My Life Has Got To Be…

“My life, my life has got to be like this. It’s got to keep going up.”

Jay Gatsby from 2013 film, The Great Gatsby

This month marks my 1st anniversary with Deloitte. It seems like it was just yesterday when I ensconced quietly in my hotel room in LA, one night before my very first day, doubting my decision to leave Reno. Engrossed in rapidly precipitating fear that I may have made one of the biggest mistakes in my recent memory, I had to reach out to a friend–who had been and still is an unwavering and unyielding presence in my life–to make sure that I didn’t “flip a bitch” at the first sign of trouble (I think I owe her a thanks).

Now, here I am, proactively pursuing a business career, as well as one could, wondering (perhaps prematurely) what lies at the end of the journey, and if all the sacrifices I made in order to reach my destination were worth it. Because for driven people like myself and many of my friends, our lives can easily become an endless race to the top, wanting better and bigger things each and every time we reach what we previously perceived as the apex.

Jay Gatsby is a perfect example (Spoiler alert! If you haven’t watched the movie or read the novel yet, please proceed at your own risk :D). He had it all–the fortune, the house, the fame and popularity, and most importantly, the girl (Daisy). Yet that wasn’t quite enough. Everything had to be perfect, and Gatsby saw imperfection in the reality that Daisy may have loved someone other than him–even if she no longer did. In his desperate and overly optimistic pursuit of perfection, and perhaps undeniably naive trust in the good of humanity, Gatsby brought about his demise. Daisy abandoned him, and Nick, who turned out to be Gatsby’s most trusted companion during his last days, turned his back on the cruel world which showed him nothing but disgusting and repulsive apathy beneath all the glitter. Thus, we are left to ponder–when do we say, “okay, I’ve gone far and high enough,” and avoid Gatsby’s fate?

For me, this is where it becomes convenient to believe in a higher being, a.k.a. God. I believe hard work and due diligence are essential components of success, and that is the attitude with which I approach my life and career. But if at the end of the road I do not get what I want, I just let out a brief “bitch session”  (it entails countless expletives), and move on with my life. If it was meant to be, I would’ve had it. I wanted what God didn’t want for me, and while I probably could have continued to pursue whatever I couldn’t achieve and prove God wrong, it may have come at a tremendous or possibly fatal cost (Gatsby died believing that it was Daisy on the other line, and therefore achieving what he wanted at the cost of his life).

Personally, I think I pursued things and people in my life passionately enough to convince myself that those I currently don’t have ultimately do not want me in return–and I can live with that. Because in the end, things and people who do not want me will not and have not made me happy. With one year of public accounting under my belt, I’m convinced that I’ve neither wanted things and people obsessively nor pursued them at all cost, i.e. I haven’t faced Gatsby’s fate just yet :D. And while such behavior is not an absolute indication of what’s to come, perhaps I could, or even my readers could, benefit from my past year, which could serve as an important reminder–perfection or obsessive pursuit of perfection rarely brings happiness.

Going Concern

There’s a concept in accounting called Going Concern. It’s more of an assumption, really. Accountants, charged with the duty and privilege to translate the world’s businesses’s operations in a manner that an average person equipped with basic set of accounting knowledge can understand and rely upon, assume that the businesses they are “translating” will exist for the foreseeable future. On the surface, it seems like quite an obvious assumption. Why would you assume otherwise? It’s important to realize, of course, that an obvious concept isn’t always unimportant.

Everything on the financial statements that accountants produce (and audit) requires this assumption that these businesses will continue on. Otherwise, everything on the financial statements will lose any and all meaning. What’s the point of spending minutes (for some of us) and hours (the rest of us) on studying the financial statements of a company we can’t readily assume to be existing by the time we could do anything meaningful with the information we extracted from those minutes and hours?

