Making sense of numbers

SINGAPORE - After graduating from Temasek Polytechnic with a Diploma with Merit in Biotechnology, Mr Wilson Tan, 25, decided that he wanted to pursue a career in accounting instead.

He said: "The wide-ranging and diverse nature of the accounting profession enables me to pursue a variety of career paths specialising in areas of tax, finance, auditing, and other such jobs whether it is in an accounting firm or in the finance department of a corporation."

So in 2010, after having completed his national service, Mr Tan started looking for a tertiary institution and finally settled for a Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Qualification at ACCA Singapore.

Said Mr Tan: "It was an easy choice for me as a qualification in ACCA Singapore is internationally recognised, meaning that I will be able to secure a job not only in Singapore but also in other countries that may recognise the ACCA Singapore qualifications that I have."

Asked about what he liked about his course, Mr Tan cited the challenging and intensive programme provided for students each semester.

"There is a lot of extensive content that is taught at ACCA Singapore. It was tough, especially with my other commitments, but I was able to clear each module smoothly, and that filled me with a sense of satisfaction that motivated me to strive harder each time.

"Although the programme was intensive, ACCA Singapore also provided me with the flexibility of completing 14 papers at my own pace, allowing me to decide the number of papers I would like to take per sitting."

According to Mr Tan, ACCA Singapore's attachment programme was a huge bonus in his studying there.

"I was also allowed to work part time in a related field to gain relevant experience. It provided me with the opportunity for, not only academic qualification, but professional qualification as well, which will be very helpful in finding a job after graduation," he said.

In fact, Mr Tan managed to secure a position in Deloitte Singapore before even receiving his results for the final examinations.

"I believe studying in ACCA Singapore is one of the key stepping stones towards a rewarding career in accounting," said Mr Tan proudly.

Mr Tan has also expressed a liking to the modules provided by ACCA Singapore.

"I particularly enjoyed the core and optional modules that covered various subject areas such as Tax, Audit, Accounting and Finance and I also felt they provided options for a wider career path for in the future," he said.

At ACCA Singapore, Mr Tan also had to deal with the difficulties that all students go through with studying, but managed to endure all the way through to graduation with the help of his lecturers.

"I remember fondly a particular conversation I had with lecturer Ms Lee Yuet Lai while I was undertaking my second set of ACCA modules, said Mr Tan, "Three months into the course, I realised that none of the questions that I had done in practice were correct. Disappointed with my progression, I approached Ms Lee and told her about my concerns to which she said, "If you knew the answers to all the questions, you would be God."

"Her comment serves as a constant reminder to me that it's impossible to be perfect but possible to understand individual concepts to score within my capabilities. I was greatly inspired by her and persevered all the way through to the exams."

When asked whether he would be furthering his studies again, he said that he had no plans at the moment, and would like to focus on gaining industry experience first.

WHY THIS COURSE

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the largest and fastest growing global professional accountancy body with 424,000 students and 147,000 members in 170 countries.

The Association aims to offer business relevant, first choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

There are currently approximately 9,900 ACCA members and affiliates in Singapore. ACCA members and affiliates work in all key sectors of the economy and include leading captains of industry. For information on ACCA's Approved Learning Providers, please click https://singapore.accaglobal.com/singapore/students/providers/lp_singapore

"The reality of  finance roles in the corporate sector today is that breadth of understanding across the  finance value chain remains very relevant. Broad-based  finance qualifications such as ACCA help keep career doors open to pursue a wide range of  finance and business careers." - Mr Steve Lee, Head of Learning, ACCA Singapore

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