WHAT IS A ‘LIFE CHANGING CAREER MOVE’ AND HOW DO

Celebrating International Day of Accounting with David Cameron, Vice President of the LCASS

International Day of Accounting is an annual celebration to commemorate the publication of Luca Pacioli's book on double-entry bookkeeping in 1494 which is the bedrock of modern day accounting. In the modern day, International Day of Accounting is about the appreciation of the crucial work Accountants do and the recognition of their importance for business longevity and success. This year, we caught up with David Cameron of EY's Restructuring Team and Vice Presidentof the Leeds Chartered Accountants Student Society (LCASS) to gather his advice for those in the early days of their accounting career and insights about all things ACA.Starting a Career in Accounting 1.What advice would you give to someone just starting their career in accounting?I would say the sooner you realise that all of the exams require a fair amount of work and can’t be blagged (no matter how easy you found A-levels or university), the better. ACA is tough but I think it is certainly passable for most people, as long as you put the work in. The next big piece of advice I would give is if you go into the initial mundane tasks, when you first start, with a positive can-do attitude, it goes such a long way. The people who go into tasks with that outlook often find they move onto much more interesting tasks, quickly. Finally, the last tip I’d give to anyone starting out in accountancy is start building your network straight away, not only will it benefit your career in the end when everyone climbs the ranks together, it is even more beneficial from a social point of view at the junior levels. People you meet at networking events will become your friends and just enhance your overall experience when you are starting out. 2.How can recent graduates make themselves stand out to potential employers?It sounds cliché but I think showing your personality in an interview and just being yourself is something people feel as though they shouldn’t do. I really believe that that’s by far the easiest way to stand out. The majority of applicants will also have a great CV, the way you will stand out is by the employer thinking that they will enjoy working with you every day. Picking an ACA Specialism 3.Can you share some insights on the different specialisms available whilst studying ACA?Audit and Assurance:Examining financial statements and processes to verify accuracy and provide confidence to stakeholders through regulatory compliance. Tax:Advice on tax planning, compliance or strategy, dependent on what department of tax you’re in. Transactions:This could be a role in Mergers & Acquisitions/Corporate Finance, Transaction Due Diligence or Restructuring. 4.How did you decide on your own specialism, and what influenced your choice?I work within the Restructuring service line and absolutely love it. I’d always had a big interest in how businesses work operationally, and Restructuring allows me to assist businesses through times of distress with the hope that we can help to provide a solution to save/improve the business. Being in the service line I am in, it has allowed me to think outside the box and use problem solving at work as there is never the same solution for each business in a time of crisis, with solutions ranging from running an accelerated sale process of the business to possibly refinancing its existing debt. What the ACA Has to Offer5.What are the key benefits of pursuing the ACA qualification?First and foremost, the comprehensive skillset you acquire through completion of the ACA qualification shouldn’t be overlooked as it allows you to apply knowledge you have learnt from topics/exams usually unrelated to your usual job role to situations where it is required or even personal situations. I believe that the practical work experience you gain (at least 450 days of practical work experience) whilst completing your ACA enables you to improve your technical skills at a far quicker rate as you are utilising knowledge you have learnt at work on a daily basis, to better your understanding of the technical aspects, something which you don’t get to do at university or school. I would say the largest benefit is realistically the career flexibility and opportunities it allows you to have access to. As mentioned above, there are so many different avenues that you can go down through having an ACA qualification. If you don’t like one role, you can quite easily try something different. 6.How does the ACA prepare accountants for the challenges both inside and outside of the profession?As touched on above, the comprehensive knowledge gained from an ACA qualification is fantastic and can be applied to so many different scenarios outside of an accountancy role, such as personal tax planning or even the strong financial acumen gained to assist with running your own business. ACA also of course reiterates the importance of ethical behaviour and integrity throughout your studying period which helps instil such traits into students. Learnings from this will help students make correct decisions at work or even in their own personal life when faced with difficult choices. Personal Journey into Accountancy 7.Can you tell us about your journey into accountancy and what inspired you to choose this career?I joined the EY Leeds Restructuring team back in 2020 via the school leaver programme. I probably got unlucky with the year I joined given we were in the midst of the pandemic, however, what I was certain of even back then was no matter what, I still just wanted to get into work rather than continue full time education. I was keen on the potential qualifications I would come out of university with; however, I knew that I had always much preferred working throughout school than the education side of things. I was drawn to the Restructuring apprenticeship due to the element of problem solving involved and the opportunity to leverage commercial skills. Admittedly, I wasn’t overjoyed about the prospect of 15 ACA exams, however, I knew the end goal was worth it and provided some incentive. Four years later and I have completed my ACA and my apprenticeship. I’d recommend this path to many, for the experience and level of qualification I’ve been able to obtain by such a young age, coupled with the opportunity to meet so many people that will be mates for life. 8.Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in your career path?Nothing I would change that’s in my control. It would’ve been ideal to have joined at a time outside of the pandemic as it did effect the social side of things for the first year or so. To find out more about the ACA click here.Looking for your next career move in finance or accountancy? At Sharp Consultancy, our expertise lies in matching your potential with the perfect temporary, interim, or permanent position. With a well-established presence in Leeds and Sheffield, our seasoned team of consultants extends their services across Yorkshire and beyond. Don't wait for opportunity to knock, reach out to us TODAYand let's chart your career path together.

