A board year as Vice-Chairman of Asset | Accounting & Finance – Joep Groenen

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Who am I?

I am Joep Groenen, 21 years old and living for 21 years in the beautiful city of Tilburg. Since November 2020 I have moved into my room and I like it. Currently, I am in year three of the bachelor Business Economics. This means that in February I will start with the last three courses and my thesis. After finishing my bachelor’s I would like to do a master’s in finance or accountancy, but I am not sure yet which of the two I prefer. Before my board year, I was still convinced about an accountancy master, but since I started, I have become more interested in finance. Luckily I still have some time to figure it out! Within A&F, I started with the Activities Committee, after which I joined the Accounting Expedition Committee, just like my buddy Myron. After this fun committee, I decided to become a board member.

Why did I decide to do a year on the board?

If I’m honest, I hesitated for a long time to become a board member. Of course, it is important to consider your choice carefully. I have talked to many people, but also looked at myself and what I wanted. What finally convinced me were a few things. First, I wanted to study for at least one more year. I didn’t see myself working at the age of 22 and I wanted to fill in an extra year in a way that would help me now, but especially in the future. I also noticed that I was ready for a break from study life. Secondly, I wanted to develop myself. I noticed that I tended to develop myself not only in the educational field. I especially liked the development in planning and prioritization. I also wanted to develop myself socially, in a board year you work very closely in a team and you deal with many different people. Because of this, you learn to deal with everyone. This is also the reason why I initially started doing a committee at A&F. I wanted to distinguish myself. There are plenty of people who want to do a master’s in Accountancy or Finance, but how can I make sure that I stand out? With a year board year, this works pretty well! Besides making your CV stand out, you also learn an incredible amount that you would never learn at university. You learn various soft skills, such as keeping a diary. Before my board year, I never used an agenda, but now I can’t live without one. As a result, my days are much more organized and I know better what my priorities are.

Of course, a board year is also great fun. You have a lot of drinks with other board members and you work at the rooms every day, where a DoMiBo is not missing!

How do I feel about starting in winter?

At first, starting in the winter scared me a bit, because of course mid-academic year I’m taking a sort of gap year, while of course, I don’t have a degree yet. In the end, this is not so bad. Through my conversations with Martine, who chose the same time, I learned that it could be an advantage. When I enter semester two of year three, I still have half a year to settle into my study life. In general, the load of a bachelor is quieter than a master. So I won’t start my master’s until I have completely picked up the study rhythm again. Furthermore, I still have that half year of bachelor’s to think carefully about the choice of my master! 

What does a Vice-Chairman do at all?

The question is if I perform anything at all in a day I get mostly from friends and family. The answer is yes, I definitely perform something every day and no, it’s not just breaking out and lying on the couches! As Vice-Chairman, I am responsible for several fixed things. For example, I am the sparring partner of the president. This was first Richard and now Lotte. With Lotte, I have a weekly Vice/Vo meeting to talk about the various issues within A&F and Asset Tilburg. Furthermore, we always go through the General Board agenda together and see what our opinions are on the various topics. I will also take over several tasks from the chairman when he/she is absent.

“The contact with so many different students is not only fun but also very educational. “

I also have my tasks, of course. For example, I am responsible for the internal policies of A&F. This includes filling the committees in the winter and the summer and being responsible for not only active but also passive members. I arrange study support in the form of guidelines, CoEE, and various training sessions. However, since last winter I share these tasks with the Education Committee. Furthermore, I organize the introduction activities for the master Accountancy and Finance, twice a year the board training and the Audit Activity together with our secretary Renate. Finally, within A&F I also make sure the website is up to date. I do this by uploading events, news, and pages. Personally, I enjoy doing this.

Within Asset Tilburg I also have enough tasks. I am in three Asset organs: the Public Relations meeting, the Webmaster meeting, and the BE cluster. The Public Relations meeting is a weekly meeting with the Vice-Chairman of each department. Together we organize all informal events from Asset Tilburg. Think about the Welcome back party or the Grand Opening of the Asset Cafe. I have also helped to paint the walls of the Asset Cafe. Together we are responsible for Asset during the TOP week. For example, I have personally managed the Asset TOP party and the Asset TOP mentorship. I am the Vice of the PR meeting, which means I have to take over the meetings in the absence of Shaye (PR coordinator). Furthermore, I also sit at the Webmaster meeting with each boardie who manages the website of his/her department. Together we also manage the website of Asset Tilburg. I am also the vice president of this website. Finally, I join the BE cluster every Thursday. Together with S&L, SBIT and Marketing we are responsible for committees for first and second-year Business Economics students.

I also coordinate three different committees: the Sports Committee, the Education Committee, and the StudyTour Committee. Although the StudyTour, unfortunately, didn’t happen again this year. Hopefully, it will go on again in all its glory next year though!

What is the most enjoyable part of being a Vice-Chairman?

Personally, there are very many aspects that I enjoy about being a Vice-Chairman. Before I even knew that I was going to do a board year, I knew that the position of Vice-Chairman appealed to me the most out of the six different positions. My predecessor, Jochem, I also talked from time to time, and through that, I learned more and more about what a Vice-Chairman exactly was. The best part of being a Vice-Chairman is the conversations with the new members. The contact with so many different students is not only fun but also very educational. 

Is a board year recommended?

In my opinion, a board year is highly recommendable! However, it is very important to make good consideration. So be sure to talk to a current board member! It never hurts and it helped me a lot. Ultimately, you should see a board year as an investment in yourself. Something you will benefit from later on through your development and the many connections you have made along the way!