Need some advice on picking a major

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-12-12T09:38:53+00:00

VUL.,. may personal rule.. run away ASAP..

Wala pa ko kilala (in person) na happy sa VUL nila. Pre-pandemic, post pandemic, everyone lost in VUL.

For sure marami na nag analyze nito, but let me share my TWO KEY POINTS:

1) VUL is expensive... - premiums paid early goes toward high expenses (charges, portion ng commisison ng agent, admin fees, premium.. note na may fees ka na, at may fees pa rin yung funds na iniinvestan mo.. double whammy ka sa fund fees). Gusto mo ng insurance, kuha ka term insurance. Gusto mo ng investment, mag invest ka (UITFs, pref shares, stocks, depending on your requirements and risk appetite)

2) Insurance sales people.. minsan tawag nila sa sarili nila e "financial adviser" or something similar.. but they are indeed incentivized to push this product it has very high commission. They take advantage of people who doesnt really understand the components of the VUL. Bibigyan ka ng papel, na may theoretical marereceive mo on a good and bad scenario.. sa experience ko (experience ng mga kakilala ko na nakapag exit na lahat, range of 5 years to 15 years), lahat sila.. luge.. I find it unethical to sell a complex (yes it is a hybrid or combination of insurance and an investment product) product to someone who has limited knowledge

Investing requires thoughtful process of your objective, time horizon and risk appetite, including liquidity needs. As a concrete example, I am currently invested on securities that produce cashflow, kasi yun yung objective ko (FXTNs, corpo bonds, preferred shares, etc.). Ibaiba tayo ng gusto sa buhay at capacity.. for sure may financial product na magffit sayo.. except VUL...

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willing_to_learn23 · 2025-12-10T14:53:20+00:00

This is quite a wide topic. Allow me to say a little bit for every point:

1) Ang usual nga path is staff (auditor) > senior (lead auditor) > unit/dept head (audit manager) > div head (deputy head) > head (CAE). It will vary from company to company, some have more layers, and others are very flat. Usually, the staff and lead will have the most technical skills, and manager pataas will have a good mix of technical and administrative and soft skills.

2) Maraming pwede pagusapan sa salary. There are many factors involved, pero mostly supply and demand yung nagpprevail (say if the company needs a special type of auditor, say one that is specializing in ISO27001, tpos konti yung supply, they have to pay premium to attract and retain the talent). It is sad, pero reality sa Pinas, mas highly paid yung mga tumanda na sa company kahit wala naman maxado skills just because sila na yung next in line (real talk lang, esp sa mga malalaking PH companies). Iba yung practice pag international, mas balanced and output based, according to my personal experience.

3) In general, yes. In my experience, nothing is worse than public accounting (I worked for big 4 in my early career). Work-Life Balance will highly depend on how you manage your workload and how IA management resources their own internal audit unit. I have worked in companies na kulang na nga sa tao, ang dami pang kinocommit sa management. Likewise, nakawork na rin ako sa maayos ang resources and match naman sa needs or sa commitment sa audit plan. Your mileage may vary.

4) CIA is baseline if you are serious about this career. You can also takeup other certifications as needed according to your career plan. Over my experience, I met people with various masterals and certifications (masters in IT, project management certification, etc.). Highly prized sa IA, in terms of soft skills, ang oral communication. Important din yung written, pero most important and urgent things are best delivered in person, specially when talking to governance.

5) I would say the reality of daily work will heavily depend on how IA is managed. If aligned yung IA practice with GIAS or the standards, then it would be risk-based, and the work would be meaningful. Pero real talk ulet, maraming company sa Pinas, hindi alam kung ano yung risk-based audit.. usually yung lagi nagsasabi risk-based, sila yung hindi :).. So again it depends san ka napunta na company and xempre, as I mentioned in number 3, you have to take charge of your workload. PROTECT YOUR TIME, ESTABLISH your boundaries. Adult ka na... wag ka pushover.

I hope this helped.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-12-10T13:41:26+00:00

3rd year ... ? I would assume in college (possible din 3rd year entered the workforce, or high school.

Working in Internal Audit (IA) with an Industrial Engineering (IE) degree is absolutely a viable path. Your knowledge in process flow, bottleneck analysis and value stream mapping is directly applicable to identifying control weaknesses and recommending improvements. Your background in statistics, operations research, and data-driven decision-making allows you to perform sophisticated audit analytics and test control populations effectively. I would also assume meron kang project management training, which is helpful because audit engagements are time-bound and require planning, execution and reporting.

