Working out what career path you want to follow can be difficult. In fact, some find it so difficult that they do not make up their mind until they are in their 30s or 40s (or even later on in life). Regardless of your age, there are some fundamentals that need to be adhered to in order for you to make your career choice a successful one, and this is especially true in the world of accounting.
Getting these steps right will help you on your road to a successful and fulfilling career and provide you with a solid footing in the coming months and years.
#1 Follow in others success
Although you are entirely able to draw up your own route map of where you want your career to take you – and then hope that it will guide you to your desired destination, you could take a far easier route. This would be following in the footsteps of someone who has already accomplished the goals you wish to set for yourself. For instance, learning about Michael Savage 1800accountant CEO, could be exactly the case study you are looking for to set you on the right path.
This is because Michael Savage, CEO and founder of 1800 Accountancy, is very successful and has positioned himself perfectly in the market as the go-to person for tax advice. Reading up about his education, career path, and the other defining factors that ended up with him in the position he is in today can be enlightening, to say the least.
#2 Understand the role you will be playing
Keeping on top of ever-changing legislation, accountancy, and tax laws and ensuring that you can provide all of your clients with the same level of service that they can come to rely on is all in a day’s work. You will have to be prepared to have your finger on the pulse and have a head for numbers.
Of course, it is up to you whether you want to sit in small or large corporations or whether you want to eventually head out on your own as a virtual accountant is up to you. This gives you the chance to reach as many people as possible or have your own office so your clients can come to you and seek your help in person.
#3 Get your education right
This, however, is all in the future, and you have to deal with first things first. You will have to ensure you have the right qualifications for your chosen role. As mentioned before, age doesn’t figure in the scheme of things, nor does where you are based. This is because there are plenty of colleges and universities that are offering online accounting courses that you will be able to complete in your own time. This is not to say that you will get a better form of education or level of understanding as everyone learns in their own way, and some people respond far better to classroom lessons than ‘going it alone’ with an online course. So, it is important that you understand your own learning capabilities to address your own needs correctly.
Alongside this, you should also take into consideration that some colleges and universities are renowned in certain sectors, and their students are highly sought after by recruiters and employers alike. If you can attend one of these for your accountancy courses, you could very well find it in your best interest to take it.
#4 Walk your career path with end results in mind
As touched on briefly above, you will need to map out your chosen career path to climb to the dizzying heights you want to achieve. This will inevitably mean that getting comfortable in a low-paid, dead-end accountancy job will not be for you, and to climb quickly, you may have to move jobs to ascend the ladder and achieve the promotions and pay grades you aspire to.
Of course, you can only plan so far as you will not know what jobs will become available in your area and when. So, in this case, you should be prepared to relocate to reach your career goals and put yourself back in the driving seat once again.
#5 Reward your achievements
As always, you should be sure to award yourself with each of your achievements, and this could inspire you to continue on your climb to your desired destination. Failure to do this, or constantly holding out till you reach your ultimate goal, could leave you out of love for your current role, your career in general – and totally deflated.
Of course, there may come a time in your career when the roles and high pay grades that once were so enticing have lost their allure, which is perfectly natural. It generally means that you have found the level at which you are happiest. After all, it is not just the title or the pay grade that you are on that will bring satisfaction and contentment but also those that you work with and the role that you play.
So, to wrap it all up
It is important to know where you want your career to take you, and following in the footsteps of others and using their success stories as inspiration is a good way to stay on track. However, to make sure you stand the same chance as they have, you will need to understand the role you are undertaking and ensure that you get the right education to match your ambitions. Once you are qualified, you must be prepared to relocate to different cities (possibly even emigrating to another country) to chase the best jobs, each of which will propel your career to the levels you aspire to reach.
While you are doing all this, you should understand that success is not necessarily measured in the pay you will receive but in the satisfaction of your job role and the enjoyment of working with like-minded colleagues.
