Lately, I have been asked a lot about my career change. These are the people I have met for the first time, some I have known for a few hours. The very certain question is “After achieving a Chartered Accountancy degree, which is lot of hard work, why did you switch your stream?

I am so amused when these detailed queries come from professionals of this era. I understand that the change is drastic and it is difficult to digest for many. It was a very hard choice that I made for myself. I was prepared for these situations but to think about it, how many of us are pursuing a career on what we majored in. There are many engineering students who opt for a master’s course in administration; similarly there are many science students who are doing well in commerce. This does not mean that they have washed out those four years of engineering. There could be various different reasons for switching, one could be the interest, and the other could be the market scenario for jobs. This does not mean that they have forgotten their learning, the knowledge still remains.

In fact, I feel blessed to be getting an opportunity where I could change my field of work. This is in terms of the family support that I received while making my decision. It was a difficult decision but it was mine and I feel proud of it today. I feel great to be having a degree in accountancy and working for advertising. With the combination of both of this I am ready to start my own venture in near future.

To recap on how did it all start is very interesting. I read a quote from Steve Jobs which said, “I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself. If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been ‘no’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

This quote made me think and I needed that change. I knew what I did not want to do, but had to figure out what I actually did. With time I discovered my passion and knew for certain that I wanted to travel, step ahead knowing people, their culture, how each place had so much to offer. Travelling gave me a next level of energy and my passion. This is exactly how I feel after my travel each time. The love for travel still remains and is being pursued on every occasion I get. Soon, I will be on the roads and there my exciting story from accountancy to advertising to traveler will do its rounds. 

Shikha is a Chartered Accountant and Client Servicing Executive at JWT Thompson Nepal.