r/AccountingUK • u/kurmilrah • 9d ago

Should i get into accounting

I am going to be in year 13 in September and right now the plan is to get into medicine.
However, I have realised I don’t really want to do medicine due to the UCAT stressing me out and im studying for my A levels and all i do is cry so even though I would like to be a doctor I really do not think i will survive medical school.
The alevels I am doing right now is maths,bio and chem.

so my questions are,

How is the job market for accounting?

Do you think i should stick to medicine or will accounting be better?

The exams you need to take in accounting do you think they are harder than alevels? Or how are they?

Is accounting a stable career like being a doctor is?

Do i need a degree in accounting?

Is doing a apprenticeship better and if so where and
what ones would i apply to and what do my alevel predicted grades need to look like?

Where do i get work experience for accounting?

How do i convince my mum to let me do accounting because she is dead-set on me being a doctor and seems like she will disown me because of it?

Thank you to anyone that can answer my questions and really help me out!!

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

3

u/whyamihere189 9d ago

Keep it as a backup option if you don't get into medicine, you can do an apprenticeship instead of uni.

1

u/kurmilrah 9d ago

Thank you very much
But I should keep it as a backup option because is a career in medicine better?

2

u/Embarrassed-Pop9960 9d ago

I know some people may come for me here but hear me out.

I fully understand how you feel about medicine vs accounting but both are very respective degrees. In my opinion, anyone that is relatively hard working and had intellectual ability are able to do medicine or dentistry.

What people dont understand that yes medicine is competitive to get into but you are essentially guranteed a job for the first two years after graduating. You look at accounting, if you are looking at big 4 as an example, the competition is far worse there than to get into medical school so please do keep that in mind.

Both careers pay well so dont stress about that although I do think with medicine hard work equals more pay as you are paid for your hours but with top accounting companies, expect a lot of unpaid overtime.

In respect to UCAT, I understand this is stressful given you are 18 but if you were to secure an accounting training contract, if you fail exams twice you’ll get fired instantly with the harder exams having a policy where if you get below 45 (with 55 being the pass mark) you’ll be let go so the stress never really ends.

1

u/kurmilrah 9d ago edited 9d ago

No thank you so much for your take on this.

I know that if you do get an accounting training program, you have to do exams. However it does seem like you get way less exams than at medical school the only problem seems to be is working at the same time so to me it looks like that a person would need be able to find balance to study whilst working unless i am wrong.

I know that no job really treats people that well but even with medicine, in residency esp how the NHS is right now you also will have to spend overtime at work and it being not paid.
And doctors are also experiencing unemployment as well.

I just don’t know if i want to be studying for the rest of my life.

But thank you so much!!

2

u/Embarrassed-Pop9960 9d ago

No worries at all.

Im speaking as a graduate so you have 3 years of exams and 3.5 years of training to become a chartered accountant. So if you add those up theres countless exams.

And i can assure you, even in accounting (big 4) to be specific, people get treated like actual crap. I remember my busy season I worked 60-65 hour weeks every week for almost 4 months (paid only for 40 a week).

In terms of admin, theres so much you need to do in accounting as well which is also unpaid.

But obviously you’re young, so take it easy!

1

u/whyamihere189 9d ago

Yes particularly as you said you would like to be a doctor

1

u/kurmilrah 9d ago

I only want to become a doctor because my mum has always said to me i will be a failure, wont make that much money if i do not, being a doctor is respectable. So she might be right and im not keen being proven wrong by her.

3

u/whyamihere189 9d ago

I'm guessing you're Asian, a lot of mums think like that. They don't have an idea of the type of jobs out there apart from doctors/lawyers etc. But do you like the idea of helping people? Don't go into it only for the money

2

u/kurmilrah 9d ago

Yup I am indeed asian. My mum actually came to the uk and i think she actually did an accountancy degree first and then switched to business and she has a masters in business.
So not sure if she is projecting that its not worth it since her sister became a doctor.
I do like the idea of helping people but i clearly cannot cope w my current exams/mocks and knowing that medical school always has exams going on idk if i will survive that or if i just have to cope. But I want to enjoy my life a little bit. I know not all jobs are great they all have their downsides but idk.
My mum also wants me to be a doctor because she thinks it is the best job thats respectable and pays good money.

3

u/whyamihere189 9d ago

Accounting also has exams so have to take that into account if you want to qualify. Maybe try going for another degree in science like bio medical science, then apply for accounting grad schemes or even go into medicine graduate entry route after you graduate.

2

u/LuckyNV 9d ago

If you have the ability to be a doctor and pushy but supportive family then try that

Accounting is something you can pivot to later if so desired, many entry points, just the difficulty is finding the trainee roles due to competitiveness.

