Centre for Continuing Education will toast graduating class on Thursday night

When Lilianna MacIntosh celebrates her graduation from McMaster’s accounting program Thursday night, it will be a major step toward her dream of becoming a certified general accountant.

MacIntosh says she had planned to earn a professional accounting designation for at least 15 years, but while working full-time and having two sons at home she felt she did not have the time to continue her education.

On Nov. 12, she’ll join 160 other graduands and their guests at the Centre for Continuing Education’s graduation ceremony at the Hamilton Convention Centre.

Back in 2009, when her youngest son left home to go to university, and with her older son already off at school, MacIntosh decided the time was right for her to go back to school too. She researched programs and found that McMaster’s Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) offered many courses she could transfer towards her sought-after designation.

She started the program in September 2009, planning to take one course a term. At this time, MacIntosh had been out of school for nearly 25 years. “I was a bit concerned. Going back was a lot,” she says.

MacIntosh received support from family, and from the instructors at CCE.

She was able to relate to her sons as they pursued their education, and they were both “instrumental in helping to navigate going back to school,” especially when it came to submitting assignments and other online aspects of course work.

The CCE instructors made it easy to get back into learning. “Carol, the instructor for my first course, made it really comfortable,” says MacIntosh. “She provided a lot of examples and made sure students understood what she was teaching, instead of just leaving it up to students.”

MacIntosh’s plans were proceeding, but changes in the various professional accounting designations “pushed her schedule up a bit” and she took seven courses in the past year while still working full-time. “The weeks went by very fast, with reading, homework and working full-time.”

To face the challenges of balancing work with an accelerated study schedule, MacIntosh made sure she made designated time for studying, often going to the library early Saturday mornings, or studying through the evening.

“It’s a challenge you have to build in to your life,” she says. MacIntosh also received support from her employer, which allowed her to take off for exams.

She would recommend the program to any of her colleagues or family, especially if they have been out of school for a while. The interaction and support of instructors and teachers also helped.

“The instructors genuinely enjoy teaching adult students and they get it, so that was refreshing,” says MacIntosh. “They understand the challenges of working full-time and balancing families along with going to school. They encourage students to let them know they can do it.”

Working for an international company, MacIntosh interacts with many finance managers, and is sure the education she received from McMaster’s Centre for Continuing Education will help her as she advances in her career.

“The more classes I took the more confident I got. What I learned at CCE through the Accounting program gave me a really strong base to earn my professional designation.”

Following her Accounting diploma, MacIntosh was able to transfer her credits to a degree program. She is now only one credit away from completing her university degree.

And as a parallel, MacIntosh’s younger son is set to graduate from his program this December.

“I got better marks than him,” she jokes.