There is no single route to becoming a qualified accountant, and Emma Round’s journey is testament to that.
After qualifying last year and earning a promotion to Manager, Emma reflects on her journey as a trainee.
Finding the right path
Armed with a degree in Geography, and with a penchant for payroll, Emma didn’t necessarily see the letters ‘MAAT ACCA’ ever following her name.
However, after 8 years at Harold Sharp pursuing her career in payroll, she found herself considering a detour into accounting.
“I was already working on payroll, but I liked what I was hearing from the Accounts team, so I spoke to my Manager about building my experience in Accounts. I then started to split my time between the two teams. That’s when I chose to start my AAT Level 4.”
“With hindsight, I think I would have started with Level 3. At the time, my priority was to pursue the quickest route possible. I didn’t fully consider the foundation of knowledge that you gain from completing Level 3 first.”
Once embedded into the Accounts & Outsourcing team full-time, and on completion of the AAT, Emma began her ACCA course. Reflecting on her choice of ACCA over ACA, Emma cited her preference for freedom of choice in her exams.
“I was exempt from the first level of the ACCA because I did the AAT, except for the Law certificate. For the final 4 exams, 2 are set by the board and 2 are my own choice – that was something that really appealed. Plus, I knew I didn’t want to do the case study. I chose ACCA because it gave me the flexibility to align the learning with what I enjoyed.”
Life as an accountant
Emma also talked of how becoming a qualified accountant is more than just the qualification, and how it changed her day-to-day as well.
“My day-to-day has changed most since qualifying in comparison to anything before that. The learning doesn’t stop, and I’m much busier now. I have a greater level of responsibility, a larger client base and the opportunity to take ownership of fee discussions. Personally, I find my work much more enjoyable now that my exams are out of the way. I feel more in control.”
Emma also spoke about how that control largely comes from having clarity over the future of her career. “After qualifying, I allowed myself the space to think – what do I want out of this career longer-term? Where do I want to be? What you want out of your career will change and the extent to which you articulate that to your Manager(s) will dictate how much more responsibility you might start to take on.”
Advice for existing trainees
Finally, Emma shared her advice for those still on their journey, including those weighing up university or apprenticeships.
“Don’t worry about how long it’s taking you to do your exams – it’s whatever works for you as an individual. Which route you take largely depends on what type of person you are. If you’re 18 and want to get started working, then an apprenticeship is a great option. If you’re not ready and want to experience the university lifestyle, then obviously there are pros to doing a degree. Personally, I don’t feel like my degree has aided my career in accounting – but it was the right decision for me at the time.”
“I’d also just add that there will be stumbling blocks along the way. Learning for exams is completely different to learning on the job, and that takes a bit of getting used to. I definitely felt that my experience in practice made the jump from AAT to ACCA more manageable. For me, it was the jump up to the Advanced papers that was the hardest transition. The style of paper and the style of exam changed and that required a bit of a switch in mindset. To anyone on the journey reading this – perseverance is key. Stick at it, as it’s really rewarding when you get to the finish line!”
Each quarter our Trainee Working Group sit with a member of the team for 30 minutes of Q&A to find out about their path to progression, what made them choose accounting and why they stuck it out. Stay tuned on the Careers Hub for more stories like Emma’s.
Glossary of routes to qualification mentioned:
- ACCA – Association of Chartered Certified Accountants; globally recognised qualification focusing on accounting, auditing, and finance.
- ACA – Associate Chartered Accountant; qualification from ICAEW, covering technical, ethical, and strategic aspects of accountancy.
- AAT – Association of Accounting Technicians; practical qualification ideal for entry-level roles in finance and bookkeeping.