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swirl · Newbie Joined: 17 Mar 2008 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hi im from Singapore, currently 30 and would like to do a career switch into the Accounting field. I'm planning to take up ACCA which would take at least 2 - 3 years to complete while starting on an accounting job to start gaining experience in this field. As much as I wish to expedite the learning process as a late starter in this field, I believe in getting my foundations right and would appreciate if someone can give me some advise on the following:

a) What kind of job options can I consider in order to accumulate good accounting experience within a short time?
b) Are there certain types of companies/industries which would be good to consider?
c) Would it be better for me to join a small company where I can learn (but may not be in depth) different types of accounting functions or to join a big company where I will probably learn specific functions in detail and hopefully get the opportunity of rotation to other accounting functions?

I look forward to receiving good advise and thank you in advance.

Pauloz · Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:25 pm Post subject:

swirl

Accountancy contains a tendency to specialize wand compartmentalize, which would be a bit counterproductive at this point.

So

(a) needs to involve general business accountancy, covering the fundamentals at a meaningful level. This is definitely not a waste of time, and gives you some credentials across the basic fields.

(b) Banks, retail and government agencies are big organizations where you can move around a lot easier with fill-in jobs at entry level. One of their greatest assets is in-house training, which could be a very valuable supplement to your degree.

(c) Smaller businesses may provide exposure in a good range of jobs, with fewer people covering more areas of the work.

It's a question of the actual work involved. Some jobs may not be relevant to a career.

Suggest:

1. Check out each job for its scope.
2. Ask an accountant about a career path. You need to know what jobs to avoid, and you need more than theoretical information.
3. Experience is priceless. It's a very big field, and employers need to see a track record.

Make it clear to any employer that you want to broaden your range of experience, and are willing to take on extra work and do fill in jobs, and why.

Your basic approach is correct. You need to have a good grounding in the whole supply chain of accountancy, to be a good accountant.

Your accountancy CV should be a good measuring stick of what you're achieving. Make sure that you can show a good range of experience across the field, and you'll instantly become not only a potential employee, but one who has uses in other areas.

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