My most recent attempt to apply the Going Concern assumption in my life, which appeared to be fairly applicable at the time, crashed and burned–badly. It should make sense, I initially thought. I live today believing that I will live to see another day–going concern. In my entire life, I haven’t lived a day thinking that my heart will come to a screeching halt tomorrow morning–ah, the miserable source of my incessant penchance for procrastination, I chuckled. My stark realization of how I never thought too much about how I always lived today for tomorrow sparked an important revelation about my past–for a period of time, I convinced myself that I could live today for a tomorrow which would never materialize. For a period of time, I convinced myself that I was happy knowing that my patience and my struggles could potentially be for naught.

It was like rubbing sand paper against another sand paper–the application of Going Concern to my own personal life was met with frustrating and knarly (yet so obvious!) resistance. So I took a step back, and shed a bright light on the drivers that enabled me to live with such a conviction, only to sit here and now and ponder about why I thought I was so happy. There were definitely certain aspects of my life to which I was able to seamlessly apply Going Concern, one of which was my career. So my choice of career wasn’t the problem. Then I realized why my career wasn’t the problem–I saw growth and more importantly, potential for further growth. This meant that I wasn’t able to vision growth or potential for growth in other aspects of my life to which I could not even begin to apply Going Concern. And that, as they say, was that. I figured it out.

During a period of my life, I lived knowing with absolute conviction that I did not like what lied waiting at the end of that period. Yet I lived on towards that end, convincing myself that I was happy traversing upon it. I was the dramaking of my own made-up fantasy land, where I was the martyr and the victim. I was the sacrificial lamb and somehow at certain point in time, I firmly believed, there was suppose to be a saving grace. When the reality came crashing down on my parade, leaving behind chilling voids where warm memories happily resided, I moved on from that end as if nothing happened. I pushed the disatisfaction aside and shoved it away, not knowing that it would tirelessly push back and eventually blow up on my face. And, boy did it blow up.

It was my fault–I convinced myself to act in such a manner. And that is why I am unable to regret it. Whether it’s true or not now, I was content enough to walk the “path to doom” with my own two legs. The only thing left to do now is learn from it and figure out what and who made me truly happy–and voila! Not only was I able to remove the disastrous friction disabling me to apply Going Conern to my life, I was able to visualize my happiness. Now if I could only put it to action… :).

 

Economic Consequence of Accounting Standards

**Note: A colleague reminded me how long it’s been since I made my last post. Since it’s busy season, I will be uploading a piece I wrote in the past rather than writing something new. Enjoy.

Economic consequence, according to The Rise of “Economic Consequences” by Stephen A. Zeff, is the impact of accounting reports on the decision making behavior of business, government, unions, investors and creditors (Zeff 1978, 56). I would refine the definition to state that economic consequence is the impact of accounting reports on the operations as well as the decision making behavior of business, government, unions, investors and creditors. My reason for refining Zeff’s definition will be discussed further later.

The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) conceded that, “the [FASB] need not be unduly influenced by the possibility of an economic impact, but it should consider both the possible costs and the expected benefits of a proposal” (Zeff 1978, 61). I agree with FAF’s position. It had its reasons to make this statement because companies were applying more and more pressure to the FASB in considering economic impacts. Companies firmly believed that different accounting standards, some more than others, have real economic impact. As Zeff states in his article, “[companies argue that] accounting standard setters must take into consideration these allegedly detrimental consequences when deciding on accounting questions” (Zeff 1978, 56). This would not be an issue if new standards did not bring “detrimental consequences.” The companies believe that the standards do bring “detrimental consequences,” which is why this is an issue.

But should it be an issue? Absolutely not. While I agree with FAF that the FASB should consider both the possible costs and the expected benefits of a proposal, the FASB should not let the possibility of “detrimental consequences” hinder it from promulgating what it believes to be the right way of accounting. Obviously, I am working under the belief that there are no economic consequences to new accounting standards. Yes, it’s provocative, so allow me to explain.

