Investing in the future
Passion and vision
Francois van Rooi emphasises the importance of quality internships as a way to kick-start a career.
Every graduate's dream is to one day graduate and waste no time looking for employment. Francois van Rooi made that dream a reality when he graduated in April 2022 from the Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST), while having already gotten a job at Terratec Geophysical Services Namibia CC as an accountant a few months prior.Before van Rooi obtained his current position, he took advantage of NUST’s integrated learning programme and completed an internship at Deloitte Namibia.
“A lot of people underestimate the impact and influence a good internship has on your career,” said van Rooi.
His long list of responsibilities includes filing tax returns, preparing annual financial statements, maintaining financial records, and audit preparation, among many others.
Even though his list of duties seemed endless, the accountant said he lives for the challenges in the accounting sphere and loves what he does.
His goal is to become a chartered financial analyst (CFA), and in line with this, he is currently studying at the CFA Institute.
“It's all online and the exams are intense, but I enjoy the challenge; it excites me!” he said.
Working towards the future
He said his ultimate dream is to start his own investment company one day, but for now he is focused on gaining as much experience and knowledge as possible.
Among the challenges he has experienced, Van Rooi said his biggest was adapting to the industry, but he is grateful for his team, as they made the transition from student accountant to professional accountant so much smoother.
Another challenge he faced was balancing his work and school lives.
“One of the other challenges I faced was balancing my work and my studies, but over time I learned how to manage my time and prioritise tasks better."
Aside from the challenges, Van Rooi’s career has had a few highlights over the years, one of which is the pride he takes in his work.
He says that every task has its own challenges, but he and his team have always walked away from a task or project knowing that they have given it their all and that it was successful.
Van Rooi’s advice to the youth is to "finish what you started and you will not regret it."
He said the best thing to do is "push through the tough times and reach the finish line."