Figure it out

Grow or don’t; the choice is yours,” says Alejandra Horvath CPA, CGA, a content creator and presenter. “I definitely wanted to have my designation because I knew that was going to open doors for me.”

The freedom that came with having her designation has been a true career highlight and has allowed her to dip her toe into many different waters. “I have seen that, without your designation, your options are more limited, and it’s harder to move around,” Alejandra says. “For me to have that credential in my pocket gives me opportunities.”

Tell the story

“You can have a designation, but if you don’t have communication skills, it’s going to be very hard for you to show others what you are able to do,” says Alejandra.

Communication, Alejandra says, is how you get your message across and tell the story your technical skills have already figured out. Good communication can help you be a better employee and a better coworker; it can help improve both working and personal relationships; it can help you build a bigger and better network.

“It’s important you know how to translate your financial knowledge to any audience, not just to accountants,” she says. “Always read the audience, read who you’re talking to, and think about telling the story of those numbers to that person or group of people.”

Alejandra underlines the importance of being able to share knowledge with your audience in a way they understand. She explains: “We’re not saying, ‘This is the debit. This is the credit.’ We say, ‘This is what happened, and this is what will help you make a business decision…. These are the options I see, and these are the pros and cons of each of them.’”

Never stop learning

Obtaining her designation was a dream come true for Alejandra, but the learning did not stop once she had that shiny piece of paper in hand.

It continued with simply wanting to learn more about Excel and Power Query and to share what she’d learned—but not everyone was interested in the content. So she found a new audience: YouTube.

Alejandra started sharing her knowledge on her YouTube channel and attending free learning events. “As I was attending [these events,] people started asking me if I gave presentations,” she says with a laugh. “I told them I just have my channel, but they kept asking!”

Eventually, Alejandra said yes, and has since presented to audiences all over the world, from Saudi Arabia to Mexico, from Latin America to Africa. “Learning is important, but I think teaching is just as important,” she says. “If you don’t teach what you know, sometimes you forget it…and you also don’t receive feedback and questions that make you wonder and make you want to investigate more.

“For me, teaching has been key in learning.”

One unexpected learning from this journey was how to overcome mistakes. How do you deal with a mix-up when you’re presenting live to people around the world? How do you regain your footing after a flubbed demonstration or a misspoken word? “The only way to come back is by trying and showing your vulnerability,” Alejandra says. “You can say, ‘I don’t know why it’s giving an error, but we will figure it out.’”

And that figure-it-out attitude has served Alejandra well. “That has been key, and I think it’s a skill or trait that helps you anywhere—curiosity, that attitude of saying, ‘I don’t know, but I will try,’” she says. “And more often than not, you will figure it out!”

Keep it simple

Alejandra knows lifelong learning, increasing your skills, and advancing professionally don’t have to be complicated. She suggests LinkedIn Learning, your local library, and of course, YouTube as great resources. She also commends the age-old advice of staying connected.

“When you start your journey, put some time into networking,” she says. “It’s not just going to an event to enjoy some drinks or food. Networking is to go to events, meet people, and start relationships that might last a long time.”

A different way of remaining connected is to find a mentor, which Alejandra says doesn’t need to be an “official” mentor. It can be someone you admire or want to be like. Study what they’ve done to get to where you’d like to be and emulate it with your own style. It’s obviously working for them, so maybe it can for you too!

“Don’t find excuses,” says Alejandra. “Find solutions. Keep learning and keep on top of the tools that will make you successful.”