I defined economic consequences as the impact of accounting reports on the operations as well as the decision making behavior of business, government, unions, investors and creditors. With that in mind, think about what accounting really is. What initially started as a tallying and tracking system, accounting has become a lens through which investors and creditors must “try” to make out the true nature of an entity. Think of different accounting treatment options or alternatives as different styles of painting. Consider an example: a friend of mine and I decide to paint Lake Tahoe. My friend decides to paint using water colors (FIFO) while I decide to paint with oil (LIFO). While we both painted the same Lake Tahoe (inventory), the end products will have different feels and will generate different reactions from the viewers (investors). Can I say that my painting of Lake Tahoe depicts a truer picture than my friend’s?

Now, let’s turn to another example. The day that my friend and I decided to paint Lake Tahoe, my friend got engaged and I got dumped. Obviously, my friend will be in a much more joyful mood than I will be. My friend still decides to paint Lake Tahoe in water colors, but he makes the paint a bit brighter. I also stick with what I used before, oil painting, but this time I decide to paint Lake Tahoe with darker colors. Naturally, there is much more contrast between the two paintings than before. But we have produced both paintings in such a way because that is the reality we see—in other words, we had no intention of deception.

But what if someone came along and decided to create a rule that says that brighter colors, just like the ones my friend used, must be applied when painting Lake Tahoe. Will the viewers’ perception of my painting, which will have to be changed using brighter colors, be different? Of course!   Does that mean Lake Tahoe itself has turned brighter? No. The substance itself has not changed, only the delivery of that substance has. It is the same with accounting standards.

Research indicates that average American investors look only at the Earnings Per Share (EPS) figure on the Income Statement. Even if we assume that these investors are a bit more sophisticated, they will not go beyond the face of the financial statements. Thus, they only perceive the risk that is shown on the face of the financial statements. So, anything that is buried in the notes to the financial statements will not and cannot add to any risk the investors perceive. But if accounting standards were changed to bring something that was buried within the notes to the face of the financial statements, the perceived risk does change. The company itself and its operations, however, did not. Change in the perception of risk of a company does not change the company itself.

My own research in assessing the impact of FASB Interpretation No. 46 (FIN 46) demonstrates as much. Of the 250 or so S&P 500 companies that expected economic impacts from FIN 46, nearly 40% experienced price drops in their stocks when FIN 46 was released. Only 4-5% of those 250 or so companies were unable to either bounce back or grow even higher within a year. This means that while the investors panicked at first, time proved that these companies’ operations were not impacted and they were just as profitable as they were before implementing FIN 46.

Whichever definition one utilizes for economic consequence (Zeff’s or mine), change in accounting standards still should not be an issue. With faster communications and increasing difficulty of not leaking confidential information, I believe that, “the market cannot be ‘fooled’ by the use of different accounting methods to reflect the same economic reality” (Zeff 1978, 63).

Zeff, S. (1978). The Rise of “Economic Consequences”. The Journal of Accountancy, 56-63.

New Year Resolution 2013 Version

Here’s a quick assessment of last year’s new year resolution:

1. Work out everyday – Failed miserably. I definitely lost a lot of muscle mass. Yikes.

2. Pass all parts of CPA exam – Only passed two, but I will be finishing within a reasonable time frame away from the end of 2012 so I will be forgiving myself for this fail, haha.

3. Finish strong at UNR – Finished with 1 A- and 11 As (12 total); I’d say that’s a success.

4. Go on blind dates in Korea – I definitely had a lot of fun. I actually went on two blind dates, and both were wonderful girls ;). Now I know what it’s like to go on blind dates, lol.

I had my ups and downs in year 2012. Lot of ups during at the start until the middle of the year, then lot of downs toward the end of the year. As I reflect upon the good and bad times of 2012, I think the following goals are fair and appropriate for my new year resolution for 2013:

1. Eat breakfast everyday – I ALWAYS miss breakfast, and it’s a bad habit–I know. It doesn’t take me longer than 30 minutes to get ready for anything so it’s difficult to wake up any earlier than that to get something edible in my system. I plan on fixing that starting January 1!

