It all officially started on January 24, 2018. After being installed by a hammer blow, it was time. My board year as External Affairs at Asset | Accounting & Finance has started. After a few weeks of conveyance it was time to take over the baton from Roel Dolders. Not sure what awaited me, but never less motivated.
It has already been about 8 months since I entered the rooms for the first time as an official boardie. Now that I am trying to write down my experiences from the past time, I realize how quickly time has flown by. Before I know it I will announce my successor and then it is my turn to pass on everything I have learned.
The question many ask is why I chose to do a board year if I could have just graduated and start my career. I was always pretty sure that I wanted to do a board year, but at the moment I had to decide, the doubt struck. Was this really what I wanted? Now that I look back on the past few months, I can say with certainty that I never had any regrets.
This is where all the clichés such as “personal development” and “building a network” come into play. But clichés would not be clichés if they were not true. Yet you have to look further during a board year than the aforementioned.
In my position as External Affairs, I am responsible for the acquisition. During the summer period I was able to visit all the current and perhaps new partners. Here the brochure, which you have made together with your co-external, will be discussed. During the talk you try to come to a suitable cooperation together. The many talks have made this period the busiest yet crucial. It is not only valuable for yourself, but also for the association, that it is possible to do this. Knowing how important it is to succeed, that gives you just that extra motivation.
Acquisition and company contact obviously play a major role within my function, but that is not all. As a winter external, I am also the coordinator of the Financial Business Dinner and the Finance Expedition and I manage and maintain our social media channels. These tasks are the common thread, but not a single week is the same. Of course you have the recurring meetings and calling moments, but beyond that there are always changing tasks such as designing a flyer or arranging a DoMiBo.
”I find myself having a moment almost every week that I am proud of. Is it not something that I achieved, then it is something that we have achieved together as an association.”
A board year is not, as some people think, a year filled with “alcohol and parties”. It requires hard work and long days but you also get a lot in return. I find myself having a moment almost every week that I am proud of. Is it not something that I achieved, then it is something that we have achieved together as an association. This can vary from bringing in a new partner to finally getting the hang of InDesign. Apart from these practical matters, the active members also contribute to making my board year memorable. If you see that an activity is well visited, they have fun and that the members meet outside of A&F activities, then you will stop and think about what a beautiful association has been built up over the years. A feeling of pride cannot fail.
Nevertheless, a board year does not only consist of enjoyable moments. Sometimes you are brought down to earth. There are always setbacks and sometimes it does not go the way as you had hoped. Yet, I firmly believe that this is an essential part of a board year. It forces you to think outside the box and lets you realize that real life is not without bumps on your path.
All of the above mentioned does not come close to everything you experience, but I do not think it is possible to describe it in detail. There are no best moments or biggest disappointments. There’s not that one thing that teaches you the most. You have to look at your board year as a whole. And when I look back on that, I can recommend everyone to make the same choice as I did and just go for it.
If you want to know more about my board year after this article, visit room E1.07 and ask your questions during a cup of coffee!
