Advice

Basically I graduated from CIT in 2011 with a Bachelor of Business in Accountng (Hons) with a 2.2.

I had a small child at the time ( mid degree) so decided to go straight to work in admin/accounts assistant pretty basic stuff.

Is it too late to do professional exams or is there another option to upskill without becomming a professional accountant so my degree is not wasted?

I am currently a stay at home mother to school going children but want to get sone sort of career.

Thank you.

unhappys10

There's always the likes of Accounting Technicians Ireland. 2 year course and possibly able to do it part time, double check that though.
You can always do the professional exams, not too late I don't think. Your degree probably won't get you any exemptions though, or very few.

If you are working in accounts type roles since 2011 you already have the experience required, you just need the exams and you'd be qualified. Could be done in less than 3 years I think.

kayleycun

2 years is good

Klonker

unhappys10 wrote: »

You can always do the professional exams, not too late I don't think. Your degree probably won't get you any exemptions though

Just on this OP, I'd definitely check your exemptions for ACCA as I got a 2.2 honours degree and got exemptions from all 9 of the fundamental level exams so only had to do the 5 professional exams (only 4 now). The exemptions really vary from college to college and from course to course. All the class providers have online classes and you can watch the recordings in your own time which I found very helpful.

My advice would be check your exceptions first for ACCA and then compare with an accounting technicians course and decide what best suits you e.g in terms of level of difficulty, time availibility, costs and career prospects.

antix80

boomtown1 wrote: »

I had a small child at the time ( mid degree) so decided to go straight to work in admin/accounts assistant pretty basic stuff.

Accounts technician qualification is probably all you need for a decent career in accounts and admin.

If you don't mind the extra study you could go the professional route. It's a bit pricey if you don't have an employer to absorb some of the costs (exams, subscriptions, cpd) but the wages can be better - in the right job and the right experience you could work a 3 day week and come out with a decent living wage providing you're in a 2 salary household.

Chevy RV

Klonker wrote: »

Just on this OP, I'd definitely check your exemptions for ACCA as I got a 2.2 honours degree and got exemptions from all 9 of the fundamental level exams so only had to do the 5 professional exams (only 4 now). The exemptions really vary from college to college and from course to course.

I was a mature student that had a 2.2 BA in Accounting & Finance and got 9/14 exemptions at that time. I got ACCA in a few attempts over time.

Evenyually, years later , I went into training and ended up delivering training on ATI courses.

Personally , I wouldnt spend 2 years doing the ATI if you already hold a degree. Likewise to ACCA though, you would get many exemptions and probably already have the practical experience requirement.

It really depends on you own aspirations i reckon. The ACCA would be a bit harder but also provide you with better prospects in the long run. Its much easier now with the online stuff available to suit your time and also being able to watch / listen over again to ,not to mention the vast quantities of free course material available on Youtube to cover specific areas of difficulty for you.

Message me if you would like to discuss it any further.

Prettyblack

No need to do ATI, you are at that level already. Have a look at ACA too, you can check your exemptions for free (ACCA charge). I know plenty of people with kids etc in my year who did it and did the flexible route - less subjects and exams per year. Worth doing looking into it with a good degree like yours.

HeinekenTicket

Don't rule out Accounting Technicians Ireland just yet.

Your degree is from 2011 so you may not get the ACCA exemptions that a more recent graduate would get. A lot of the financial accounting and taxation that you did would now be redundant.