And relax! But not for long.

That’s it term 1 is done. The only exam that I had this term was done this morning. To be honest I was a bit concerned. Would I be able to write for three hours, would I survive without the hourly cup of tea that I have during my work day, do I even know the subject matter?

As it happens, none of this was a problem and I rather enjoyed myself. Thanks to our PASS leader Danielle I had taken her advice and wrote up notes and cases instead of tagging my text book. This was a perfect way for me to prepare. In writing the notes I was refreshing my memory and the areas that weren’t in my notes I knew where they were in the text book, so it was easy to get to the information I needed. It turns out I do know the subject and the questions fell into the areas that I was comfortable with. Three hours went past in a blur of statutes and case law and the handwriting went a bit ragged as the time went on. My only real concern is can the marker decipher my handwriting.

With this exam done I can now relax for a week or three. Or not, as normal work continues and domestic duties and DIY is planned by Mrs F. Running will definitely be involved. All this sitting and studying is making me fat.

The other question to be considered is do I stay on the Bachelors or switch up to the Master of Professional Accounting degree? This is 14 units and would taken 2 1/2 years of two units per term, compared to the 24 of the Bachelor where I’d need to wait 4 years before having a qualification.

With the Master degree I can get interim awards at the end of each block of units, so technically I can have my Graduate Certificate Professional Accounting by Christmas, which then gives me an escape route into another career. By the end of 2020 I should achieve the Graduate Diploma and by 2021 the Master qualification. Bachelor or Master I’d still have to start at a level below my current earnings to begin my new career, unless I can engineer something. A few more things to consider before I make up my mind.

Meanwhile I’m going to enjoy the rest of my afternoon, perhaps read a book or enjoy a game on the PS4, and get back to almost normal tomorrow. Rest easy people, next term is on the horizon.

. time to relax

Exam Time

My first exam for 16 years is rapidly approaching. It’s a three hour open book exam on the Introduction to Business Law. I should be really concerned, but I’m actually feeling pretty calm at this stage.

I’ve not taken an open book exam since my last Master Brewer exam. That one was pretty easy, I simply rebuilt the London Guinness Brewery into the brewery that I wanted, changed a few figures, adjusted the manning levels and job done, with a credible B grade pass. This Law exam is a bit different. Brewing is my core skill, I have lots of experience and it’s easy to write about. This is the first time I’ve studied law and I’ve enjoyed it, it’s been a challenge in places though.

The studying process has been to read, a lot, which I have. The tutorials have been a god send, without those I would not have had a clue about the assignment or the scope of the exam. As it happens if it hadn’t been for my wife, my assignment would’ve been a dogs breakfast as well. Fortunately after a poor start in listening to her, I did do what she said and polished that turd to get one of the highest marks I’ve experienced. So all I need to do in the exam is pass to complete the unit.

It’s an open book, so I can take in as much paper as I wish. We’ve been advised to mark the text book and index against slides etc. That has proven to be a challenge as my handwriting is rubbish and it’ll be more of a hindrance than a benefit. So I’ve typed up a load of notes and put my case examples with them. I think I’ve got enough info to get me over the line. My biggest worry is my rubbish handwriting, will Ron be able to decipher what I’ve written and will I have the stamina in my right hand to last it out. We’ll see Wednesday morning.

dilber test

Onward and upward

The end of week 12 and I’m happy to say I’m now done with ACCT11059 and the final assignment of this unit is submitted. There really are only so many times you can read and polish a document. If you want to see the final submission it is here. ASS#2 Step 7 to 10 Paul Feasey GALLIFORDTRY Company Spreadsheet FEASEY

Thank you to those who gave me feedback, your eagle eyes in spotting bits I missed was most welcome.

It’s been an interesting 12 weeks in my return to Uni as a mature student and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. With this final accounting blog for this particular unit I thought I’d put down some of the things I’ve learnt about learning and about myself during this time.

