I have always been sensitive to numbers. Maths and economics have always been my favorite subjects in school. My earliest memory of $ was that of my grandmother saving coins of different denominations for me in figurine piggy banks.
It is therefore no surprise to any of my friends and family members that I chose to major in accountancy. Unlike most of my peers, I actually enjoyed my 3 year accountancy course in a local university. After serving National Service (in the army) for 2 years 4 months which entailed a lot of dirt, sweat and blood, what’s there not to enjoy when I get to go to class for 3 days a week, with majority female company and freedom to hang out with my friends. I also enjoy working with numbers and appreciate the clear logic of the income statement and balance sheet.
Alas, nothing last forever. The moment we graduate, we are off to join the rat race of life. Like most of my peers, I joined a Big 4 professional firm. I tried applying for management associates roles in the global banks but never made it past the first round of interviews.
This was how I ended up in a Big 4. For an average student, it wasn’t a bad career entry point. There was a nice orientation and lunch with a nice partner (who recently retired). Reality quickly sets in though. 12 hours days are a norm. During peaks, it was not unusual to work till midnight and repeat the cycle the next day. Weekends and public holidays are no defense to the tight timelines we were under. I barely survived 3 years. Once I got my CPA, I ran and never look back.
That said, I did reflect on my life back then. What if I got a cushier job? Would I be less motivated to quit the rat race? I believe events in our lives happened for a reason. Regardless of how painful the experience may be, there are always takeaways. My motivation for FIRE was lit during those dreary days with no day or night. If I couldn’t take it and was dozing off during lunch and toilet breaks in my early 20s, how would it be possible to last the decades through my 30s, 40s and dare I say it, 50s and even 60s which is when regular folks retire?
I started saving as much as I could and opened a CDP account to invest. Looking back now, joining a Big 4 was one of the best things that happened to me. It started my journey through FIRE!