Osaiasi Langi

"Since I did some accounting in high school, I already felt drawn to it. Then I took a first-year Business course, where you work in a classroom setting, come up with ideas and have discussions. I enjoyed that. After the first year, seeing that I did well in Accounting and enjoyed it, I thought I’d pursue it.

"I loved the class experience, which included many group discussions and collaboration. I remember an assignment with a group presentation in a room of around 60 students, which was a good way to test my teamwork and collaboration skills. In accounting, I remember that in my first year of accounting classes, we did case studies on fraud—famous fraud cases from courtrooms. I remember an assignment where we identified indicators of fraud in financial statements. That was interesting because of the real-world connection and financial analysis. It aligns directly with my current role, which involves identifying trends and comparing data."

"I learned that everything is on you. You need to have motivation to succeed in your career. At university, no one chases you for assignments, and that is the same for your career. You’re responsible for doing your Chartered Accounting studies and taking control of your career. Networking is another key aspect. I made some of my closest friends at uni, and it’s true what they say: 'Your network is your net worth.'"

"Auditing verifies the accuracy of financial statements we audit by businesses. On a more detailed level, it’s using various procedures to test each business process within a company. Through collaboration and teamwork, we find the best way to verify all the numbers presented by these companies. I feel auditing is good because no two days are the same even with similar clients. One day, I may be testing revenue, looking at bank statements and matching receipts. Another day, I may test payroll and request employee contracts to verify payments against the bank statement."

"I think it’s about being honest with yourself from the start and having clear priorities. For example, achieving good grades might be your top focus, but it’s just as important to think about what comes next—like valuing time with family or knowing when to say no to distractions. You have to make sacrifices to keep your priorities straight."

"Being part of Commerce ‘o Pasifika was a great experience. I knew I could go to them whenever I needed people to talk to or a study group for assignments. I value the Tuākana tutors highly. I often met with tutors who were very open to sitting down with me and going through an entire assignment. I’d often leave being thankful because they helped me feel less lost when working on assignments. Plus, it’s also good for networking, and you can make a lot of friends."

"I’d say you don’t have to have everything figured out, though it’s great if you know what you want to do and how to get there. But if you don’t, there are avenues at the Business School to help you figure out where you want to go. I was able to gain perspectives from different subjects in the classes I took, which reaffirmed what I wanted to pursue."