SoAReach

“Welcome to the real world!” That was Assoc Prof Leong Kwong Sin's opening line during our first Management Accounting lesson at SMU.

University was our first foray into the “real” world, with glimpses of the corporate life through internships, speakers and case studies complete with opportunities and risks. SMU was relentless in putting us through the mill to prepare for working life. We slogged and ground through projects, we laughed and cried through play. Yet, no matter how much training SMU put us through, it was the moment we graduated and started our first job that we could truly say: “welcome to the real world”.

In its own unique way, SMU was a simulation for life in the “real” world. There were projects in school; there are now projects at work. There were deadlines for cases; there are now client deadlines to meet. The Professors knew, we had to learn now or regret it forever. Nevertheless, under the University shelter, we could try and try again. At work, with the stakes increased, there is less room for error.

Work can be extremely enriching but also extremely challenging. After a year in the workforce, many of us have realised that the biggest challenge is not how to manage our work per se (SoA 's grilling programme taught us lots!). It is how to be a good person and how to manage people, which will really make the difference.

Alumni shared some bad experiences (as well as lessons learnt):

“(I wish I did not) Send an email to someone on the carbon copy (cc) list mistakenly. The unintended recipient should not be on the cc list as she was mentioned in the contents. Lesson learnt: Check, check and check your email before sending!” – Alumni, Class of 2004

“(I wish I did not) Call a Japanese colleague by his first name." Lesson learnt: Always address Japanese colleagues/acquaintances by their last name and always add “-san” behind every last name!”– Alumni, Class of 2005

These may seem like small things, but it is often the small things that determine the inter-personal relationships between colleagues, clients and friends. Emotional Quotient (“EQ”) is as important (or even more so) than Intelligence Quotient (“IQ”) in the workplace. Hence, it is extremely important to stay humble, teachable and sensitive to your environment. If so, you will find working life much more enjoyable and make more friends.

Juniors, learn from our mistakes and try not to trod down the same path.

Special thanks to Sarah Seow for compiling the alumni responses and our anonymous alumni contributors for sharing their experiences and conceptualising the theme.