to own my own business, whether that’s an accounting firm helping other people or business or a business I create from the ground up and be the creator, manager, and accountant.

BECOME A CPA. (n.d.). Retrieved from CPA Onatrio: https://www.cpaontario.ca/become-a-cpa

CPA Salary in Ontario, CA. (2021, January 18). Retrieved from Ziprecruiter: https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/CPA-Salary-in-Ontario,CA#:~:text=While%20ZipRecruiter%20is%20seeing%20salaries,making%20%2496%2C256%20annually%20in%20Ontario.

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Social Media Influence

Social media is becoming more and more relevant in our everyday lives, its so easy to pick up our smart phones, laptops or Ipads, click a button and become instantly connected to a social media platform. Facebook, Twitter, Linkdin, Instagram, Youtube and snapchat are a few of the popular social media sites that are commonly used daily by anyone for the age of 11 to 80. As stated by Katie Brigham from CNBC, kids get their first smart phone at the age of 10 and start using their first social media platform by the age of 11 (Brigham, 2018). I personally have a very small social media presence because I’ve learned from personal experiences not to put to much personal information out there. Although I do have Facebook, Instagram, snapchat and Linkedin, I limit what information and pictures I choose to share with the world. A very close friend of mine had their Facebook account hacked and what felt like her identity stolen. She lost all of her pictures and her memories that she thought were secure on her social media account in which you can only get onto with a special password that she created. This isn’t the first time it has happened; it actually happens way more often then people think. According to McAfee, an antivirus software program, 22% of people report that their online accounts have been hacked and 14% of people say that it has happened more then once (McAfee, 2020). As I have started writing this blog my mom’s Facebook account has been hacked and that is the only form of communication that we have becasue she lives in a nursing home and does not own a phone but does have an Ipad. It really makes you think about how much information you have out there and how accessible it is to anyone on the world.

I am an avid Youtube user but mainly for watching videos, I have never personally posted a video or vlog. I have also never posted anything professional anywhere because I’ve never had a career or job that I was truly proud of, which is why I decided to go to Durham College and get a diploma in Business Accounting. I use Facebook almost daily, it’s a great way to stay in touch with friends and family. Most of my family members live out on the east coast and in recent time with Covid-19 it has made it pretty much impossible to see friends and family, Facebook helps me feel like I’m still a part of their lives. I have an Instagram account as well, but I rarely ever have anything exciting enough to post, so there’s only a few pictures on there and I don’t follow a lot of people. I also have a Linkedin account but that one is new to me and I haven’t quite figured out how to use it to its full potential yet. It would probably be a good idea to start putting my name out there and presenting my brand for when I do finish school and start looking for a job. Updating all my social media accounts and having accurate information along with appropriate content would be the first step, along with identifying where I would like to end up in my career path. Joining groups that relate to the field I wish to be in could really help get my name out there (Digital marketing institute, 2017). In my opinion all social media platforms will have an influence on your job hunt but if I had to choose one, I would have to say Facebook would have the most influence. Facebook is the most popular social media platform and it’s also the most versatile, this is where you have most of your personal information and its very easy for an employer to search for you. Social media platforms can help your career or job hunt if you make sure that your accounts have appropriate content and updated information, while the opposite could destroy your opportunities at getting a good job or even your dream job, so it’s a good idea to make sure you do an solid evaluation of your social media platforms but even more important make sure that you have an impenetrable password.

Brigham, K. (2018, December 22). CNBC. Retrieved from Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok have a massive underage user problem — here’s why it matters: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/21/what-age-is-appropriate-to-sign-up-for-social-media.html#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20report%20by,many%20lie%20about%20their%20age.

10 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media. (2017, November 9). Retrieved from Digital Marketing Institue: https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/10-steps-to-building-your-personal-brand-on-social-media

McAfee. (2020, July 22). What to Do When Your Social Media Account Gets Hacked. Retrieved from McAfee: https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/consumer/consumer-threat-notices/social-media-accounthacked/#:~:text=A%20recent%20survey%20revealed%20that,were%20hacked%20more%20than%20once.