The Unsolicited Question “Ay, nag-shift ka?”

YZABELLE KRISTIANE I. FRANCISCO

When two years of your education have passed and it’s time to decide whether to stay and battle your way into auditing or tread new waters, there will always be an incessant afterthought from that one tita if you even consider the latter. And let’s all face the fact–it’s completely unsolicited.

The Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) degree is one of utmost respect and garners a good number of students every year due to its versatility in the corporate world, but when you’re already in, it’s no secret that the easiest assessment you’d have ever faced in that point of your life is the college entrance exams The training is rigorous and definitely not for the faint heart–really, it’s brutal in here From the moment you step foot in your first class in the first semester of first year, you’re already being prepared for the literal board exams The pressure is high and there’s a lot of pride at stake, so if you leave and set sail for a different path, expect to hear a pitying voice over your shoulder, asking, “Ay, nag-shift ka? Bakit?”

Asking about shifting or transferring degree programs can get personal real fast Sometimes it’s because of financial or other technical reasons, sometimes you realize what you really want, and then there are the times where you just couldn’t stomach something and you grab the next chance of leaving that you get There is a myriad of possibilities as to why you’re choosing a different door, but with a quota program like BSA that sometimes operates on either a qualifying exam or a ranking basis and where if you don’t make the cut you’re immediately out, a common reason associated with you if you shift is exactly that: you didn’t make the cut; you weren’t smart enough, didn’t work hard enough–you weren’t good enough

And that feels awful, right? Because there’s always going to be pity with that, because oh no you could’ve been a CPA, because oh that’s okay you can take the bridging program, because change means giving up, and giving up means you’re weak, and that’s a definitive hit to your pride

The University of Santo Tomas - Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy (UST-AMV) offers three accounting degree programs: BSA, Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting (BSMA), and Bachelor of Science in

Accounting Information Systems (BSAIS) After a student’s second year in the college and depending on the guidelines, they are given the choice to stay in the BSA program or be reclassified to either BSMA or BSAIS All three programs are reputable in the Philippines and internationally, with the CPA being a sought-after license and the CMA and CISA certifications recognized globally Regardless of which path you take, there are numerous opportunities waiting, so why is graduating with a BSA degree seen with awe while graduating with a BSMA or BSAIS degree is followed by a “magb-bridging ka ba?” as if your efforts aren’t enough, as if you didn’t choose to leave, as if leaving didn’t ache

The next time you’re in a Christmas reunion and your tita (who made flaunting her license her entire personality despite everyone being sick of it) questions your degree, remind her that being in UST-AMV is an accomplishment enough Accounting students, regardless of their pecialization, are equally faced with rigorous, intense, and over-the-top training that is not for the faint heart That the college produces topnotchers in the CPA licensure exams and the worldwide CMA exams Remind her that, despite the change, you’re still equipped with the same values and principles as your friends who stayed Remind yourself that no matter the reason why you transferred, you’re still on the path to greatness;

You didn’t run away from the war, you just switched weapons.

Whether you did it by choice or by necessity doesn’t matter, it’s how you’re still standing that does So, maybe take that hit to your pride Maybe laugh and smile and shake your head at the pitying stares they throw, but the next time you spend an allnighter working on a case study or an analysis report, remember that you, too, are working hard Remember that you, too, are enough

Because you are