When Southlander Harriet Brankin discovered she could do a commerce degree with the Zero Fees Scheme (ZFS), her career path was assured; it was all the encouragement she needed to enrol at Southern Institute of Technology.
Harriet said she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she finished secondary school, but at the time she really enjoyed accounting, so the natural choice was to study a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting.
“A friend mentioned to me about doing a BCom at SIT rather than Dunedin since it was Zero Fees, and that seemed logical to me!” she said. “And I am from Southland so it was an easy move for me.”
After doing more research online, Harriet got in touch with the course coordinator, whom she met with, and this helped to inform her decision. She found out about SIT’s traineeship programmes, offering students the chance to gain placement local accounting firms. “It allows you to work and study at the same time, so I studied with SIT in the hopes that I would pick up a traineeship at some stage...”
Harriet also discovered that being able to shape her BCom was advantageous.
“There are a range of papers you can take to slightly tailor your degree to subjects which interest you. After my first year of study, I knew accounting was where I wanted to head, so my papers were very accounting focussed and that helped me head into the accounting profession.”
After her first year of full-time study, Harriet secured a traineeship with Findex, which meant juggling work with study, so time management and organisation became a vital part in being able to complete her degree.
“Having the ability to study part-time as well as work, was a great way to get a head start on my accounting career.”
“ ...one of the most helpful parts of the programme is the support which the tutors and course coordinators provided, by ensuring I had met all the prerequisite papers and by giving me a pathway to get me to where I wanted to be, which was completing my degree in four years, alongside working.”
They also looked further than just the BCom, and there were discussions around the potential to complete the Chartered Accountant’s programme, which also had prerequisite papers as part of the degree.
In terms of course content, Harriet thought the local case studies used were valuable, helping her to learn more about the local business environment in Southland and New Zealand. Other highlights included the option of completing correspondence study over the summer. “It meant I could get my degree done faster. Also, Zero Fees was definitely a highlight for me!” she added.
Challenges came in the form of juggling assignments, tests and exams all falling close together for the different subjects, “but your classmates are all in the same position... Building my time management and organisational skills definitely helped me get through!”
“SIT did challenge me, but in a good way. The tutors are there to support you and the smaller classes meant that it was easy to get help when you needed it.” Studies aside, Harriet enjoyed the campus environment and the opportunities it presented to meet a variety of people.
Harriet currently works as a Contracting Accountant with SouthRoads. She said SIT set her up with the foundation to complete further study and become a Chartered Accountant, which has led her to the role she’s in now - and she loves what she is doing.
“Being able to help people is my favourite part of the job, so I want to continue doing that as I continue through my career, but the options are endless for where this qualification can take me, so watch this space!”