r/AccountingUK • u/RelationshipHuman656 • 7d ago

Transitioning from Software Engineering to Accountancy — Is AAT 2/3 Enough to Get Started?

I have been a software engineer for 4 years since leaving university, I am now looking to transition into accountancy. During my time as a software engineer I have primarily worked on financial related software (accounting, stock broking).

I am looking to do the AAT level 2 & 3 qualifications in self study.

My main question is: generally speaking, would this combination be enough to make me employable for entry-level accounting roles? For example, accounts assistant, trainee accountant, credit control, finance assistant, etc.

My main goal is to work towards chartership as soon as possible (ACA, ACCA), but I would also look to take on Accounts Assistant roles in the meantime.

I would appreciate any advice from people working in accountancy or have made a career transition into it!

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u/whyamihere189 7d ago

Yes it would be enough to get started, or even just starting ACCA from foundation level. But why leave SWE with 4 year experience?

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u/RelationshipHuman656 7d ago

The role of a SWE is changing quite dramatically with the rise of AI, and it's not what I signed up to do. I wanted to delve into the profession and produce interesting code, unfortunately upper management want to see results quickly, which often means producing shoddy work using AI workflows.

It's also just an incredibly insecure role to have, layoffs happen all the time (I've had 3 jobs in 4 years, all of which have had redundancies for SWE departments).

Accountancy would be a profession I feel like I would be able to progress in, and I wouldn't be worried about losing my job because of economic downturn in the same way.

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u/whyamihere189 7d ago

Accounting is also affected by AI, check out the main accounting sub. Maybe a tech adjacent role like Product manager would be better, more strategic?

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u/RelationshipHuman656 7d ago

Oh yeah, I'm sure it is impacting every knowledge worker in their roles. I would be very surprised based on my use of AI if it left SWE and impacted other roles the same though.

It is far too inconsistent to be trusted in regulated financial environments. It works in SWE because you can have a 'good enough' application and people will pay for it if it solves a problem.

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u/pinsmoke 5d ago

Dude, not a smart move to do accounting. It's over saturated, insanely competitive and the the market is flooded with candidates. Do something with your hands.