CIMA...... Just got started

weringo said:
I'm studying for my ACA Advanced Stage exams in July (or at least I say studying, I should probably start soon... :p). I can't wait to qualify so I can get out of audit, I'm getting more sick of it by the day
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Still got 3 years until I'll be ACA qualified, will be happy when I finally move out of audit.

It's alright atm as I only work 3 months a year spending the rest of the time at uni doing the exams :) just the last year that won't be too fun.
 
weringo said:
I'm studying for my ACA Advanced Stage exams in July (or at least I say studying, I should probably start soon... :p). I can't wait to qualify so I can get out of audit, I'm getting more sick of it by the day.
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Are you doing all 3 or just the TIs? I was you this time last year :D
 
Will be doing the Certificate level CIMA in September then hopefully on to the full CIMA after, depending on which team I going when I start my grad job.
 
00bob00 said:
My advice to anyone looking to develop themselves - learn how to use excel properly, I mean VBA coding and learning to use other functions that aren't pivot or Vlookups. If you can build a financial model (other than linear regression), you are hot property.
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I completely disagree with this. None of the successful finance people in the company I work for know extraordinary amounts about Excel, because there are junior people that do it for them. The value is more about interpretation and communication of what the techs produce, than it is about producing them yourself. The people that know VBA very well are basically asked to produce a model that does xyx, after which the person that asked them to do it goes to management and execs with their interpretation and insight of the data, thereby taking all the glory.

All the "Excel gurus" at my company are pigeon-holed as such and there they remain. They're insular and technical, lacking social skills and without a single strategic thought in their heads. Or so finance management would believe.

weringo said:
And doctors and lawyers are what astronauts become when they fail school, I'm not sure what your point is :p
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Feel free to start a thread discussing astronauts and doctors :confused:. The point is that the market is absolutely flooded these days with CIMA / ACCA / ACA etc., and a point of interest is that many of these have chosen this line of work having not made the cut as a doctor.

Anyway, you have to do something else to differentiate yourself in the long run in order to get ahead. Look to your qualification in the short term, that's fine and very commendable, but it will only get you so far on its own and those looking upon it as a stepping stone rather than the finishing line have got the right idea.

Of course, you might not be at all ambitious, in which case sit pretty on your ACMA qualification and VBA expertise...
 
Participant said:
Feel free to start a thread discussing astronauts and doctors :confused:. The point is that the market is absolutely flooded these days with CIMA / ACCA / ACA etc., and a point of interest is that many of these have chosen this line of work having not made the cut as a doctor.
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I've lost count of the number of people I work with who wanted to be a doctor and are now accountants. Wait, actually there are none. There are however a mixture of maths, chemistry, engineering, finance and physics (me included) graduates. Many went straight to the top four after uni and nobody has mentioned ever having wanted to do medicine. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen but please don't make out that it is a common occurrence.
 
SpeedFreak said:
I've lost count of the number of people I work with who wanted to be a doctor and are now accountants. Wait, actually there are none. There are however a mixture of maths, chemistry, engineering, finance and physics (me included) graduates. Many went straight to the top four after uni and nobody has mentioned ever having wanted to do medicine. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen but please don't make out that it is a common occurrence.
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I know someone who's a qualified doctor who changed profession to accountancy :p He didn't like the paperwork necessary under the NHS.
 
Pudney said:
I know someone who's a qualified doctor who changed profession to accountancy :p He didn't like the paperwork necessary under the NHS.
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One of my best mates who I studied physics with went on to do medicine. By all accounts the amount of paperwork is crippling.
 
Did anybody else sit E1 on Tuesday morning? Felt I did relatively okay/well but reading a few threads on CIMA Global is highlighting a few things I could have mentioned.

Anyone else sitting F1 tomorrow too?
 
SpeedFreak said:
I've lost count of the number of people I work with who wanted to be a doctor and are now accountants. Wait, actually there are none. There are however a mixture of maths, chemistry, engineering, finance and physics (me included) graduates. Many went straight to the top four after uni and nobody has mentioned ever having wanted to do medicine. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen but please don't make out that it is a common occurrence.
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There are none amongst the people you directly work with, therefore it's not common? :confused: Hmmm OK, I suppose that would depend how you define common. But I hope you didn't apply that sample size methodology in your physics degree ;).
 
BennyC said:
Did anybody else sit E1 on Tuesday morning? Felt I did relatively okay/well but reading a few threads on CIMA Global is highlighting a few things I could have mentioned.
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I wouldn't worry about it too much, people can guess at lots of things but that doesn't necessarily mean that they've correctly identified them or indeed that there's only one correct answer. I only looked online once or twice after sitting exams out of interest and realised that what people pick up at the time doesn't always bear much relation to the answers later given by the marking scheme - plus it was always pretty useless for me in that I tend to scarcely remember the exam once I've walked out of the test hall and even if I did there's nothing I could do to affect the result. The pass mark is 50% so anything over that is a bonus unless you've got something linked to getting higher marks.

Good luck with tomorrow's exam and the results for E1 also.
 
Participant said:
There are none amongst the people you directly work with, therefore it's not common? :confused: Hmmm OK, I suppose that would depend how you define common. But I hope you didn't apply that sample size methodology in your physics degree ;).
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Lol, I've worked with probably 50 accountants which in this case I would say is sufficient and practically demonstrates a lack of prevalence. I'll tell you what, when I come across one I'll post an update :)

Don't worry about E1, its a funny subject to judge!
 
semi-pro waster said:
I wouldn't worry about it too much, people can guess at lots of things but that doesn't necessarily mean that they've correctly identified them or indeed that there's only one correct answer. I only looked online once or twice after sitting exams out of interest and realised that what people pick up at the time doesn't always bear much relation to the answers later given by the marking scheme - plus it was always pretty useless for me in that I tend to scarcely remember the exam once I've walked out of the test hall and even if I did there's nothing I could do to affect the result. The pass mark is 50% so anything over that is a bonus unless you've got something linked to getting higher marks.

Good luck with tomorrow's exam and the results for E1 also.
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Very true! thanks.

SpeedFreak said:
Lol, I've worked with probably 50 accountants which in this case I would say is sufficient and practically demonstrates a lack of prevalence. I'll tell you what, when I come across one I'll post an update :)

Don't worry about E1, its a funny subject to judge!
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It's mildly frustrating as quite often the questions are almost cryptic and identifying what it is you need to reference can be the hardest part!
 
BennyC said:
Very true! thanks.



It's mildly frustrating as quite often the questions are almost cryptic and identifying what it is you need to reference can be the hardest part!
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The way I saw it in E1 you have to show that you know what the models are, in E2 you have to show that you understand the models and in E3 you have to demonstrate how to use them. Ultimately if you wrote a lot but didn't waffle then you should be fine.
 
SpeedFreak said:
Lol, I've worked with probably 50 accountants which in this case I would say is sufficient and practically demonstrates a lack of prevalence. I'll tell you what, when I come across one I'll post an update :)

Don't worry about E1, its a funny subject to judge!
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50 isn't a lot...
 
2 ACCA exams coming up, F5 on Monday, F4 the Monday after. I've not even looked at F4 yet, I'm a muppet.
 
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