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Adapting to working and studying? What makes the day easier? What is best for a good work-life balance? How do you maintain boundaries between your work life and study life? Becky Maye, CASSI PRO, explains how she balances work, life and study Starting your career in accounting is an exciting journey but that does not mean it is without challenges.  Finding the right balance between work and study is something that can be difficult for many students. They must adapt their lifestyle to balance work and study. This requires effective time management, and often feels unattainable, but there are some tricks to help. Reach out No matter where you work, there will be many managers, mentors and colleagues who have gone through what you’re going through right now and can empathise with the experience. Build up your relationship with these colleagues as the connections will provide support and guidance while you navigate work and study.  Similarly, many of your peers are sitting exams at the same time so lean on and hold each other accountable. When you work and study together, it makes the day and experience a bit easier.  Set your priorities What makes for a good work-life balance? Everyone is different but there are some key themes among those who strike the balance successfully.  Start by being aware of everything you have happening and what you need to accomplish in any given week. Once you do this, it makes it a lot easier for you to plan accordingly.  Be careful not to overburden yourself and be ruthless with your time – it’s precious.  Once you have your plans set for a week, stick to the plan. If things need to change or move around, that’s okay, but make sure they don’t affect your priorities.  These priorities may also be different week-on-week. In the run-up to exams, your focus should be on studying, but post-exams, it could be time with friends and family or hobbies and extracurriculars.  It is worth noting that even in the run-up to exams, you shouldn’t feel guilty for socialising or having some time for enjoyment or rest. Studying can be a priority while still allowing yourself some time off to recharge and have some fun.  Maintaining a healthy work-life balance also involves finding a balance between work and study. It is crucial to ensure your studies and your work don’t merge into a single aspect of your life.  For many students, this time is often seen as an attempt to juggle both life and work, but it’s important to recognise study and work are fundamentally different and should be treated as such.  Establishing and maintaining clear boundaries between work, life and studies can make this balancing act much easier to manage.  Communicate study needs While everyone wants to excel at work, it’s essential to remember that your time is valuable. If work hours begin to encroach on your study time, the only person who suffers is you.This is especially true when exams approach. It is important to have discussions with your mentor or managers about your study commitments to ensure everyone is on the same page and to avoid becoming overwhelmed with work.  Prioritise your health Finally, it may seem obvious but you must prioritise your mental and physical health throughout these busy times. Make sure to eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep.  Remember you always have people to lean on for guidance if you need help. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your CASSI representatives, the education department at the Institute or the team at Thrive. They will be more than happy to help.   

Chartered Accountants Ireland is set to transform professional education with the launch of Project Athena, an ambitious initiative introducing advanced technology and adaptive learning. Ian Browne highlights what to expect The start of each academic year brings a sense of anticipation for students and the education team, but this year promises to be a very exciting prospect.  The launch of our programmes this year coincides with the introduction of important new initiatives that are set to enhance the learning journey of students for many years to come.  Project Athena Since 2021, the Education Department at Chartered Accountants Ireland has been working to re-imagine the future of education in our profession. Our goal has been to ensure that our students are equipped with the most up-to-date skills and professional training to meet the future needs of business and society.  We will do this by designing and delivering high-quality, student- and member-centred future-focused education.  Our roadmap to achieve this – known as Project Athena – is an ambitious, wide-ranging and multi-year plan. It leverages the most advanced education technology and incorporates the latest in online education theory.  Its remit covers examination, assessment and our learning delivery model while also addressing broader challenges like ensuring our learners maintain their technical knowledge and can evolve their skills throughout their careers.  We have now reached the first implementation phase and are ready to introduce several key initiatives, some of which will be initially released to our first year (CAP1) students.  So, what does this mean for you?  New learning platform We’re excited to release a new Learning Hub, with an advanced and intuitive learning platform for students on all three programmes this September.  We’ve partnered with leading international online learning developers Area9 to create a bespoke platform with Chartered Accountants Ireland learners in mind.  The platform provides a fully integrated experience, connecting all your learning content, textbooks in e-book format, exam-standard question packs and other learning resources – in one aligned pathway, be that for CAP1, CAP2 or FAE.  