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Just occasionally, though very rarely - so rarely that for many people it never happens - a life changing career opportunity comes along; for the lucky ones it may happen once, or if they’re very lucky indeed twice in their entire careers. I’ve seen them in my professional capacity and can confirm they are rare.

It happened to me, once, 24 years ago and by pure luck I spotted it (though I’m not sure I really understood what it was) and of course, that is when I joined Sharp Consultancy. I had three other offers the same week; two with Plc’s and yet I joined a fledgling business, with four employees, on the lowest salary of the four offers and went ‘backwards’ to be a trainee again after eight years of (slowly) climbing the ladder in banking. Family and friends thought I was bonkers.

I’ve seen many people miss their moment by either failing to see it or, more often, failing to grasp it. Their reasons are varied an I’ll go in to that a little later. First of all, what is a life changing career move?

Let’s start by saying what it isn’t. Most moves are progressive; they follow a similar path, perhaps with an elevated trajectory, but the theme and flavour doesn’t change materially. There is NOTHING at all wrong with these moves, indeed we could describe them as normal. Most people go through their entire working lives having nothing other than ‘progressive’ career moves; they climb the ladder, enjoy their work, get satisfaction from what is important to them - financial reward, responsibility, autonomy, status or anything else. They’re happy. No reason not to be.

A life changing career move is one that changes not just your job but changes the direction of your life. It changes the lives of those around you and that change, for you and your family and friends is material. It’s when you look back and say “Where would I have been today if I hadn’t……….?” It’s when you were able to achieve things you never thought you were capable of (again, I mean things that are important to you - these may include status and financial reward but may not be what’s important to everyone). It’s a feeling beyond being satisfied. It’s often hard for you to believe.

Occasionally the reason someone doesn’t grasp the opportunity is that they don’t see it. More often however, they see it but walk away. In my years doing this job I believe there are predominantly four reasons why someone walks away. All are understandable. Rarely are they conscious. It helps if you can see any one of them in yourself but that isn’t easy and, equally, it’s difficult to have someone point them out to you (chances are you won’t like having it pointed out and you’ll shoot the messenger ). Once you calm down and think it through rationally, you might just agree. So what are they?

1) Fear. Fear of change, fear of growth, fear of the unfamiliar. This is natural – we are
programmed to be frightened of certain things (think of all the phobias out there: heights,
confined spaces, snakes, spiders, horses [OK that last one is just me]). Whether it’s the first
time you have to speak publicly, the day you get married, go to university, you leave home
and a whole plethora of other things, it is natural. What isn’t natural is allowing it to control
you otherwise you’d never do or achieve anything (though that’s sometimes easier said than
done).

2) Self Confidence. Or rather the lack thereof. This is a huge topic and one I am not
qualified to comment on in any sort of professional capacity but have seen first-hand how
crippling it can be. Interestingly though, I am stunned by how many hugely successful
people suffer with this yet still find a way through or past it. It never leaves them but they
are able to override it. In fact, I think for some people it is the reason for their success;
always striving to prove to themselves they are worthy, they are good enough and they
push and push themselves to fantastic heights. Over the years, many CFO’s, MD’s,
CEO’s and partners in major accounting firms and private equity houses have all
confided in me that they have a problem with self-confidence. You really wouldn’t
have known if they hadn’t told you. Though it can lead to success, sadly, it rarely
leads to happiness. Listen to those around you and what they say about you - it’s often a
more positive view of you than the view you hold of yourself. Take heart from this, theirs is
usually the more accurate one and isn’t coloured by your lack of self-confidence.

