Down, but not out – that was the mantra of Adele Rooibaatjie as she moved from struggling student to become a recruiter at one of the world’s Big Four auditing firms.
A dream can be a driving force – or it can seem as though it hovers, almost mockingly, just out of reach. And when it does, it takes enormous strength to keep after it. Luckily, Adele has strength in droves, and this – along with financial assistance from Thuthuka and the unwavering support of her family – made it possible for her to realise of her goal of becoming a CA.
Growing up, Adele wasn’t entirely sure of what a career as a CA would entail. That’s not surprising, given that there were no industry role models in the Mitchells Plain community where she grew up. It was her grandfather (who raised her) who suggested that she might enjoy the work – and as a top achiever in maths and accounting, it seemed a natural choice.
The problem? A lack of funds. ‘My grandfather was a truckdriver and worked overtime most days so that he could make ends meet. There weren’t many luxuries at home,’ Adele recalls. Fortunately, she was able to attend a Thuthuka camp when she was in Grade 12, and the following year was granted a bursary to study at UCT – making her the first in her family to earn a degree.
Stumbling blocks and sacrifices
Adele took to her studies immediately. She sailed through her first two years but hit a major stumbling block in her third year when she failed management accounting. ‘I felt heartbroken,’ she admits. ‘I had grappled with the subject because I had no context for it, and failing it meant my graduation would be deferred. My grandmother had already told all our neighbours I would be graduating, and I was so sad to disappoint everyone.’ A greater concern was that she did not have funding to complete Financial Reporting 3, which she had already passed but would have to repeat to qualify for admission to her post graduate degree. Adele’s course convenors were ‘amazing’, however, requesting further funds from Thuthuka to allow her to complete the course.
Although the experience had shaken her, she was more focused and determined than ever before. All the same, once she had her degree in hand, she was concerned she didn’t have what it took to finish the next step: the notoriously challenging PGDA. Her worst fears came true when she received just 14% for her first exam. ‘I remember thinking that my age was actually higher than that mark!’ she says. She recalls sitting in the auditing exam feeling the weight of expectations on her and giving in to a full-blown panic attack, which worsened as she watched her friends industriously writing away. ‘I was ready to give up, because I felt like quitting was better than failing,’ she says. ‘I phoned my grandfather to tell him, but he said to me, “Don’t be the one to say no. If you’re given an opportunity, take it – never turn it down. If you want to be a CA, we are not giving up.”’
Faith rewarded
Adele was so motivated by her grandfather’s words that she determined to keep on – even after she failed her PGDA and lost her Thuthuka funding. Her grandfather postponed his retirement to support her during the repeat year, and she worked hard in return, spending every minute that she wasn’t at lectures in the library. ‘It wasn’t the course that changed – it was me. I was more focused, more committed. I attended every single class, sat in the front row, asked tons of questions – and passed well.’
One thing wasn’t resolved, though: the question of fees. Adele felt that this was a matter of faith – and that faith paid off when she was discussing the problem with a friend who had a contact at Deloitte. Right then her friend accompanied her to Deloitte and told his contact that he had to interview her for a training contact. Three days later Adele had her training contract, and her funding problems were solved.
A final triumph
Adele remembers the day she could finally tell her family that she had the letters CA(SA) behind her name: ‘I’d been sitting at my then-boyfriend (now husband’s) house with my sister. We were singing gospel songs to get into the right headspace, but the text announcing my APC results had not yet arrived. Then my boss phoned me and asked how it felt to be a CA.’ Adele was trembling when she arrived home to tell her grandfather, who hugged her for ‘what felt like the longest time’. ‘It was the most enormous feeling of relief and pride. I felt that with this achievement, I had changed my family’s bloodline. I had taken hold of the baton, and it was a blessing to be able to look after my family as they had looked after me. We had fought so hard to get to this moment.’
Adele swiftly learnt that she works best with people rather than numbers, and so she welcomed an opportunity to move into recruitment after her articles. This opened the door to coaching university students, a job she relishes. ‘I love encouraging the students to use their power and reminding them what they are capable of, and I especially love talking to people whose upbringing is similar to mine. I didn’t know a single CA when I was growing up, and I wish I’d had someone to take me by the hand and say, “This is what it means to be a CA, these are the challenges you are going to encounter, and this is why you have to stick it out.”’
Today, Adele uses the lessons she learnt through her own experience to host motivational talks and develop vacation programmes and university projects. She also mentors a number of students who are on their way to becoming CAs. It’s a space she loves playing in, because she maintains that the qualification isn’t the final destination – rather, it’s about the impact you can make along the way.
Adele intends to maintain her focus on the recruitment space for some time. ‘There are so many ways corporates can make an impact in this space,’ she says. In time, though, she hopes to establish her own business so that she can take her skills back to her community and play a role in uplifting the businesses there. She’s already making inroads in her capacity as co-founder of Success in Colour, an organisation that aims to motivate students of colour as they pursue their professional goals. ‘My ultimate dream is to create a tribe of CAs who are committed to paying it forward,’ she says.
Trying to get ahead
Adele’s advice to aspiring students who are determined to reach their goals is to make use of whatever resources are available to them. The Internet is an especially powerful tool, she points out: use it to research the field you are interested in and find out what life is like for people who work in it. Then, find a mentor in that field (LinkedIn might help here) and ask if you can shadow them at work. ‘Remember that the more you reach out, the more likely you are to find someone who will ultimately tell you “yes”.’
Author Lisa Witepski | Photographer Theana Breugem
