Taking The Leap Of Faith

Many have asked how did I enter a trade that most people would shun away from.

I graduated from School of Business with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy Admin in 2016 and started my first work stint at one of the renowned big 4 firms, Ernst and Young. I was very blessed to be posted overseas for one of the big engagements I was assigned to. As an Associate 1, of course life wasn’t easy especially since the company I was assigned to audit was listed which translates to more work coupled with tight deadlines. Working hours were hellish. I could start my day at 9am and end at 3, not in the afternoon but the following morning. 

Although my productivity drops beyond a certain number of working hours, peer pressure from the team would make me stay on working. I am very sure many of you who have worked in the big 4 feel me. I’m naturally more relational as a person and would make an effort to know the individuals I am tasked to work with personally including the clients. In fact, I am still in contact with some of them till date and I am grateful to have crossed paths with them. 

Audit or doing up accounts as a job isn’t tough. You just need to invest time to understand the different processes, do up controls and fill up some pre-made templates. The entire job scope can be pretty repetitive after a while, like any other jobs. It helps if you’re good with numbers, excel and like things structured. 

My father’s health hasn’t been the best all the while and it deteriorated while I was working at EY. After much thought, I decided that I did not want my youth to be spent slogging my life in a big corporate company at the expense of quality time with my family who means the world to me. 

Back then, there were talks to sell the funeral business that was established by my paternal grandfather as there was a lack of youths keen to undertake this business. The opportunity presented itself for me to try the death trade out. 

It was not an easy decision because technically, you do not need a degree to be in the funeral trade. It is a job traditionally filled up by those with a lower level of formal education or those who cannot find jobs elsewhere. After spending 4 years in university, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do something that did not require a certificate at all. 

I took a short hiatus from everything and went backpacking for about 1.5 months before coming back and making a radical decision to enter a trade I knew nuts about – the death trade. It was one of the toughest yet best decision made thus far in my life. I guess the adage does hold true – with high risks, come high returns.

Love,

Harmony Tee