For a good
beginning – a linguistic puzzle. What’s the English for wyjęty z życiorysu? No
dictionary can help translating this concept of busy period in which one cannot
lead a normal life. So what? Subtracted from life? Taken out of lifetime?
Written off? Simply lost or wasted?
Regardless
of what correct translation is, the fortnight which started yesterday enjoys
such status. I’ve just entered the final stage of my CFA level I exam
preparation which has lasted since late March this year. The exam in its substance is not
very difficult, but the size of curriculum a candidate has to master and time
frame allotted to answer all tricky questions make it a challenge. I sacrificed
an equivalent of my monthly salary to sign up for the programme and buy the books
and spent several hundred hours sitting for it (if paid for which as for doing
overtime I would have earned more than my car’s market value today), so a
failure would be a considerable pity. Nevertheless I am prepared for the worst
scenario and if it materialises, the world is not going to end, yet I’ve taken
precautions to prevent it. I don’t fail to prepare, but this doesn’t mean I don’t
have to be mentally prepared to fail.
I’m going
to spend the coming days going over mock exams and revising the whole
curriculum (3,000 pages, over a hundred formulas…). I initially planned to
train before the exam by emulating the exam day schedule, i.e. cracking two
exam sheets a day, as I’ll have to do on the exam day. This would require six
hours spent doing tests plus additional time spent checking and reviewing
answers and would terribly wear me down. The first day of exercising proved I
should divide this by two, unless I want to come to the actual exam totally
exhausted. So the revision schedule has been reset, so that I don’t end up
weary and burnt-out on 1 December.
The coming
time will be an experience of seclusion. I’ve taken ten days off work (paid),
my phone will be switched off during working hours to preclude anyone from the
office from nagging me with calls, the car will sit in the garage and won’t
congest ul. Puławska during rush hours. Apart from down-to-earth activities
I’ll focus on studying and taking physical exercise (a visit to the swimming
pool in Piaseczno every second morning is a must) to give my brain enough
oxygen to work at full steam and prevent me from putting on weight, while being
fed by my mother (although it wouldn’t hurt to make up for at least one of
these three kilograms lost in October and putting my on the verge of being
underweight).
The
experience of solitude confirms, again, I’m not cut out for working, nor
spending time totally on my own, nor for academic work consisting in poring
over books and taking details into pieces. Not a wonderful time, yet anyone who
wants to achieve something in life must go through such phases.
Apologies
in advance if I don’t post next Sunday and keep your fingers crossed on 1
December.
Prudent Student ;)
2 comments:
I suggest:
"These next two weeks are going to be a total write-off."
But I would also suggest that they *won't* be a total write off. Sounds like you're doing something useful. Good luck!
Fingers crossed! You have the Right Stuff. Prezes of the NBP some day, mark my words!
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