We recently caught up with Thomas Brinsley who completed AAT levels 2 and 3 with AVADO.
In his own words…Why finance? Well, when I was at college I thought I wanted to go into IT. It just so happened that I ended up taking Business Studies and was far more interested in Finance aspects of the course than anything else. After college, I managed to get a role at Nestle in their Financial Reporting Team before moving to Taylors of Harrogate, where I currently work as Operations Finance Analyst.I chose AVADO to study AAT levels 2 and 3 because you guys ticked the boxes I’d set myself compared with other providers: good price, available across multiple platforms (including mobile) and flexible online learning.
Since studying my AAT qualifications, I’ve used absolutely everything I’ve learned, and still do today. It really went beyond simply teaching me the fundamentals of Finance and Accounting. It’s also helped me with time management, self-motivation and other soft-skills which are crucial alongside your studies to get that first job/next step up in your career!
During the interview with Taylors of Harrogate, I discovered that they were impressed to hear I’d taken it upon myself to study a qualification which hadn’t been funded by my employer. By showing that level of initiative, and sacrificing my own time to complete it, I proved that my level of dedication to get where I want to be was on point.
For anyone looking at studying AAT, I’d say it’s good to consider your options. I always knew university wasn’t for me and am so glad I fell into Finance. You can be flexible with your journey into the industry but having the qualification really sets a solid base and helps get that foot in the door of a company, or the next step in your career as it did for me.
I’ve gone on to complete CIMA with the aspiration of becoming a Finance Director in the future. AAT was the start of this journey and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Interested in checking out which courses AVADO has to offer? See the full list here.