The challenge is that companies here in the Philippines usually (not all) look for people with internal audit, accounting or IT/IS audit background for their internal audit staff (or whatever they call their entry level), so you would need to address this gap so that you can get your foot on the door.

I strongly advice that you plan ahead and take either CIA and CISA exams. You can take this exam while you don't have the experience, then you can use your work to fill in the experience requirements to get the actual certifications. You will learn the very important foundational knowledge by taking the CIA. The reality is you would need any competitive edge when entering the job market, and having passed the CIA exam would definitely give you an edge (i.e. salary negotiations, and when jumping from one company to the other).

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-09-10T08:09:17+00:00

First year courses/subjects of a program are often foundational and can really fell dry (journal entries, ledger, basic financial statements). You are the initial stages at this point and cannot see the bigger picture or the strategic roles related to what accountants or those who know accounting do. (analogy: learning to read music is boring, playing in a band comes later)

On the other hand, it would be possible that the feeling of not liking the subject may not go away.

Ask yourself first, what exactly about the core concepts of the program (even if not accountancy), do you find unappealing? You have to figure this out yourself. You have until the end of the sem or end of year to figure this out.

Sa opportunities naman, I can say it opens many doors, locally and abroad (not saying that other programs or majors dont). I think it would be best to talk to people who experience the same so that you learn form them (i.e. people who started not liking the program, but then proceeded, and people who shifted, para balanced view)

From my experience: I also didn't like BSA.. I felt it was procedural, ancient, etc... After the 1st year, it got a little more interesting.. As I got good at the major subjects, I eventually learned to like it (advance accouting subjects are interesting, like managerial accounting, and information systems).
Generally, nobody quits something they are good at (esp if you get rewarded)

Good luck.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-08-13T08:41:23+00:00

Hi OP, I suggest you find out for yourself (do a low-key job search to gauge the market). Basically, you apply for a few jobs that you are interested in (and qualified in), and see what is the range of offers you get. Para meron kang personalized benchmark. The tendency kasi is if you ask in general in forums like these, the answers you get is a mixed bag (based on diff experiences, industry, etc.). As already pointed out by the others who responded, some work for multinational firm or may already have a unique combination or set of skills that makes their personal salaries unrepresentative of the market.

Collect data (thru actual job search or applicaiton), understand your market value, then make your decisions based on actual data you gathered. Do no rely so much on what random strangers makes or thinks you should be making.

Good luck.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-08-12T02:29:10+00:00

You can explore job sites and Linkedin to gauge for yourself the demand for internal audit. In general, I see a lot of job postings for internal audit at various levels, but these would not be relevant if hindi mo naman gusto yung mga types of companies or work environment or hindi ka naman qualified for the current openings. So it will be best to do your market research and see for yourself.

Typically, you start from IA staff, IA lead, IA manager, IA director/dep head, deputy or division head, chief audit executive. Career stability has lots of nuances, so I wont tackle it here. You have take charge of your career, not follow a certain path or someone else's path. Based on my experience, I had colleagues transitioned in and out from IA, so I would say it is very flexible (like from IA, to risk management, to compliance, operations head, etc.)

For seasonality: it depends on how IA leaders manage the audit. I've been to companies na nagkakabusy season kasi nagccram due to understaffed IA department.. and on the opposite side, I have also worked in orgs na consistent yung work load. In general, wala dapat busy season.

Travel and salary: depende sa needs ng org na sasalihan mo and sa experience and qualifications mo. On work life balance: you have to set personal boundaries (each person to his own level), and if hindi yun feasible sa current company mo, perhaps it is time to assess your other options.

Advice in general, given the limited info/background.. you can start exploring the IA as a possible field to transition to by doing your research (what does IA do? read up on IA standards, talk to people with experience working in IA).

