I Survived the First Virtual Boot Camp
M
y peers in the North Okanagan lauded GFOABC Boot Camp as essential training for Financial Officers. I, on the other hand, was quite skeptical when I found out that it was to be a virtual presentation because of COVID-19 restrictions. Being a relational person, I couldn’t fathom how logistically the interaction between instructors and attendees would result in a high degree of success for education or networking purposes. I just would have preferred to interact with my cohort on a personal level. I was pleasantly surprised that I could engage with a screen for that many hours a day. It was exhausting yet exhilarating. The instructors utilized the technology famously and the moderators encouraged contributions from all participants. The virtual platform was actually very effective and the comprehensive scope of information, although overwhelming because of the information overload, will be indispensable to me in my role as a Finance Officer. Fortunately, participants receive excellent documentation in the form of guidebooks for each session and if there was something not covered in the material, links were provided to other resources. That in itself was absolutely invaluable. Presentations were made on the fundamental roles of a Finance Officer including; budgeting, financial planning, property taxation, sources and uses of funds, financial accounting & reporting etc. A broad range of individuals such as; expert CFOs, seasoned auditors, and representatives from various Ministries, BC Assessment, MFA and CivicInfo BC delivered these sessions. Virtual break-out rooms were available to teams for discussion, assignments and networking. Throughout the whole Boot Camp there was a fierce competition between the teams to secure the coveted Golden Boot. My Red Team were prolific posters on the social media walls and worked diligently at garnering all the extra points we could muster. Leading in points throughout
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the daily grind Red did fail miserably at our skit, and watched from the back of the pack, as the Yellow Team’s rendition of “Yellow Submarine” swooped to win all the accolades of the judges. Ultimately, we did prevail and were awarded the Golden Boot for the class of 2020. Overall, Boot Camp was a fabulous experience that I can confidently, highly recommend no matter what delivery method GFOABC decides to use. My binder of Boot Camp documents is already well worn and will be utilized regularly throughout my tenure as a Finance Officer. •
DORI ALGER joined the Village of Lumby as the Manager of Finance/Financial Officer in early October of 2019. Previously, she spent two years as the Controller for School District 60 in Fort St. John and ten years at the City of Prince George as a Budget Analyst and Fleet Administrator.
