The spark to keep studying is still nudging me and with an opportunity at my disposal, I have no choice but to flow with it. This September I will join the Strathmore University Business School to pursue the Masters of Commerce, Finance option. However, this journey would not be complete without the platform offered by the Strathmore Institute of Management and Technology where I studied the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) course. Though I love finance and accounting, I also enjoy reads about philosophies and past leaders. Currently, I am reading “The Downing Street Years” a memoir by Margaret Thatcher. It covers her premiership as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990.

My name is Serge Musingilwa from Congo, I came to Kenya six years ago and currently work at Persistent Energy.

There are no shortcuts in ACCA you have to put in the work.

Yes, I can affirm that.  From the very beginning, I knew I had to make sacrifices. For example, I lived far from campus hence had to be on the road by 6 am so I can make it to campus on time.  In addition, I made the best choice ever – to never carry any assignment home. This meant I also had to stay on campus till 8 pm on most days. This allowed me to take advantage of the library material and resources while I was here. All I needed to succeed was in the University and all I had to do was to plug in. It was never easy, to begin with, but over time, it became a routine. Today I can say, it was all worth it. In 2019, I came in 16^th worldwide in the Performance Management paper. In December 2020, I was placed 2^nd in Kenya and 75^th worldwide.

What are your thoughts about ACCA as a professional course?

It provides high standards of learning for its candidates while empowering them with knowledge and skills in areas such as financial statements, business taxation, business, and management accounting. Secondly, it allows one to build on networks that go beyond the candidates’ native nations. Another perk would be that career opportunities for ACCA professionals is global hence opening up more employment platforms. Overall, I believe professional courses are beneficial as they helps one get a global perspective on to the area of expertise one is pursuing; hence, it keeps you afloat on the current happenings in your field of study or career.

Studying the ACCA at SI was the icing on the cake because they provided all I needed to succeed: Lecturers that understand the course content and a conducive environment that allowed me to study. In addition, the availability of all the reading materials I needed from the library and the online platforms was a bonus too.

A little history about ACCA

Founded in 1904, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants is the global professional accounting body offering the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification. Its headquarters are in London.  Currently, it has 233 000 global members and 536,000 future members that represent over 170 countries.

As we go on with life remember that challenges will always be there; however, it is up to each of us to discover what we are passionate about and then explore all the possibilities. As a result, it is impossible to fail. I have decided to further my studies by pursuing a Master of Commerce, what are you doing to cultivate that which you wish to be excellent at?

 

This article was written by Annete Karanja.  

 

What’s your story? We’d like to hear it. Contact us via communications@strathmore.edu.