Abby Grant
Business & Management
HND Accounting
“For anyone considering studying Accounting at NESCol, I would say it will definitely set you up and give you the right foundation for progressing on to a career in accountancy. I feel the skills I learned at college have been very beneficial in the work I am doing today. I use my knowledge gained at college of accounting principles and taxation every day.”
At just 19 years old, Abby Grant is well on her way to a career in Accounting, securing a job as a Business Advisory Assistant with Johnston Carmichael before she had even finished her HND Accounting qualification.
Having enjoyed Higher Accounting while at school in Peterhead Academy, Abby knew that it was an industry she wanted to pursue a career in. So, after completing her fifth year, she decided to apply to College, knowing it would allow her to focus her studies on a subject she enjoyed.
“When I got to the end of my fifth year, I felt as if I had almost outgrown the school environment and believed the best way for me to progress towards a career in accountancy was to further my studies at NESCol.
“At College, I enjoyed the variety of topics studied. As well as Accounting modules, I was able to gain experience studying topics in Law, Economics, Maths and more, which I feel has set me up well with the relevant knowledge I need to progress towards a career in accountancy.”
While in her first year of the HND course, Abby was presented with opportunities to help her gain work experience alongside her studies. First she found out about an opportunity to work as a part time Accounts Assistant with a local engineering firm, and then she met representatives from Johnston Carmichael.
Through the partnership between NESCol and Johnston Carmichael’s Fraserburgh office, year 1 HND Accounting students receive presentations from the firm, are invited to submit CVs for review, and can attend mock interviews. It was through this process that Abby found out about a summer placement opportunity.
“The opportunity was mentioned to apply for a one-month summer placement at Johnston Carmichael’s Fraserburgh office. I applied for this and was successful. This meant I got real experience working in the office preparing year end accounts files and corporation tax computations.”
Abby impressed so much during her placement that the accounting firm invited her to stay on as a part time Business Advisory Assistant during her second year of studying, which then led to a full time position upon completing the course.
“For anyone considering studying Accounting at NESCol, I would say it will definitely set you up and give you the right foundation for progressing on to a career in accountancy.
“The skills I learned at college have been very beneficial in the work I am doing today. I use my knowledge gained at college of accounting principles and taxation every day. As well as helping me in my job role, there are also skills such as communication and budgeting which I use in my day to day personal life.”
Abby’s career goals going forward are to broaden her knowledge of various aspects of accountancy, and work towards a professional qualification, so she can progress as part of the Johnston Carmichael Team.