Paul Jackson, accounts semi senior at Michael Bell and Co, tells Student Accountant why he gave up professional football for a career in finance
This article was first published in June/July 2007 in Student Accountant.
ACCA student Paul Jackson used to play professional football for Barnsley FC in the UK, and for Napier City Rovers in New Zealand. But, he gave it all up to focus on a career in accountancy.
Paul played competitive football from the age of eight, representing Barnsley schools, and then joining Barnsley Football Club School of Excellence at the age of 11. ‘I signed associate schoolboy forms at the age of 14 and trained at Barnsley FC for two mornings a week with the youth team, playing for the team at weekends. I also trained full-time whenever I wasn’t studying for my A-levels,’ says Paul, who was offered a three-year professional contract after leaving school. ‘I was a professional for just over two years, during which time I spent six months on loan in New Zealand playing for Napier City Rovers. While I was there, Napier won the league and cup double,’ explains Paul.
However, Paul wasn’t completely focused on a footballing career and at the start of his third year he realised he wasn’t going to get another contract at Barnsley and also realised that he didn’t enjoy playing and training every day. ‘I had always been interested in accountancy as a career because I have always enjoyed working with numbers. Maths was my favourite subject at school and I wanted to continue to use it in my career,’ he explains. ‘Also, my grandmother worked in the accountancy profession, and still continues to do some work despite having retired, so I thought it would be a good area to get into. There also appeared to be a lot of opportunities in accountancy, and it could provide a relatively safe career choice.’
After leaving Barnsley FC in October 2001, Paul started work with the accountancy practice Michael Bell and Co in Holmfirth in January 2002. ‘It is company policy for all juniors to gain the AAT qualification. When I had completed this, I was told I would be supported if I wanted to continue my training, and that it was my decision as to which route to take. I chose ACCA because previous employees had done so, and also because it is flexible with regard to the length of time you can take to complete the qualification. I believed that ACCA would provide me with all the necessary skills I required to continue in the profession. I was also exempt from the Part 1 exams because of my AAT qualification,’ explains Paul.
Paul wanted to work for Michael Bell and Co because he thought he would have a better chance of learning and progressing in a smaller firm. ‘The staff are all friendly and I hoped I would be introduced to a wide range of different accounting situations which would help me in my career,’ he says. Paul started as an accounts/audit junior and has now progressed to accounts semi senior. ‘My main responsibilities include preparing accounts and tax computations for small limited companies, preparing periodic management accounts for a number of clients, and also being involved in some audit work, preparing VAT returns, and running payroll systems,’ explains Paul. ‘I also help to train the two accounts juniors,’ he adds.
As to the future, Paul hopes to obtain the ACCA qualification and qualify as an ACCA member. ‘I aim to move into a more demanding and responsible role where I can use the skills and knowledge that I have acquired,’ he says.