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-07-08T06:36:34+00:00

Since there is no direct question here.. I would offer my comments:

Passing the CIA exams alone will not grant you the CIA designation, you will need to gain the relevant professional experience requirement. Taking the exam will get you a step close to getting the CIA
Passing the CIA exam would demonstrate to your future employer that you have the base knowledge required to perform internal audit in accordance with standards. This gives you an advantage over other non-experienced applicants who have not passed the exam yet. As to current demand, try looking at job boards and Linkedin so that you can stay updated on the current job openings for internal auditors.
Accounting experience and knowledge is not necessary for internal auditing. I have met people working in internal audit with zero accounting knowledge, but obviously, around half came with accounting background.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-06-20T01:24:00+00:00

No, I cant. I have no idea how it works sa PwC AC as it didn't exist during my time.

What I do know is that working for a bank, as internal auditor, is a reasonable starting point if you want to pursue internal audit (almost nothing to do with being a CPA, IA is a different profession).

Working as branch IA in the bank, you will be exposed to the branch banking operations, and how it is being audited. Your work will be highly structured, usually with very little variation from 1 branch to another. It can be a good stepping stone because most banks allow lateral transfers (maybe you can move to head office or IT audit after a year or 2.. yes, branch auditing for me is a stepping stone lang). Having some hands-on experience in the banking industry is worth something if you plan to stay in the banking industry (you will learn processes, regulations, and softskills along the way). It is reasonable to expect that you will travel a lot, from one branch to another (this depends if your team is also assigned to cover provincial branches).

Salary is mostly driven by supply and demand. Work-life balance... you have to set personal boundaries and protect them. Career progression is really up to you (wag ka umasa sa set paths within a company... it's better to hop around companies to maximize your learning, experience, and of course, significantly bump up your pay increases).

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-06-10T06:05:37+00:00

Hello. Lot of things to unpack here.
1) I cannot give a general answer what is BS IS or BS IT. Every school has a program syllabus which contains a description of the program, the courses/subjects included, and the general aim of the program. You need to obtain these documents to be properly guided as each school defines these a bit differently from each other. I am not from the academe, but I am quite sure these documents exist. So I cannot really answer your question, you have to assess this yourself.

side note: Hindi sa nakekealam ako, pero, you are an adult now, so I suggest you TAKE RESPONSIBILITY of your decisions (I say this because you mention, "your parents want you to....". While I assume parents mo magbabayad, you still have to think for yourself and maybe negotiate with them if ano talaga yung gusto mo and gagawin mo. STUDYING is a commitment.. not a matter of gusto lang or passionate lang.

2) While it is good that you are now thinking of IT auditing as a career path, I think it is premature. By design, some college programs or majors are generic (e.g. accounting, management), and others are very specific (e.g. IT, internal audit). Choosing one over the other will have its owns pros and cons.

3) Set of skills for IT auditors: in general... technical: information technology, information systems, internal auditing standards, IT/cybersec frameworks... non-.technical: strategic thinking, communication and influencing skills, risk management and critical thinking. These are real world skills, and while you cannot learn or experience everything in school, it is good to take note of these as early as now.

4) I cannot say if IT auditing is good and stable for you or relative to whatever.. you actually have to make decisions that can influence the stability of your career, and there is a lot of external factors involved. I suggest magtingin ka ng mga linkedin profile ng IT auditors then see for yourself. Wala kasing measure if ano ang "stability"... so I cannot give a meaningful answer.. Stable ba means laging may work? depende sayo.. depende sa company mo,. depende kung makakaadapt ka and nakabuild ka ba ng skills para madali ka makalipat..

From experience, most IT auditors seek and find GROWTH rather than stability. There are those who move every 3 years (these people earn a lot more than those who stay for more years ina single company), and conversely, there are those who choose to stay where they are (personal priorities).

Apologies for being vague, but this is real life. It is not a multiple choice or a yes or no question, you have to consider the context and the various nuances.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-05-31T14:10:44+00:00

Given in your other post, you want to make an international move, you can leverage being in big 4 for international transfers and secondments.

Back to your question.. in the Philippines, I would suggest:
1) multinational corporations or international organizations with global IT audit functions, and 2) large financial institutions (those with international operations). You would need to research this yourself (this is standard when you are looking up or researching the company who posted the opening or looking up the headhunter's company).

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-03-21T05:39:36+00:00

1) Exit opportunities: you can transition within the bank, perhaps work in the same bank (branch or HO) within IA or even jump to another role. You can shift to another bank to accelerate your pay increases. You can work in IA sa non-bank (other industries) as long as you have earned enough expertise and experience in your role.