3) Ego. This gets in the way for so many people. They would rather do a job they don’t
enjoy, in an environment they don’t like, for a boss they can’t stand - even to the extent it
has negative effects on them and on their relationship with their families and their friends
- because they are an ‘ABC Director’ for one of the world’s most prestigious Plc’s/investment
banks/private equity houses/management consultancies/firms of accountants – delete as
appropriate. After all, what would they say to their friends if they moved to do something
less prestigious, or, heaven forbid, on a lower salary, even if it was more enjoyable?
It doesn’t fit with their self-image. There’s a sticker that you often see on the back of cars
(Land Rovers normally) that if I recall correctly reads ‘One life. Live it’. Good advice. Do what
makes you happy. There really isn’t much else that counts, especially not ego.

4) Intransigence. Perhaps inflexible is a better word. If you’re ambitious you need goals
and if you have goals you need a plan. A career plan is a very good thing. I’ve seen people
achieve great things without a plan - but very rarely - and it always involves either unbelievable
luck or a level of brilliance that is simply in a different league to everyone else – both unlikely.
So Plan = Good. That well known 19th century Prussian Commander, Helmuth von Moltke
was credited with saying ‘No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy’. So Plan = Good.
The flexibility to change plan as need or opportunity arises = better.

Let’s say you had the goal to be a millionaire by the time you were 40 (ignore whether this is a
noble goal or not) and you had a plan about how you’d achieve it - how much you would save,
where it would be invested and so on. It’s a 20 year plan. After 10 years someone came along
and offered to give you the winning lottery ticket. Who wouldn’t take it and save themselves a
further 10 years of effort without guarantee of success? I’ll exaggerate now to prove a point
but the exaggeration is nowhere near as great as you might think.

Let’s imagine now that you wanted to be a CFO by the time you were 40 and you were offered the chance to be interviewed (we’ll assume good company, relevant opportunity etc) for a CFO role when you were 36 years old. Some people would jump at it. But a lot – and more than you would think - won’t because they have a plan and this wasn’t part of the plan. They walk away from the opportunity because “I have a good chance of making CFO where I am in under four years’ time, IF my boss retires a bit early when he’s 55 as he thinks he might, and IF Andy gets that move overseas that he’s looking for, that means Sarah will probably get promoted IF she passes the internal panel interviews and no-one externally who’s better comes along, and as long as that happens and IF the economy stays strong then I should get my chance at promotion to CFO IF I too pass the internal panel interviews, which should be in the next three or four years, all being well”. That probably made you laugh. A version of that happens all the time.

Life is a race. Some win, some don’t. ‘That’s life’ as the saying goes. A career is a race. Some win, some don’t, some don’t even bother entering. It’s a surprisingly short race. For most people after 40 years it’s over - and of that 40 most of the climb is completed in the first 20. And of that 20 a surprisingly large amount of ground has to be covered in the first 10. So if you’re in a race, try and ride the best horse. We can’t all ride the favourite, sometimes because we’re not good enough to ride it (a fact, not a criticism) and sometimes because we don’t like the favourite. But if you can’t or don’t want to be aboard the favourite make sure you’re sat on one of the front-runners. You might like the 100-1 horse but 99 times out of 100 you will lose. The favourite doesn’t always win, but there’s a lot more at stake than a £10 bet; there’s your career and a large part of your life - at least bet with a good chance of winning.

A final thought. There are no guarantees. Odds on favourites lose. Things out of your control can get in the way. Play the odds and opportunities as they arise. A lifelong friend of mine from my school days (now an FD) at the age of 48 achieved what he had always wanted; he did a MBO – 3 months before the pandemic struck. His business is in a sector that will struggle. Hindsight now shows us he may have been better not doing that MBO. But that was his Life Changing Career Move moment and he knew it and jumped at it. My heart goes out to him. It wasn’t his fault. That’s (rather crappy) life. Thankfully he’s immensely talented and level headed; his plans have changed, his company’s plans have changed and he and his business will probably find a way through. I hope so. Back to that car bumper sticker. One life. Live it.

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