By: Banky Lumor
My name is Oluwabamikoéléyi (Don’t even try pronouncing it, shortened to Bankolé) Gamaliel Lumor. I go by one of the nicknames I got from my Dad “Bankyâ€. I graduated from UPEI in May 2014; with a Bachelor of Business Administration, and a specialization in Accounting (to get an extra edge per se).
Like every graduate, I was asked numerous times about my plans after graduation. I had the option of going back home (Nigeria), moving to a different province, beginning the Chartered Professional Accounting Professional Education program (CPAPEP), or just getting a job (be it in my field of study or not). To be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do, how much money I wanted to make, or if I wanted to stay or leave the Island.
Nevertheless, I needed a post graduate work permit to stay in Canada, so I was technically stuck in a state of limbo on the island. It only took a couple of weeks but it can vary from three weeks to three months to get the permit.
I’ve been on the island since then, I will remain here for a while. It was a challenge getting an accounting job. As one of my favourite professors (Amy MacFarlane) mentioned ‘there’s only about seven positions available on in accounting firms for the 37 graduates in our class so there’s bound to be some healthy competition’.
After a couple of Interviews and attempts, I worked odd jobs as a car salesman for three weeks, before getting a job at Invesco working on US mutual funds which was interesting. Â I still felt the pressure from home to visit and kept promising to take a vacation (I procrastinated going home my undergraduate cause it was cheaper to take summer courses and work than spending around $1,500-$3,000 on a flight back home).
Regardless, I also wanted to become a Chartered Accountant, so I enrolled in the CPA program, which I realized I covered my entire accounting knowledge at UPEI in three months and this also put my travel plans on hold.
After a year at Invesco and being enrolled in the CPA program, I switched careers from a financial position to an accounting position at DP Murphy, which is I where I currently work. It’s been a joy to use software that I never heard of during my time at UPEI. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed the experience and will be visiting home very soon. I did not travel or take a year off after my university degree too; I’ve cherished all the experiences from people I have met, job skills, and connections I have made.
Finally, looking back to my University days, I realize that probably when you have the most time on your hands to explore your passions, and spend time cultivating life-long relationships, plus you can have the afternoons off productive procrastinating.
Life gets busier, the pressure to start a retirement plan, the steadiness of a 9-5 job schedule (If you’re lucky), and the weekend to accomplish all I procrastinated or spend some time with loved ones.
Truthfully, I do not remember most of the courses, and though I learned important lessons in some classes, I’d conclude that it’s the people I met that mattered. Being involved in several societies on campus also helped me meet people and gather experiences, or gain knowledge of a different culture. It also helped me build contacts in different cities/provinces, as well as other countries (Japan, Brazil, and the Netherlands among other).
I made it a priority to remember names, and I’d have tried to build stronger relationships with my professors, they’re a wealth of knowledge, (you’d might also need them for graduate school recommendations) ☺
That’s my story.