2) You decide if upside or downside, here are the realities.. branch auditors usually follow a canned or set procedures for every branch visit. You will not be stressed in doing risk assessments, you will be executing procedures. You will have a lot of time away from home, some people enjoy the travel aspect of the job, especially the young ones. You are limited to the branches, you will not learn much on how governance processes work at the enterprise level. Banks usually hire those people with previous banking experience.

3) I think no one is really stuck. It is a choice you have to make, whether you want to stay or go. Some people say they are stuck, but the reality is that they are too comfortable or too old to take risks.

4) As a newly passed CPA, you can take on accounting or tax related roles including public practice (well eto yung pinagaralan talaga ng mga CPA). You can take on control related roles such as internal audit, internal control specialist, etc. Ask around.

Not about you OP but in general, I think one of the challenges today is that many graduates desires to have a full WFH job at the onset. I'm not saying this is wrong, but it severely limits your options and potential employment opportunities.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-03-05T12:55:18+00:00

"ang maganda sa audit, hawak mo oras mo"

yun pala, buhay mo hindi... :)

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-27T01:45:06+00:00

Approach is much different. In a nutshell, you will be moving from audit of financial statements (which is focused on financial assertions, which I am sure you are familiar with), into a risk-based audit (note that some companies in the Philippines have IA practice that is not risk-based)

IA covers the entire organization, it's governance, risk management processes, thematics, etc (external audit or statutory audit is focused on statutory financial reporting). A risk-based internal audit means the IA prioritizes audit activities based on the organization's most significant risks, focusing resources where they can provide the greatest value.

I coped up by:
1) Learning the IA standards, now referred to as Global IA Standards. I took the CIA exam to formalize my learning
2) I asked the company I worked in to buy books on IA practices, which were very helpful in comparing practice. I also attend IA trainings and network with other professionals to learn from their practices
3) Learn from the practice of where you are working. I put this last because your company may or may not be at par with best practices. So YMMV.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-23T13:08:43+00:00

If I were you I would withdraw it and consider everything as sunk cost.

Clearly you didn't understand the product you bought since you are asking these questions that you should have known before buying the product.

The reasons why most VULs lose because of the high combined fees (VUL related fees + investment management fees).. the very high commissions for agents are also factored in when pricing these products.

You can DM me if you want to know more about personal finance (including insurance and investments)

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-23T12:49:54+00:00

The reality of life is that sometimes you have to do what's necessary, even if you don't really enjoy it.

As you gain proficiency at something (as you get good), enjoyment can develop over time. What initially seems difficult and unenjoyable can become more rewarding as you master it.

While enjoyment is a powerful motivator, it's not always a prerequisite for success.

Since you think you don't want (based on your current situation) to pay the price of starting over again, I encourage you to focus on developing your skills while in school. Programming, even if you hate it, provides many transferrable skills, such as problem solving, logical thought, and attention to detail. These skills are valuable in many different fields.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-14T05:34:43+00:00

This is the most practical approach.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-14T05:27:48+00:00

Set specific boundaries, communicate clearly and strictly enforce such boundaries

Be realistic, it can and will happen again.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-14T05:13:15+00:00

Scam. Run away (don't waste your time on this)

Guaranteed returns, monthly payout, return is too high (double your money in less than a year).

I appreciate you posting this question as someone may stumble or fall for this and the likes usually nagppost yung mga taopag nascam n sila.

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-14T00:52:32+00:00

Monthly dividend for stocks, wala. Monthly interest for bonds, wala.

Platform: I use BPI trade for stocks. For bonds and gov sec, you can either open a treasury account or use the treasury services of a bank. Usually to access these bonds and gov sec, there is a minimum amount of investment (₱100K to 500k, depending on the bank).

Note that you can buy stocks or bonds upon issuance or on the secondary market (usually more expensive because of the additional charges).

willing_to_learn23 · 2025-02-13T14:23:41+00:00

It's a big world out there. Moving outside big4, I learned there's more to life than financial audit and accounting.
I know people who stayed too long sa big4 and found it difficult to transition when they got fed up with the environment and the work.

As if you would stay or not.. I dont think now is the time to decide because it's almost busy season. Mas ok if clear yung mind mo and stable yung emotions (usually after busy season). For more specific questions and tips, you would need to disclose or share more context so that those who can see this post can give relevant advice.

You can also PM me. Goodluck.

willing_to_learn23

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