Accounting carrer advice needed

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waterlily

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Hi all! I'm a newbie there and I have a serious question about career in accounting.
I'm starting ACCA courses at lsbf as I was told that such courses give good prospects.
Can you please tell me about the real prospects after such courses. Any help will be highly appreciated. :)
 
Stranger things have happened :) Probably better of doing Level 2 CFA to be taken seriously in your shoes though. Loads of people do IMC and CFA 1 but they usually have an MSc as well or so I'm told by applicants.
 
Did any one of you read Accounting for Governmental and Nonprofit Entities all editions? i am thinking to buy that books, is it worth of reading?
 
waterlily said:
Hi all! I'm a newbie there and I have a serious question about career in accounting.
I'm starting ACCA courses at lsbf as I was told that such courses give good prospects.
Can you please tell me about the real prospects after such courses. Any help will be highly appreciated. :)
Click to expand...

Have you done any background checks on this institution? I see their Birmingham 'campus' operates from the same address as a dodgy recruitment company.
 
waterlily said:
Hi all! I'm a newbie there and I have a serious question about career in accounting.
I'm starting ACCA courses at lsbf as I was told that such courses give good prospects.
Can you please tell me about the real prospects after such courses. Any help will be highly appreciated. :)
Click to expand...

Try the professional associations of these bodies. Talk to specialised recruitment firms. Ring company HR depts and ask them about the realities of the career you are contemplating......etc
 
pboyles said:
Have you done any background checks on this institution? I see their Birmingham 'campus' operates from the same address as a dodgy recruitment company.
Click to expand...

LSBF is legit,I've used them before. They rent out masses of space in office blocks and so share with all kinds of businesses.
 
scose-no-doubt said:
Stranger things have happened :) Probably better of doing Level 2 CFA to be taken seriously in your shoes though. Loads of people do IMC and CFA 1 but they usually have an MSc as well or so I'm told by applicants.
Click to expand...

Can't agree with that I'm afraid. Assuming the OP wants a career in accounting and not front office financial services then way better to get an actual accounting qualification. Ultimately that doesn't bar you from the front office anyway if you end up in that direction (stranger things have happened...!).

Neil's advice at 7.45 yesterday is spot on. Given the time and money involved, well worth contacting the people he lists. Personally I would go for ACA or CIMA over ACCA but that comes down to personal situations / preferences, although no doubt that ACA is the more prestigious qualification (although in the old days you needed a training contract to study it, not sure if that's still the case).
 
I suspect for banking ACA is best if that's where you want to be given the competition. But even then if you want the pick of roles in a major bank you may need to have gone the Red Brick, Ex Big 4 route.
 
To do accounting in a bank you're probably only going to get hired if you qualify at a big 4 firm. Back in the day there was more in house training, where you do the same 3 year stint whilst studying at a bank rather than in practice. This is rare now and not in small part due to off shoring and near shoring of finance roles. Also - do not make the mistake of doing the exams whilst not working in a relevant role. This is a mistake for 2 major reasons: 1 you only get your qualification signed off if you have 3-4 years of relevant experience as they are designed to be done in parallel. 2 - you will find it harder to pass an exam on say financial reporting if you have zero practical experience of it.
 
I am also new in accounting, and I would like suggestion from you guys for some basic accounting books? Suggest me something? Thanks!
 
waterlily said:
Hi all! I'm a newbie there and I have a serious question about career in accounting.
I'm starting ACCA courses at lsbf as I was told that such courses give good prospects.
Can you please tell me about the real prospects after such courses. Any help will be highly appreciated. :)
Click to expand...

I am an ACCA - qualified back in the 80's

becoming a Qualified accountant gets you into the middle of most things if you are prepared to work hard and become a Financial controller / manager / Director of a company (s)

also most CEO's of major organisations have Finance or Legal backgrounds so accounting is the stepping stone into Commercial roles of you want them (y)

N
 
which to go for now ?

Depends on what you want to do.........

ACA if you want to be an auditor

ACCA / Cima wont allow you to publically practice as an Auditor but for me is the best route to working in business (usually working in business while you study)

you will sh*t all over ACA's who try to come into business...but thats just my opinion !

Tee hee
N
 
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