The platform is easy to find, bookmark and navigate. It also includes a new Communicator function, making it faster to communicate and connect with lecturers and fellow students. In the case of e-books, investment in this technology evidences the Institute’s long-term commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and is a mainstay of our sustainability agenda.  Over time you’ll also see a new technology solution for students to record relevant professional experience (to replace the current CA Diary). Data-driven One of the major advantages of our new platform is the insight we will have into the behaviours and experiences of our students.  We will not only be able to measure engagement metrics but will also have insight into how well our students understand the topics, their level of mastery and where additional supports could be applied over time.  Adaptive learning The most exciting development is the introduction of a new model of online learning, adaptive learning, now ready for release.  Adaptive learning is rapidly becoming recognised as the future of education delivery. It is a data-driven, personalised and participative learning journey with you in the driving seat. High impact and engaging content will be provided at a pace that suits you.  You choose your level of proficiency at the start and view learning content. This is followed by rounds of questions that assess your recall and understanding at each stage. This combination of content and questions makes our new format a genuinely interactive experience.  Initially, two subjects will be delivered using adaptive learning technology to first-year students (CAP1) only: Law RoI/NI and Finance. More information on how to engage with adaptive learning and how to use the functionality will be provided over the coming weeks and in live webinars.  CAP1 autoscored exams Another significant change in exams is the introduction of an autoscored-style assessment format.  Autoscored assessments will use a variety of question types that assess a student’s understanding of the curriculum and will further streamline the online examination process, delivering results much faster.  Autoscored questions will be worked through in each CAP1 live webinar (please refer to 2024/25 timetables).  Sample autoscored papers will be available to reference on the Learning Hub early in the academic year.  This will be initially for all CAP1 students only and the CAP1 exams in May 2025.  Global leader in professional education The above initiatives are the first stage of enhancements, with much more to come.  We are confident that Athena will position Chartered Accountants Ireland as a global leader in professional education. We hope that all our students find the coming academic year an enjoyable, rewarding time.  If you have any questions about Project Athena or regarding a specific area mentioned above, please do not hesitate to contact your programme team at cap1/cap2/fae@charteredaccountants.ie Ian Browne is Director of Education at Chartered Accountants Ireland

From FAE Exams to Senior Associate – Suvi Inkinen explains how she is navigating the post-exam transition from student to full member of Chartered Accountants Ireland I started my three-and-half-year training contract with PwC in September 2020. I had exemptions from the CAP1 exams due to my qualifications from my college degree, leading me to complete my CAP2 exams in my first year and my FAEs in my second.  I was over the moon when I passed my FAE exams in 2022. It’s an outstanding achievement to pass this set of exams, but it also meant I wouldn’t have to study again if I didn’t want to. It was such a fun and bizarre feeling – I hadn’t had a break from exams since pre-college.  It’s a strange feeling to return to work after passing your FAEs. If you’re like me, you didn't think much about life post-exams once you joined your training organisation. Knowing you no longer have exams to complete, no more study leave to take, and no exam workshops and lectures to attend feels foreign. However, the lingering stress of an upcoming exam is also gone, and that feels amazing. When I returned to work after passing my FAEs, I had been out of the office for around four months (three months of study leave and one month of annual leave), and, as an Associate 3, I received a lot more responsibility.  For my first engagement post-exams, I was seconded to the finance department of a large technology company. The content I had studied for my FAEs – which I had spent hours learning, looking over and studying – was precisely what I needed to know for this posting. All the effort was immediately worth it. Over a year after passing my FAEs, I am now a Senior Associate at PwC, which has been a considerable step up from being an Associate 3. I find it challenging but also more fulfilling. This is my first time being a senior on an engagement and delegating work to other associates. It can be pretty daunting, but I’m enjoying it, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my two years of lectures and training contract.  Beyond the liberating gift of a little free time and peace of mind, conquering your exams and going through your training contract opens up opportunities to get involved with the Chartered Accountant Student Societies.  In my case, my involvement in the Dublin and Ireland committees expanded after I passed my exams. I urge anyone, particularly those caught in the whirlwind of membership transition with some extra moments to spare, to dive into this community. It’s an experience that can enrich your professional journey. I’m currently on the exciting path of becoming a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland. There are two crucial steps ahead: submitting my CA diary and completing my graduation. This journey has been very fulfilling, and I take immense pride in how far I’ve come, all while contributing my expertise to PwC.