We caught up with Adam Douglas - a career-changer and apprentice management accountant who discovered he had dyslexia later in life.
Adam’s career journey has been anything but conventional. From spending over a decade on the Isle of Man to retraining as an electrician and successfully running his own business, he now thrives as a management accountant apprentice at a national law firm.
As he was diagnosed with dyslexia after changing his career and starting his apprenticeship, Adam’s story is a testament to perseverance, adaptability, and the power of embracing change.
Could you tell us about your career journey?
It’s a long one so I’ll try to be brief! I worked on the Isle of Man for 14 years in different industries - from an assistant slaughterman to life assurance administration. I finally landed in trust and company administration before moving back to the UK where I retrained to be an electrician and had my own business for ten years.
Today, I work for a large firm as a management accountant. One of my primary roles involves processing and control of the accounts payable general ledger (AP). What this means is, on behalf of the firm, I’m responsible for ensuring that anything that needs paying to help the business or allow it to run is paid and that their statements with the suppliers are reconciled.
How are you finding the role of a management accountant?
I’m responsible for the spending of tens of millions of pounds a year, covering a lot of bills. It’s interesting but also very intense at times. A lot of time management is required, and a lot of juggling of different tasks. But it’s a really good job and I love the firm that I work for - and I love the industry.
I think accountancy has been predominantly assumed as populated by stuffy old men in grey suits. Although it may have been like this a while ago, it certainly isn’t anymore. I’ve worked with some interesting and diverse people, and we’re all there doing the same job but bringing different things to the table, so it’s a strong industry.
Although I work in accountancy, I work for a national law firm so I don’t just see the numbers side. I have a glimpse into the legal aspect of the community and charitable work that we do.
How has it been transitioning into a finance career?
It’s difficult to describe going from being an electrician to a management accountant as they’re so opposite. I spent years crawling around in loft space, hiding from spiders, and head-to-toe filthy. To now, I spend a lot of time sitting at a desk on a lot of Zoom calls, number crunching, emails, and Excel - but I love it!
I’m blessed that I was able to make this leap successfully, but that’s not unique to me. I think anybody can do it, you just need the right determination and path.
Was accountancy always the plan?
Kind of, in a way. When I first moved to the Isle of Man, one of the first jobs I had was working for a life insurance company where I started studying the AAT.
I was 19 then, so we’re going back 29 years. It was a long time ago, but I was surrounded by those stuffy old men in grey suits! At that age, I didn’t want to turn into one of them, so I decided to do something totally different.
I’ve always been very practical and wanted to learn skills that I could carry throughout my life. I’d always been interested in the electrician aspect of trades, which is why I decided to retrain in it. It took a huge step back but I went on to build a business up and I did reasonably well. Then, when it came time to change because it wasn’t right for me anymore, I knew accountancy was the way I wanted to go.
I didn’t want to be an accountant as in somebody who does accounts for people. I wanted to work in the management account industry as that’s where you figure out how to make businesses grow. For me, the key thing in my particular role, or the department that I work in, is that when we get better at our jobs, the firm gets better at its job, and then the clients get better service.
So, in a small way, accountancy has always been the plan - it just took 29 years to get back to it.
What are your top three tips and advice for others studying?
The first piece of advice would be to chill out. This is hard, it’s not going to happen straight away and you’re going to need to take your time and be patient.
- Find a quiet place to study - take yourself somewhere and don’t be distracted by outside factors, family, or work.
- Don’t do too much at once - if you do three hours of work at one time, you may lose one hour from not remembering the content as you’ve tried to do too much at once. You’ll then be tired and struggle with other things.
- Be patient - it’s a long road but don’t look at the end of the journey, look at the next steps as if you’re only focusing on what you need to do now, you can focus without being demoralised. Breaking it down into small, bite-sized chunks is the best way to do it.
Can you reflect on where you were before your apprenticeship to where you are today?
Before I started studying with Kaplan I was relatively new to the role at the firm I’m working for. I was focusing on making sure I kept the job, having radically changed career paths, but I felt like I wasn’t doing enough to progress my career.
