Anna Nichols ACCA

Company: Barratt Developments 

Job title: Accountant

Favourite food: Changes daily... today I'm going to say thai green curry!

What was your study route:

I did a degree in Civil Engineering and then joined Barratt Developments' graduate scheme. I had the opportunity to spend time in every department and, to my surprise, finance was the one I liked best and where I could really see my future!

I started my exams a couple of months later. I was pretty determined to get them done and finished them 2 years later.

What do you do in your spare time:

In the warmer months I like to go sailing. I've also just started aerial fabrics classes which are really, really fun!

Career aspiration:

My aspirations are constantly evolving. Right now I just want to go as far as I can. 

What did you want to be when you grew up:

I really wanted to be a police officer when I was younger. At some point that changed to a nurse (and I actually initially went to Uni to study nursing before switching to engineering!)

Favourite holiday destination or holiday type:

Sailing holidays in much warmer countries than the UK!

Biggest support throughout your studies and career:

Everyone I work with has been very supportive but a special mention has to go to my long suffering boyfriend who was regularly made to test me for hours in the lead up to exams!

Advice for students going through the exams:

Be smart about how you organise your exams. I made my tax exam the last of my Applied Skills level and then took Advanced Tax 3 months later - it definitely saved a lot of re-learning!

I also used to make a "cheat sheet" before each exam. It was usually around 2 sides of A4 and it would either be stuff I thought was really important or stuff I was struggling to remember. I would then memorise it and spend the first 5-10 minutes of the exam writing it all down. Often I wouldn't need to look at it again but knowing it was there if I needed it really helped me to relax. It's particularly useful for proformas.

I found it really hard to focus at home. Sometimes a change of location makes all the difference, make use of libraries, coffee shops and cafes!