I’m Afsana Asha, an 18 year old New Yorker attending New York City College of Technology (NYCCT). I am currently enrolled as an accounting student, but plan on transferring schools to pursue my desire to be a top executive (Chief Executive Officer to be exact). I believe this is the perfect career for me because I love to write, I love planning ahead, and I have great financial management skills. This career opportunity will also help me accomplish a big dream of mine, to become an actress. In this assignment I will give an in depth description of the career I want to pursue, how I will pursue it, the steps needed to pursue it and how it will correlate with my dreams of becoming an actress.
In this paragraph of my essay I will provide an in depth background for my intended major and career path. In the 2014-2015 New York City College of Technology (NYCCT) College Catalog it states that, “The Accounting program equips students with accounting skills that will make them immediately employable upon graduation with the associate degree.” (NYCCT. 126) We, as accounting students, will not only be prepared educationally but professionally as well. NYCCT’s Accounting program also allows us to “…understand how management uses information from the accounting system to operate business enterprises” (NYCCT. 126) and to be “proficient in the use of computer system.” (NYCCT. 126) Getting an education in the accounting field will better prepare me for a career as a Chief Executive. According to Investopedia.com, a Chief Executive officer is someone who has the main responsibilities to develop and implement high-level strategies, make major corporate decisions, manage the overall operations and resources of a company, and act as a main point of communication between the board of directors and the corporate operations. “Top executives (such as Chief Executives and Chief Financial Officers) devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals” states The Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics par. 1) Chief Executives, as well as other top executives, are known to make decisions on what to sell and whom to sell it to, research the market, crunch numbers, make speeches, travel a whole lot, do a lot financial research/management and have many different jobs along the way to get the company to the top. As a Chief Executive Officer “it helps to be able to quickly absorb and analyze large amounts of information.” (BigFuture.com par. 6) Top executives are also known to have excellent leadership and communication skills. Along the way of being at NYCCT as an accountant major I will get the opportunities that lay hand-in-hand with my career and dream, acquiring leadership and communication skills that will be applicable as a top executive and as an actress.
WORKS IN PROGRESS: This is a picture of my previous work. It shows that I like to write and often am preparing myself for the future and thinking ahead.
Now that we have learned a little about accounting and being a chief executive, I will discuss why my decision to be and accountant major and why pursuing a career in the business field, as a chief executive, will be right for me. As a chief executive, it is very important for you to be able to write and present speeches clearly and thoroughly. This is one of the reasons why I want to be a chief executive. From a young age I was always fond of writing stories, poetry, scripts and monologues. Being enrolled in a drama class throughout my teen years has also influenced me heavily on becoming a writer of some sort. According to the article “A Good Speech: Writing for CEOs” written by James L. Horton, a good speech is an effective form of efficient communication. He states “Content is what a speechwriter is usually concerned with when writing. But content does not exist by itself. Content exists in a relationship between audience and speaker.” (Horton par. 9) He also goes on to say that, “A CEO’s conviction is as important as words the CEO articulates. An audience doesn’t just listen but looks at the whole person and what that person communicates through expression, body movement and confidence – or lack of it. That is why it is important to place words in a CEO’s mouth that a CEO is likely to say in a way the CEO expresses ideas.” (Horton par. 15) Both the quotes show that as a Chief Executive Officer speech delivery and speech writing is very important. Although now many Chief Executive Officers have ditched the idea of writing their own speeches, it is still very important for them to have the speeches directed towards them. Being able to adapt to the character’s emotions and roles in the scenario is an essential to not only actors/actresses but Chief Executive Officers as well. Embellishing these traits that are already acquired will not only help me career wise, but it will also help me boost my confidence level as a whole.
INFLUENCES: This picture shows how heavily I am motivated to actually pursue my dreams in life. At a very young age I had decided that no matter what I did, it had to involve theatre work. The picture also contains works of literature I read to help me write my own works and a sample story that I had written when I was younger.
The second reason as to why I want to become a Chief Executive Officer is I love planning ahead. I love to travel and learn new theories and ideologies that will better help me with future “turning” points in my life. Planning ahead allows risks. Risks are a big part of being a Chief Executive Officer. Taking risks allows Chief Executive Officers to look at downfalls and plan ahead. According to Jan B. King of Senior Magazine Online, it is important for CEO’s to analyze things from a negative perspective and plan ahead based on the worst case scenarios. She states “A great CEO isn’t afraid to look at the downside and answer the hard questions he or she hopes will never become a reality. The CEO needs a backup plan—one that is designed by looking at the company’s worst-case scenarios.” (King par. 10) Being able to plan ahead shows that we are able to look at the “big picture” and absorb every piece of information thrown our way. Going into this career using my ability to plan ahead and create backup plans will allow me to grow and learn more along the way as well as help me pursue my dream.