When I first saw I had a UK construction company to focus on I was “meh” and not overly enthused about the prospect. I would have put in the same amount of work and research into any company, but on reflection I actually think that GallifordTry was to my advantage. Only a couple of years ago I’d been living back in the UK for 18 months and was well aware of the state of the UK, price of housing, the political situation and various other impacts in that once great nation. This did make understanding the financials and the company operating climate easy to understand and research. I’m calling that a win, I was able to learn the process of accounting, ratios etc, and relate that to an environment I understood.

KCQ’s and the study guide. I’m still not convinced about KCQ’s, though I appear to be reasonably proficient at them. I’ve enjoyed the study guide, though I do wish Martin would get to the point sooner and I did pine for a text book on occasion. Saying that I have been fortunate to have had two very constructive conversations with him recently and I can understand where he’s coming from and the intent of the process. I really appreciated his insights and support from these conversations. With regard to the unit, I can say though, that it did work, I have learned and my learning style has been challenged. So, thank you Martin.

This blog, I already write a blog for fun, I wasn’t certain how much value this one would have. Well I’ve enjoyed writing it and 65 other people, including people outside of the unit, are looking at it. I’m going to assume that it’s adding value to them as well.

dilbert blog

I’ve provided support (far too much according to my wife) and helped a lot of people through Facebook and through checking over spreadsheets and calculations. While this has been very time consuming, what it has done is secured my knowledge of the subject, so it is a win for me. Even though I tell my wife I’ll do less in the future I’ll still help where I can, just remember to say thank you. Through the Facebook group I’ve met some wonderful people and got some solid friendships out of it. That’s what uni is also all about.

PASS! How good are PASS sessions, I really enjoyed all of them, shared a lot and gained a lot as well. Danielle is a most excellent facilitator and will no doubt end up with a high distinction when she finishes her degree and will go far in her chosen field. I am most grateful for her support in these sessions.

When I started out with this unit I was concerned about the time required to get everything complete and manage life, the universe and everything. I am unbelievably grateful to the support of my wife and children who have given me the space to get stuff done. Though by the children leaving me alone I’m not onto them to do their chores or their gym work between their swimming training sessions. A cunning plan on their part.

The final thing and probably the most important thing I have learned and it’s what I shouldn’t have had to learn (and its not in relation to this unit either) is this. I should never, ever doubt my wife!

A true story. A week out from the due date for Laws11030, 40% assignment, I thought I’d done a really good job, I gave it a quick read and thought it was good to go. I asked Mrs F to take a look. She didn’t make it past the first paragraph, before telling me how bad it was! She was asking all sorts of questions, what’s the word count, what references are you using? I was horrified, I thought it was brilliant, how dare she! I know she’s a teacher who did her second degree by distance, but really! Long story short I got a bit cross. Fortunately for me, as we met at Uni in 1991, Mrs F has known me for a very long time and knows that while I am an idiot, I am not totally stupid and I will see sense. And sense I did see, I listened and learned, edited and re-edited and polished that turd before hitting the submit button.

Thanks to my wonderful wife I received 37/40, 92.5%! This type of result is unheard of, I’ve never got grades like that before and I couldn’t have done that without her. It really makes me wonder, not only what she sees in me and why she puts up with it, but what I would’ve got in my first degree if I’d spent less time in the pub and listened to her more then.

Moral of the story, listen to your wife, she knows more than you do, especially when she’s a teacher!

This term isn’t quite over as I’ve the Law11030 exam on the 19th. I originally had it as the 17th so I’m glad I checked again. It’s an open book so I’ve a bit over a week to get all my notes ready for the day. Thanks again to Danielle for the insight to preparing for my first open book in 15 years.

In honor of Law here’s this blogs musical interlude, Anthrax singing about one of the iconic comic book characters of the 20th Century Judge Dredd. Unfortunately the video has footage from the 1995 film staring Sylvester Stallone, not the best interpretation. The 2012 Judge Dredd staring Karl Urban is so much better.

So that’s what I’ve learned so far. Once the exam is done its onward and upward with the next two units, whatever they may be as I haven’t decided. For those of you who’ve stayed with me this far, I’m going to continue this blog and my running blog and see where it all goes.

Happy Studies folks.