 

2. Stick with Deloitte – Staying at a Big4 Public Accounting firm is a difficult feat by itself–my accounting friends will understand why this is a worthy resolution item, lol.

3. Work out everyday/Gain 5 pounds – Yes, this is coming back from 2012. I actually liked looking pretty good, and I’m going to commit to keeping myself in shape this year. Not only that, I committed to doing Tough Mudder in April–working out everyday and gaining five more pounds should be preparation enough.

4. Relationship – I’ve never been on an active end of looking out for girls to date. I think it’s about time I changed that. I’ll have more time to myself by this early spring–I’m committing to going out more with my cousin and explore Las Vegas, in every meaning of that phrase :).

5. Pass CISA – Another certification exam. Sounds easy enough–substantially easier than CPA at least.

6. Cook something different on a weekly basis – I never cook anything that takes more than an hour, and nothing that takes me to read a recipe book. Time to change it up a little 🙂

Here’s to 2013!

A Small Measure of Peace

Is there a right or wrong way to grieve the passing of the hero who has loved you and you have loved back? If so, what kind of a life have I defined for myself where mourning of a fallen hero becomes a luxury I cannot afford? At what point in time do I let myself come to a screeching stop and let loose the tears tucked away beneath a large reservoir of emotions?

This marks the second time in the last two years I’ve personally dealt with mortality, and practice certainly does not make this any easier. What I have come to deal with much easier this time around, however, is digesting the truth that I am still struggling with nonetheless–there exists, thankfully still, individuals who depend on me to be the unwavering staple in grieving times such as this. And I must reserve my own tears and hold them at bay so that they can let theirs flow freely.

If there is one thing I can take comfort in during this time of difficulty and sadness is that the legacy of the life defined by decades of toils, tribulations, and sacrifices, all in desperate attempts to foster a better future for those following behind his footsteps, lives on in my heart and soul. As I struggle to grieve whilst mustering up enough courage to care for the other grievers, I find some relief in knowing that he has finally found a small measure of peace.

The Best Big 4

With the exception of KPMG, FY12 results have been released, and PwC remained at #1 accounting firm in terms of revenue as it narrowly beat out Deloitte for the second consecutive year. Deloitte, however, remained the largest accounting firm in the world (see below).

1. PwC – $31.5 billion, 180,000 professionals

2. Deloitte – $31.3 billion, 193,000 professionals

3. E&Y – $24.4 billion, 167,000 professionals

The above three firms, including KPMG, have won myriads of awards and can individually be argued to be the best firm–whether that’s the best firm period or the best firm to work for. Many UNR students will be fortunate enough to be fought for by more than one Big4 firm and will face the difficult decision of choosing your own destiny (sounds grandiose, no?). Here’s my take, in hopes of giving you help in that grandiose endeavor: there is no one best firm, at least not in the era of Big4.

I can argue that in the era before Big4 and the Enron Scandal, when it was still Big5 and Big8 before that, Arthur Andersen ruled the world. It was the best firm to work for and hardly anyone argued that statement. So why is it that it’s so difficult now to distinguish the best one now? What has changed?

Arthur Andersen had impeccable reputation for having the best culture. It empowered its employees, and it strove to give its professionals the best possible training available. The devotion and energy inputted by Andersen, coupled with its ability to actually deliver, were unparalleled. A case could be made that Deloitte is inching closer to that legacy with Deloitte University, but it may be premature to make that argument as it just celebrated its one year anniversary.

When Andersen abruptly imploded, another important event was brewing–the age of customization. Technology advances began enabling the general public to individualize themselves to unforeseen levels. Being “unique” had an entirely different meaning henceforth. Sometimes, it felt as though you had the obligation to be different, just to make yourself stand out. As long as you had the vision and determination to be different, and the tools to do so were available to you, it wasn’t too difficult to “build” your unique self. How does that tie into this? All Big4 firms have the tools and resources for you to “build” and individualize yourself to the best professional you can be, effectively (and quite ironically) destroying any unique persona the firms had left.

