Becoming an accountant
ACCOUNTANCY has always been regarded as a professional and stable career, and if you’re planning to make headway as a professional accountant, then the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants ( ACCA) should be your springboard.
ACCA is a global body for professional accountants with 178,000 members and 455,000 students in 181 countries, with over 100 years of tradition in providing internationally recognised accounting and finance qualifications, complemented by modern thinking and backed by diverse and global memberships.
The Professional Accountancy Centre ( PAC) at KDU College, which was set up in 2008, offers the Certified Accounting Technician ( CAT) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants ( ACCA) courses. Within a year, it was awarded the Gold status, and is now the only Platinum status tuition provider in the Damansara area.
The CAT qualification is designed to provide students with the knowledge and technical skills to fulfil an accounting role at the technician level. It is awarded by ACCA and is internationally recognised. It provides you a fast track towards becoming a qualified accountant.
Most of the students taking the course are able to complete the CAT within a year and carry on with their ACCA programme for another two years.
“Why KDU? Initially I chose KDU because of the location. But after a while, I realised KDU had more to offer than just logistical convenience. The learning environment was conducive; a small classroom meant more attention for students. The lecturers were approachable and willing to help even outside the classroom. This, for me, was the key to increasing my chances of passing,” said Tan Jun Meng, an ACCA Affiliate at KDU College’s Professional Accountancy Centre ( PAC).
Those interested in the ACCA qualification will be glad to know that ACCA’s unique partnership with Oxford Brookes University will allow them to obtain a Bachelor of Science ( Hons) in Applied Accounting, upon completion of the ACCA Fundamentals Level, ACCA Professional Ethics Module and passing of a Research and Analysis Project.
“As a high school leaver with below average grades, taking up a professional course seemed impossible. Teachers and family often commented that I will not make it to the end and told me to reconsider my future study path, but confidence has driven me to pursue my dreams,” said Wong Jun Mun, an ACCA Affiliate at KDU College’s Professional Accountancy Centre ( PAC).
“Passing ACCA papers on the first attempt was never as tough as one imagined. Putting in effort will guarantee success. Be sure to attend all the lectures and mock tests. If you channel your best efforts at all times, you are not far from success.
“My motivation is fuelled by one sim- ple factor – job security. I was once told there was a shortage of qualified accountants, which led to my decision to pursue this profession.
“At that point of time, I was still clueless until I heard about ACCA. I heard about the flexibility and the various opportunities it presented, and I was immediately sold. I told myself this is it and once I made up my mind, the only option was to go all out,” added Wong.
Aspiring accountants can also opt to obtain their ACCA qualification while studying for their degree at the same time by joining a three- year Bachelor of Accounting programme at KDU, in which students can take up conditional exemption papers for the ACCA qualification in the final year of their degree.
It is not only the experience and knowledge gained from this course, but the nature of professional accounting jobs, which is high in demand and useful in many global and multi- national companies.
At KDU, students are taught by industry professionals and qualified lecturers with outstanding track record. Students are also assured of industry support and networking for job placement and career development. It is with this dedication that Loy Hui Eng, its ACCA student, recently won first placing in Malaysia ( world third ranking) for ACCA F5 subject in the December 2015 examination.
For details, look out for its advertisement in this StarSpecial.