Now to the third and final reason as to why I want to pursue a career in this field, my financial management skills. From a young age I have always been interested in seeing my investments flourish and extend into my future. I’ve always had an eye for budgeting, saving money, and prioritizing via “needs” and “wants”. It is known that as a Chief Executive Officer, you must be perceptive towards the company you work for and make use of the utilities, in this case money, you have at hand. According to the New Business Consultant website, you have to pay attention to “numbers” as a Chief Executive Officer. The author states, “…when it comes to reading and understanding the numbers, most prefer to leave the “bean counting” to someone else. Unfortunately, avoidance or negligence of your financial management responsibilities can get you and your company in very hot water. The only solution is to accept the inevitable and get comfortable working in the financial side of the business.” (New Business Consultant par. 3) The author also states that, “Your financial people can and should do most of the heavy lifting; that’s what you pay them for. But when it comes to making high-level decisions that affect the financial performance of the company, the buck still stops with you — literally and figuratively.” (New Business Consultant par. 16) Both of the quotes reflect the thought that although having extensive knowledge on finance, such as holding a PhD or Masters Degree in the subject, is not needed it is very important for a Chief Executive Officer to be able to understand their company’s financial stance in the market. By studying in the accountant field at NYCCT, I will be polishing my already existing knowledge on financial management and better preparing myself for my career in the business industry along with my dream of being in the film industry. Many directors, art department heads, and set designers are known to crunch numbers and preform on budgets. Knowing how to manage money correctly will not only help me better understand my career choices but will also prepare me for reaching my dream.
FINANCING THE BRAIN: This picture shows that inorder to be able to pursue a career in business, I have always done research outside of the educational area. Whenever I get free time, I always am reading about how to save money.
Now that we have discussed the basics of my career choice, aspirations and major and have gone over the three main reasons as to why I’d like to pursue such careers, I would like to go over some main points that will help you better prepare yourself in the field of business and acting. For this section of my essay, I decided to interview NYCCT’s Effective Speaking Professor Ramon Albino. Since I am interested in acting and business, I asked Mr. Albino how may I incorporate business and acting. He stated that, “Not being you or pretending to be someone else may be seen in business as false, dishonest, and counterproductive” (Albino par. 1) but also said that “…there are elements of performance that have been used and you may continue using in business to great effect. As discussed in our own Public Speaking course, there are certain skills related to performance that may become handy when dealing with business matters. Oral presentations, for instance, may benefit greatly if the member of an organization is dutifully trained in public speaking, especially when it comes to persuading, informing and on special occasions.” (Albino par. 1) Although acting and business is not fully correlated both careers induce knowing your audience very well and being comfortable with the given audience. In the interview conducted I also asked how may you display yourself to be confident without seeming over confident. He responded back with “Yes, by considering your audience’s first and by tailoring the speech to their interests, concerns, predispositions, and needs. This goes back even to the moment speakers are choosing their topics. Speakers should consider their own interest, knowledge, skills, and needs as part of this process that is also important. But first and foremost they should analyze the audience.” (Albino par. 4) Both of the careers I want to integrate myself in uses the analysis of their audience. Although the approach is very different, it helps to be comfortable in publicly speaking and using correct vocabulary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is very important for you to have at least a bachelors degree and loads of work experience in the field to be a considerable “Top Executive”. It is also great to have certifications, licenses, and/or registrations in regards to earning the Certified Manager credential. The Bureau of Labor Statisics states, “Although not mandatory, certification can show management competency and potential leadership skills. Certification can also help those seeking advancement or can give jobseekers a competitive edge.” During freshman orientation week I also remember Mr. Singh, a professor at NYCCT, talking about being a certified accountant and the various different certifications you may get. He stated that although some are not required, it is great to have them on your resume while applying for a job. Being able to apply the things learned by my interviewees and the research done during this project will help me advance myself into thinking deeply and strongly about my career plans.
At the beginning of starting this project, I had planned on pursuing a career in Entrepreneurship but the more I read about it, the less desirable it seemed. After quite a bit of research I found a suitable career that not only fit my intended major but also fit being part of the filming industry. While doing this project I have definitely raised my motivation to strive for both of my career goals. If I were to recommend any tips for students looking to be in similar fields then I would say that you should always set goals for yourself and to dream big. No matter how big your “dream” may seem it isn’t impossible, especially if you set your mind and heart to it. This project has definitely helped me clearly envision myself in the future doing what I love. Although many believe having a “big name” and high-income job means being successful, I believe that doing what makes you happy makes you the most successful being alive. If you have a passion towards something, whether it is drawing, cooking, acting, dancing or even skateboarding, I think that you should put your heart into it and let your mind free. If you are still uncertain of your career choice or college major, if you are still undecided that is, please visit www.bigfuture.com. The site is filled with descriptions of various careers and majors. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your “match made in heaven” career.
Works Cited:
Albino, Ramon. Email to the author. 06 Dec. 2014. TS
B. King, Jan. “CEO Personality Characteristics .” Top Management. Senior Magazine Online. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Top Executives. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014
“Careers – Top Executives – Management.” Careers – Top Executives – Management. College Board. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Curtis, Glenn. “The Path To Becoming A CEO.” Investopedia. Investopedia.com. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
L. Horton, James. “A Good Speeches Writing for CEOs.” Online-PR. PDF. 07 Dec. 2014.
“Six Essential Roles of the CEO.” New Business Consultants. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.(LINK http://www.newbizconsultants.com/articles.asp?Show=Articles&ArticleID=42)