I’m certainly not saying there isn’t a firm just for you–no, no, I am saying exactly the opposite of that. There is a firm for you. There is a firm where, as a part of that team, you can proudly present yourself wearing your firm’s colors and approach your clients with the conviction that you are the best man/woman for the job. It may not hit you until the end of the entire interview process, but I assure you that there will be a firm where you feel comfortable wearing the coat of arms of a particular Big4 firm. If you can see yourself unabashed-fully going after clients with a particular firm, that’s the firm you want.

I will not promote Deloitte as the best firm in the world. I’ve only been with the firm for three months, and I am not sure how I can possibly know that it’s the best one without having worked for the other three. Anyone who shamelessly promotes that should know that he or she is full of shit. But I haven’t felt for a second that I approach my clients or potential clients with the thought that they are getting 2nd-rate service, or even 2nd to any other firm. Find your conviction, and you’ll find your firm.

Go BBB (Big4 or Bust, Baby)

As much as I love lending my hand to my colleagues and friends, I am not sure how many times I can repeat the same advice over and over until I lose the “inspirational” edge and doll out dull advices. So, before I lose my mojo, here is my outlined pros and cons for my friends and colleagues (and whoever else is reading this article) who’ve been struggling with the idea of leaving Reno.

Let’s deal with the cons first as I feel like you wouldn’t be reading this post if you’ve already determined that you are a Big4 kind of a guy or gal–most likely, you are reading this post because you’ve accurately identified the cons of leaving Reno and are having trouble overcoming them. The cons are actually quite simple (obviously they may be different from yours, but hopefully I’ve caught majority of yours): 1) leaving the family you’ve lived with all these years sucks, 2) leaving your friends behind sucks even more, and 3) Reno is actually a wonderful place to live in–I’m not gonna argue against the fact that it’s not the most habitable places out there, which is not what I mean by “wonderful place.”

Unless you’ve been beaten all of your life and hate your family’s guts, this is an absolute no-brainer–leaving family sucks. It sucks on multiple levels. First, you’re leaving behind tons of memories–memories that coerce us to believe that we have some sort of an obligation to protect them at all cost. Second, you immediately lose physical and emotional support. Believe it or  not, we have these safety nets called “parents,” and their importance isn’t really fully realized, like everything else, until we’ve lost them. Even if you’re moving to a place just down the block from your old folks’ place, it’s just not the same. The difficulties of administrative chores we’ve taken for granted, such as getting internet at your new place, are magnified, and trying to do all of them as you get used to a whole new place can get overwhelming. If you don’t have a significant other, like myself, who can support you emotionally through this separation, you can feel lost, isolated, lonely, and even depressed–hard to overcome this con, no?

Leaving behind your friends is just as difficult if not more. These are people whom you sought refuge from when your family drove you bonkers. These are people you did crazy $hit with that you would never do or share with your family but want to do it anyway. These are people whom you shared your heartfelt moments and memories when you weren’t with your family–they are your “extended” family, if you will. The fear of losing them, and the fear of not being able to find people who cared for you just as much if or when you do lose them, is an immobilizing force that says, “just stay in Reno.” This is another excellent con that’s hard to beat.