Finding Kaplan was the next step and the next corner to be turned. Now, I feel like I’m a long way down that new path and I’m heading exactly where I want to be. Without the qualifications attained and the studies, skills, and knowledge learned through my apprenticeship, I wouldn’t be able to do the job I’m doing now, and I certainly wouldn’t be qualified enough to be sitting at the desk.
Why did you choose Kaplan for AAT?
I was researching a few providers online and Kaplan was coming up as the better of the providers. I looked into it more and it was just the right fit for me. When I reached out to find out how to go about it, everyone was just so supportive and helpful with the information I was asking for, so it just made sense.
Did you plan your study route before starting your qualification?
Yes and no - I knew what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. That’s when I came across Kaplan, and then everything fell into place. I knew what I wanted, I found out what I could study, and then I got started.
How has the support been from Kaplan?
It’s been really good. It comes twofold well for me anyway. The first is the talent coach who is there to support you through the process of completing the apprenticeship side of your studies - making sure that you’re logging your study hours and assigning your tasks, and just being there to reassure and help you with the studies while pointing you in the right directions should you need them.
And then, for me personally being neurodiverse, I was awarded an inclusion coordinator. So, that support has come to make sure that I’m afforded all of the necessary reasonable adjustments to level the playing field when it comes to studying and exams. So, it’s been really supportive and I think I couldn’t have got to where I am without that support.
Did you have any misconceptions about apprenticeships?
I didn’t really know what to expect when I came into an apprenticeship. I thought there would be additional work required for the apprenticeship aspect of the study path, but I found that it was a lot more demanding from a time management perspective. Maybe if I wasn’t my age and in my family circumstances, I wouldn’t have found it so demanding. But I certainly have found the different aspects that apprenticeships bring. It has opened avenues for me and I’ve learnt a lot of things that I didn’t think I’d learn at my age.
What was your study method? How was it?
Initially, it started in the classroom, and I found that to be quite a bizarre experience being sat in a room full of people that I’m almost three times older than. But then COVID hit and we were forced to change gear so it became live online. I was expecting that to be difficult but it actually wasn’t. I found it useful, especially when you have access to the recordings so you can watch over areas that you’ve maybe struggled with.
From a flexibility perspective, being able to do it sitting behind your desk as opposed to going somewhere else means that I’m at home if I’m needed for taxi journeys and everything else that goes with being the dad of a teenage girl!
How have you developed within your job role through your studies?
I’m four years in now and I’m in the third year of my apprenticeship, so I’ve completed my foundation qualification, and the advanced diploma, and I’m working through the professional diploma. I have a couple more exams and then I’ll be qualified.
When I first started at the firm, I was a legal cashier which is akin to accounts administration. Once I started the apprenticeship, I began to really understand how accounts work and was able to apply for an assistant management accountant role.
So, it has been fundamental in progressing my career through having the qualification and certificates to prove the skills learnt, but also in the understanding of the job that I’m doing. I think about why I’m doing something as opposed to ‘why do I need to do it.’
Did you encounter any challenges during your studies?
In the first year of my apprenticeship, I had my dyslexia diagnosis and I found the whole challenge of studying quite arduous. But then when I’d obtained my diagnosis and passed it over to Kaplan, I was awarded an inclusion coordinator and she helped me to get additional study materials, and time for exams and has been in regular contact with me to support me and ensure that I have everything I need.
What are your plans for the future?
In the short term, I want to finish the final year of my apprenticeship and become AAT-qualified. Then, the intention would be to move on to higher-level studies, but I’m going to wait and see how my life is once I’ve finished.
I made the very bold statement to my wife that I wasn’t getting my hair cut until I was qualified - which is why it’s the length it is now!
So, the first thing I’ll be doing is getting a haircut - which could be quite interesting.
Being dyslexic, one thing I shouldn’t really like is writing, but I do. I love writing and making up stories. So I think once I’ve finished with the accounting qualifications, I might like to look into going into some form of creative writing course.
Feeling inspired?
If you’re looking to switch your career to the finance industry, remember that it’s never too late to make that decision. Browse our current apprenticeship vacancies or read more about how to talk to your current employer about starting an apprenticeship if you’re looking to gain the knowledge, behaviours, and skills that will help you for life.
If you have any additional learning needs or need advice about getting support with your learning, find out how we can support you or contact the team at als@kaplan.co.uk.