In high school, we were encouraged to launch a fundraising project to upgrade the school’s
facilities. We were exposed to many things, such as looking for sponsors, managing the accounts
and even coming up with our own product to sell. I volunteered to be the treasurer of the
project. Without prior background in accounting, I researched the necessary skillset such as
double entry, fixed cost, variable cost and costing methods. As a result, I was fascinated with this
field of figures, leading to my interest in accounting and finance.
The use of cryptocurrency caught my attention. Despite the lack of public confidence,
nonetheless attracted investors. I began to read more on Bitcoin and Dash. As how it was phrased
in Simon Kjaer’s story in The Gold Mine Effect by Rasmus Ankerson, we should not underestimate
any potential in the world of finance. Sometimes, a leap of faith in the stock market may just be
the opportunity to gain unexpected wealth. The concept of creating a dynamic team as how
Nolan Bushnell phrased it in Finding The Next Steve Jobs should be applied in the investment
world. This is because only with a diverse knowledge in various types of investment, we can make
an impactful decision. In the world of finance, we ought to constantly seek for opportunities that
arise regardless of their potential. As calculated risk is needed in investment, I opted to take up
Mathematics and Statistics in Further Mathematics to reduce the risk of investment. As an avid
reader of the financial blog, Financial Samurai, I have come across many intriguing topics
including microfinance. Learning about the macroeconomy in A-Level Economics helped me to
understand the mechanism of microfinance. To help poor but aspiring entrepreneurs, financial
institutions provides the necessary capital as well as skillset in order to get them out of poverty.
This differs from the usual banking system in the sense that these people do not require collateral
as most of the borrowers are unable to provide it. As such, the financial status of countries such
as Bangladesh has been improving ever since microfinance was carried out. In Malaysia, natives
are constricted within their zone of limited knowledge. If they were provided with financial
knowledge, they will not be discriminated among fellow Malaysians.
Property investment has begun to attract the younger generation. To promote this trend, I joined
the Property Economics Club where we regularly hold talks and invite experienced speakers to
guide our members, so they will be able to get their first property as soon as they graduate. Our
workshops include from the purchase of real estate properties to long-term investment. Our club
is organizing a 3-month series that includes the upcoming cryptocurrency as well as
understanding the stock market. As the treasurer in the Student Council, I am tasked with the
care of the course’s equipment. By taking up the role of a Teaching Assistant in the Asia
Leadership Camp which involved communicating with people of different age groups from Head
of Departments to parents and delegates, I improved my presentation skills. A 2-month
internship in a Dutch-based chemical company has taught me to be an observant person from all
the document sorting and data entry task. With a careful and systematic approach to my duty, I
proved to be reliable and was further assigned with tallying the goods and service tax based on
country of origin. Before ending my internship, I developed an electronic filing system to replace
the current manual system to shorten the filing time. Accounting and Finance is part and parcel
of the business world. Therefore, a qualified personnel is essential to any company’s long-term
profit. I aspire to obtain a degree in the UK as it has proven the fact that many professional
accountants that have achieved great success graduated with a UK degree.