Finally, Reno is, believe it or not, a wonderful place to live in. Maybe it’s because I live in the hottest place on earth, but contrary to what I preached when I was in high school, I enjoyed my life in Reno. It was few hours away from everything I wanted to do outdoor-wise–swimming, hiking, sun-bathing, snowboarding, etc etc. It’s four hours away from San Francisco and an hour flight down to Los Angeles. Additionally, it’s a small enough city that most people are genuine and light-hearted–if you’ve lived in a large city, such as Seoul, you can understand how vexing it can get dealing with manner-less jerks. Obviously, the weather sucks and snow can get irritating. But weather isn’t what I’m referring to when I refer to Reno as a wonderful place to live in–Reno is a testament to the myth that a perfect tapestry of genuine people and decent city size can’t be achieved. (I know this is debatable, so let’s focus on the topic of this post)

Now allow me to weave in my own personal struggles to my pros in order to give you a fuller picture–it may be easier for you to relate. I’m unbelievably close to my family–so much so that I can tell what they are thinking 24/7 without even looking at them. It was difficult to imagine coming home from work without that feeling of familiarity and comfort. There is one more person whom I felt that comfortable with, and I left her behind in Reno also. I’ve also developed friendships within two years of leaving for Las Vegas with whom I saw so much potential–one more year in Reno, I could’ve developed those “fledgling” friendships to once in a life time friendships. So, I left behind my loving family, amazing friends, and a friend who is the closest person I have to a significant other. Does this mean I value my personal career more than my personal life?

Big4 experience is invaluable–that’s why so many of us seek it. The training is top-class, and the benefits are amazing–both monetarily and non-monetarily. The experience looks great on the resume, and as the career progresses within a Big4 firm, it gets harder and harder to refuse lucrative job offers that are bound to flood your mailbox. It is the best start to an accounting career one could ask for. But when all of this is taken into account, the struggle becomes one of audacious and solitary journey to success against rainbows and sunshine life of familiarity and comfort–as Americans, how can we avoid the classic mistake of mystifying and dramatizing such an important decision, right? The good versus evil, rich versus poor, and fame versus family and friends. (I recommend watching The Family Man starring Nicholas Cage. Watching it makes this decision of going for Big4 even more difficult as the movie seriously asks the audience whether seeking fame and success is worth losing your loved one(s))

Most pros are self-evident. But my personal one is that this job, this position and my future with Deloitte, can provide me with a stabilizing life with a luxurious income in the future. It can put me in a position to start a loving family of my own surrounded by loving friends. Most importantly, if I so desired, it has the ability to enable me to go back to Reno, get a job that pays me six figures, and surround myself with my family and old friends whom I left behind–before I enter my mid thirties.

I don’t value my career more than my personal life, but I do tend to value my future more than my present. I saw this opportunity with Deloitte as one that would propel me the fastest to my personal goal, which is to have a loving family that I can support comfortably. I don’t have worldly desires, but I also don’t have provincial goals either. The con of picking a Big4 career is that I must make painful sacrifices now (and the worst thing about it is that my decision to make these painful sacrifices may not be perceived as difficult–some may view it as a selfish decision to advance my personal career which can be hard to handle). The pro of picking a Big4 career is that I can have a life in 5-10 years that many can only dream of–a life where I have a loving wife, loving children, and luxurious enough income with generous PTO to not have to stress about money and time before planning my trip to Disneyland every summer. Can a Big4 accounting firm guarantee me this possibility? No, but it’s a shame not to give it a try as Big4 gives me the best possibility.

You are not less courageous if you end up staying in Reno. You are not thought less of if you don’t go big. You simply have different values, and that doesn’t warrant anyone to tell you that you are cowardly and a lesser person. But if you are struggling, and haven’t been able to confidently decide to stay in Reno, hear me out–take this bet. Trust in your family and friends to be there for you even with the distance that may come between you and your family and friends. Trust in yourself to have the capacity to make an effort. This is you we are talking about. Aren’t you worth the bet?

Move on and do not be afraid

Having spent the last three weeks with Deloitte, I am getting closer to becoming the to-go guy for UNR for my office. Whether I get such a privileged role or not, here is my first advice as a professional to my fellow colleagues at UNR who may be at a crossroad: do not be afraid to leave.

