ACCA - help!

[GB2206]

I've been studying towards my ACCA for a few years now. I had a lot of exemptions through my degree and I now only have 1 exam left to go which is on Friday.

The problem is, I cannot stand it anymore! I have completely lost all interest not just on the course but in the whole accountancy profession. I'm currently working for a global bank and I do prepare the financial statements for one of our funds but I don't actually need to be qualified to do this job, it wasn't a requirement of the role and still isn't. The statutory reporting function seems to by slowly dying in the UK, everything is starting to move offshore and I don't particularly like my job or want to keep doing it. It's not going to get me more money or a better job at my current company so what am I doing it for? I'd love to have a career change and move into medicine. I've already picked a course of love to do and have reached out to local hospitals to see if I could get any experience before I apply.

So what's the point in sitting this last ACCA exam? I've barely studied for it, really struggling to bring myself to focus cause I just don't care. I'm expecting my first baby in December too so forcing myself to do something I really don't enjoy seems futile. On the other hand, it's one more exam and then I'll be a chartered accountant for life and if medicine doesn't work out I'll always have it to fall back on. I just can't bring myself to do it! Don't see the point in sitting in an exam for over 3 hours having no clue how to answer the question.

Long rant of a post I know, but my husband is getting pretty upset with me, he doesn't understand why I can't just suck it up, study and get through one more exam. I wish I had an answer for him but I don't! I just don't want to do it and no matter how hard I try I can't get over that mental block. I don't know what to do... do I sit the exam on Friday and give it a go even though I'm almost guaranteed to fail or put myself out my misery and accept that this just isn't for me anymore? Urgh... decisions, decisions.

Ha! Could of wrote this post myself. I gained chartered status in 2019, throughout studying i fantasied about doing about 20 different careers 😂 def soldier on - it’s one more exam!! It sounds like you need a change of jobs. Maybe try working in industry? Manufacturing? It’s much more interesting, not just stat accounts but also management a pointing, budgeting, financial targets etc.

imo You'd be totally daft to give up with just one more exam to go. You don't know how your life will pan out and when you might be glad you have the qualification 'in your back pocket'. Finish the qualification either now on at the next exam session.
Have your baby.
Then think about other courses/career change if you really want to.

Finish it, then find a job you enjoy. I had some cr*p accounting jobs, but also many brilliant one's. Honestly it would be such a waste having got so far.

You've come so far. Knuckle down and sit this last exam FFS. Sits OP on naughty step!

Hopefully you did sit AFM & get the result you need on Monday. Good luck.

I didn't bother sitting the exam, tried a couple of past exam questions and didn't have a clue what on earth they were going on about so I gave it a miss.

I've had a few different accountancy roles, I've done bookkeeping for a business centre, I've prepared financial statements for investment funds, I've done management accounting in a construction firm and I'm currently working with property funds. Think my current role has been the best one I've had so far, its pretty interesting and fast paced. Hated the management accounting thing!

I'm just fed up, I feel stuck in a rut with it and it just isn't what I want to be doing for the rest of my life but it is a good job that pays well and I'm working for a really good company so it's not so easy to walk away from and start from scratch at the bottom again. I'd rather not have a desk based job and work with people more. Maybe maternity leave is a great time to figure that out (or maybe I'm kidding myself and the baby will take up all of my time!!).

I've got a few years left on my ACCA student clock so maybe I'll get back to it one day....

Oh OP. Current job sounds good. Please please consider doing that final paper sooner rather than later. Please .....

That's a shame. Hope that your mat leave gives you some time to figure things out, although yes, baby will take up a lot of time

Medicine is really tough but I'm sure you already know that. There will be hundreds of exams over years. It won't be as straightforward to just retake one when you feel like it. And it is a tricky one to start at this stage in life i.e. with a very young child. Your career is absolutely your decision of course but choosing medicine would also affect your DH and child a lot so I would recommend chatting it through with him too.

My husband is ACCA trained and qualified. His friend did as you did and didn’t sit a final exam. Worked for a bit in his job where it didn’t matter. But then his wife left him and he had his kids to raise. He desperately wished he’d sat that final exam so he could have worked in a wider area and with the chartered status.

And honestly? With a baby you’re so unlikely to stick in at and pass a medicine degree. You sound flaky and your precious roles are not going to support your application at all.

AFM is a sod to pass, but the best fit with your current role. ATX may be easier to pick up from scratch, assuming you've done APM as your other option already.

Oh gosh reading it much later, but I do hope you pushed yourself! I’ve qualified this year and AFM was my last exam also. I also lost all motivation and will, I was least prepared from all the papers and got my worst mark ever (54) but I passed and now I’m qualified. Please don’t give up. Working full time and studying for ACCA is the hardest thing I did in my life. I cried and struggled, screamed at my husband. Had no motivation at times, just wanted this to be over. ACCA is not supposed to be nice and easy, it’s not a breeze if you have to work and maintain a household at the same time. But it will be so worth it in the end. You said it will be useless in your current role - are you planning to stay in this role up until the age of 68? You don’t know what your next career opportunity will be and being a qualified accountant can only help you and open more doors. Not to mention it’s one of the most prestigious occupations out there. As a chartered accountant you can e.g. be a character witness and sign people’s citizenship applications, there’s only few occupations that allow this. It may seem worthless now, but I promise you it will be so worth it in the long run. Don’t give up 2 metres before the finish line, take that last exam.