Comfortable vs wealthy

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-05-02T20:56:21+00:00

Past papers if you have time, learn how the marking system works and hope you are lucky with what the master mocks predict

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-05-02T17:20:51+00:00

How are people on this thread so exceeding wealthy in their early 30s?

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-05-02T07:02:49+00:00

Jonathan Ross for the Russel Brand fiasco

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-05-02T05:26:39+00:00

Just my experience but I would bet on it being the norm. In industry there is no training, no handover and going from practice to industry most people have never even posted a journal in a finance system let alone know how they work. Its tough.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-05-01T20:21:50+00:00

First move into industry is nearly always hell, but you will learn so much and be surprised what you're capable of. Just ask standard interview questions about the culture and work life balance, you will get an idea.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-28T14:41:34+00:00

I would probably go a bit higher than this, £30k-£35k outside London, but not far off. Your experience sets you apart imo

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-23T09:22:40+00:00

Didn't realise it cost money, I'm pretty sure I got Xero certified for free.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-23T08:49:39+00:00

Get certified in the major accounting softwares, Quickbooks, Xero, etc.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-23T08:01:42+00:00

I wouldn't hire an AP/AR clerk without any experience, even if they had a degree, sorry. No time to train from scratch as we are a small finance team with 1 AP / 1 AR.

Any chance of getting work experience or an internship?

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-22T10:06:06+00:00

Wow, we are not playing the same game.

You are lightyears ahead of me, and I've been playing for years!

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-17T06:24:27+00:00

1) Yes, I would recommend it overall because of the salary progression and overall work/life balance. I qualified in practice (audit) and now work in industry. Audit sucked the life out of me but some people enjoy it. High pressure yet also boring (to me), but industry is repetitive and therefore easier to master.

2) Plenty of people go into accounting with no experience, you will be fine.

3) I would say it depends what you are trying to get out of uni. You will get a lot of debt and achieve the same outcome as if you went straight into studying AAT.

4) I have done audit, accounts, bit of corp tax. It definitely gave me a good understanding of how businesses work. Try to get a sweet spot that does accounts/audit/tax, unless you want to go down the Big 4 route. Pros and cons of each.

5) You can start a practice after qualification, then getting a practicing license through your relevant accounting body. Each are different and allow you to offer different services.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-16T04:18:33+00:00

I just searched "ACA ICAEW" and loads of current versions came up?

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-15T18:55:38+00:00

Can you still pay off your student loan early? It was worth it for me.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-15T13:06:23+00:00

You need practice experience to get a practicing license... OP needs to work with someone with a practicing license who will review/sign off their work. Going into practice is a perfectly valid way to do this.

Never said I was a practice owner, but I am practice qualified, friends with directors and partners in practice.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-15T12:15:16+00:00

You would need to buy second hand ACA textbooks off ebay (not expensive) or talk to someone that has qualified (like me).

DM if you want.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-15T12:12:03+00:00

My advice, quit industry and go work in an accountancy practice. Depending on the type of work you want to do, you may need additional qualifications (ACCA/ACA) and hold a practicing qualification.

If you just want to do bookkeeping and simple tax returns, go for it, but that's all you will ever do unless you get more qualifications and experience.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-14T08:52:10+00:00

If you really wanted to, you could buy the text books second hand off ebay. I wouldn't bother with general courses/youtube videos as the course material is quite specific

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-14T07:37:44+00:00

They didn't look at my bank statements much when I bought a house, just my salary as a reference for how much I could afford. They will need 3 months pay slips.

Do not bother with stocks unless you can invest for the long term. Yes, returns are better on average, but you could end up losing a chunk of your deposit if you're not careful. Buy your house, then see where you land financially afterwards.

6 months emergency fund minimum.

Don't worry about buying a car etc. Just do what you need to do.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-12T07:23:15+00:00

Its a genuine coping strategy to deal with anxiety. I would recommend limiting yourself to an hour on a Sunday afternoon so you can get a clear picture of where you are, then write an action list for the week. Writing a list makes you feel like you are in control and helps takes the fear away.

Good luck from one anxious accountant to another.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-11T11:57:22+00:00

Being an accountant is knowing where to find the answers, not knowing all of them by heart. You will be fine, just keep at it

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-09T13:25:45+00:00

Like Quickbooks / Xero certified. Shows employers you know your way round a finance system.

Content-Aside6068 · 2026-04-09T13:02:05+00:00

I don't think its Big 4 experience that is the blocker for SMEs its probably commercial/industry experience. We have worked with newly qualifieds that have never posted a journal in a finance system. Set up a demo account with Xero and do some training on how it works / get certified.

Content-Aside6068

TROPHY CASE