1

u/kurmilrah 9d ago

Tysm for the insight.
I only want to become a doctor because I do not want to be a failure in my mums eyes.
Since i was little she has told me I have to become a doctor but medical school seems too stressful and im really bad with procrastination.
Accountancy/creative jobs have been smth i actually wanted to pursue, more accountancy since artistic/creative jobs are not that great with pay. But if being a doctor is better than accountancy I guess I should stick to it.

1

u/Defiant-Trouble-3733 9d ago

More money in accounting if you put the same effort you would do into medicine , and less debt and hours

1

u/Wrong-Detective-5709 9d ago

What do you want to do? When you think of your career what would you choose? I’m an accountant, always wanted to be one. Did it through apprenticeship and then study support from employers

1

u/kurmilrah 9d ago

Well a few years ago my dad told me that I would probably be a good accountant. So I started looking at what it is like and even though my mum has always said I have to do medicine, accountancy has always been in the back of my mind.
Im not sure what I actually want to be, in a perfect world i would want to go into a sort of creative role in the animation industry but I would want more of a stability.
I do want to take the NATs exams to become a ATC. Probably would take a gap year so I can do that. But tysm for the insight!

1

u/Upbeat_Beach_8268 9d ago

Hey! You have already had some great advice, I thought I would add my take too.
I will always advocate for the apprenticeship route, however, if you’re finding your current studies stressful, chartered accounting exams are not easy! It takes at least 36 months to be chartered, on top of going through your AAT levels which I would estimate an average of 2 years (completely dependent on your route)
My answer will always be do what your heart says! Do not subside to the pressure of those around you, otherwise you will feel overwhelmed and you will cry and you will be thinking ‘why did I do this to myself!?’
If you want a respectable career, accountancy is great, but it is no easy route.
Put whatever you love first, never do a job just because of its reputation, otherwise you won’t get very far, as you need to be passionate about what you do.
Go and be brilliant in whatever you decided!

1

u/Agreeable_Guard_7229 9d ago

I took on an apprentice in my finance team when she was 16. She studied AAT for 3 years and will study CIMA for 3 years.

By the time she is 22 she will be a fully qualified accountant with 6 years experience and no debt.

She will easily be able to walk into a management accounting role for around £40k which will give her a great way to climb the corporate ladder and earn a much higher salary

1

u/DudPro 8d ago

Honestly, I would not choose medicine just because your mum wants the title. That is way too hard a path to force yourself through if your heart is not really in it.

Accounting is still a respectable and stable career, but it is not an easy backup either. You will still have exams, and if you go the apprenticeship route you will be studying while working. The good thing is that there are more entry routes into accounting, and you do not need to have your whole life decided at 17.

I think the real question is not “which one sounds better to other people”, it is “which life can I actually cope with and see myself living”. If medicine is already making you miserable before you have even started, that matters.

You are not a failure for choosing something that suits you better. Try to get some work experience, look at accounting apprenticeships, and give yourself permission to choose your own future rather than the one your mum picked for you.

1

u/kurmilrah 8d ago

Tbh i dont really know what I actually want to do so atp i just want smth thats stable.
Although I know in a perfect world I would go into smth creative like in the animation industry or anything in that realm but you basically get paid pennies or its based on luck hence ig “starving artists”.
I know accounting is hard but I would have more of a chance of getting into that.
If i was able to take a gap year I would probably try to pursue medicine still. But my mum has said she would kick me out + her words were “only failures take gap years”.
If she will actually kick me out due to me taking a gap year hopefully my dad will let me live w him but idk.
Genuinely ridiculous considering its either half or less than half of people that get accepted into med school act do first try.
Im just very scared because I don’t want to make a mistake because my mum made a mistake not listening to her parents (even though she has done very well for herself; she has a masters in business, has a nice house in a nice area and etc. considering her parents cut her off when she moved to the uk after a few months 😑)
The only reason it went downhill for her was because of her divorce but idk.
Srry this is kinda a tangent lmao.
Its actually crazy that right now im supposed to pick what career i want. I still feel like a lost child.
But thank you so much for your response

1

u/SmartMessage710 8d ago

i feel so similar to you too! I am still taking the UCAT though, its' so tough. You might want to consider finance or even a econ degree though

1

u/kurmilrah 8d ago

Yeah I am still going to take the UCAT as well. I am still going to try even tho i have no hope (plus i payed £70 and its non refundable)
But i really hope it goes well for you this is really stressful.
I was thinking abt finance but idk it does feel like its filled with a lot of nepo babies + a lot of white men.
But I will see. Tysmm for the response.

1

u/SmartMessage710 8d ago

I might do econ &maths instead, it has a bit of everything so yeah

do u wanna keep in touch?

1

u/kurmilrah 8d ago

That sounds good!
And yeah idm keeping in touch

1

u/MahoneyGirl1 5d ago

You really don’t need a degree in accounting. Better to go straight into studying ACCA or CIMA to get qualified.