Personally, leaving Reno has been arguably as difficult as it was leaving Korea at the age of ten. Both times, I left behind those whom I love dearly. Goodbyes are just as heartbreaking at the age of twenty-seven as it was at the age of ten. While some may say that I value my career more than my personal life–having chosen a Big4 company–nothing can be further from the truth. I love my family and friends more than anything my career can provide me.

But I urge my accounting friends still at UNR to not be afraid. I assure you that you will grow not just professionally but also personally. If you have an opportunity to leave Reno, do so without hesitation–Reno will still be there when you return matured. Don’t be the fool to settle for mediocracy when you can become much, much more. Always push yourself academically, professionally, and personally to be the best you can be. If I am lucky enough, I will see you all in October. Until then, with kind regards,

Thomas

Next chapter.

Myriads of feelings are beginning to intermingle as the day I leave for Las Vegas encroaches closer. I am excited, anxious, nervous, reminiscent, and sad all at the same time. The new life awaiting me in Las Vegas excites me; my new job at a new place makes me anxious and nervous; the thought of leaving Reno, the place where I had cultivated 16 years of memory, puts me in a reminiscing trance; and I am overcome by short bursts of sadness at the thought of leaving behind the old and new bonds I built.

I won’t deny it–there have been moments when the cherished memories and valuable family and friends pulled me away from proactively preparing for my adventure in two weeks. Sometimes I wondered what would’ve happened if I didn’t take the job in Las Vegas and instead decided to stay here in Reno. The ultimate question I’ve been asking myself is, of course, would I’ve been happier in Reno?

It’s almost hopeless to be inquisitive about the consequences of life-changing decision such as this as I will never know what the alternative decision would’ve resulted. Not only that, I won’t fully realize the effects of my decision until years and years down the road, at which point I will be too busy living my life in Las Vegas to look back on this post. But I question nonetheless as it’s my inherent nature to do so as a human being. 

Unwritten and uncharted, the road ahead scares the shit out of me. Yet there is a bearing to which I can guide myself, one that unceasingly reminds me that this journey isn’t beyond me. I am also reminded that I’ve never been alone in my past endeavors. Though it may be the most overused cliche ever, it seems very fitting to this moment–I am not who I am by my own doing. 

To those whom I may not get to see before I leave to personally say this–thank you for being there for me and keep in touch. 

Efficiency – Make the Task Fit the Time

Mr. Baxter, my AP U.S. History teacher in high school, used to preach this all the time–make the task fit the time. I absolutely hated it. In fact, I hated the saying so much that the word “hate” itself wasn’t sufficient enough to describe my hate–I mega-loathed his saying. He would give his students a 50-page in-class reading assignment and denied them from taking the assignments home to finish. Oh, and he tested on that reading material–of course. When his students, myself included, complained about not having enough time, Mr. Baxter would respond with, “make the task fit the time.” It didn’t make any sense. Time should be appropriately allotted in order to fit the needs of the task, not the other way around!

As soon as I entered college, I quickly realized that I simply did not have enough time to do everything. Academically, this became a huge problem in reading-intensive classes, as I often fell behind and couldn’t keep up with so much reading. As my grades slowly dipped, so did my motivation. My perfectionist alter-ego could not handle not reading every word of all of my reading assignments and catching every single detail–but I became desperate. So I did what I previously thought was despicable–I skimmed (gasp!). And to my chagrin, I realized the value in Mr. Baxter’s (and my mega-loathed) saying–I had to make the task fit the time.

Estimating how much time a task will take isn’t difficult–assessing how to manage the given amount of time in order complete the task is. Implicit in a college education is learning how to improve our time management skills and ultimately increase efficiency. Adjustments will be required–I went from reading every word to skimming whilst maintaining a good grade. And as we gradually transform our study habits to fit the needs and demands of a college education, it’s important to realize how valuable our skill of efficiency will be out in the “real world.” Just as my mega-loathing quote of Mr. Baxter went, we must make the task fit the time.