Studying towards an ACCA qualification while working full time is a significant commitment, requiring learners to balance their professional responsibilities with their personal ambitions.

For Callum Howard, success came through developing a routine, staying focused on his goals, and making the most of the support available along the way.

Here's his story.

Discovering a passion for finance

Although Callum always enjoyed business, finance wasn't necessarily the career he expected to pursue.

After leaving school, he chose to study Business Management at Swansea University, but admits he was unsure which direction to take.

"I was very confused at the start, as I didn't know whether to go down the business route or stick with sport which I knew well."

As his degree progressed, his interests became much clearer.

"At uni, I found a passion for finance. So from my second year, I pretty much did a business and finance degree."

After graduating, Callum joined an insolvency firm, where he spent just over a year learning about businesses, financial challenges, and communicating with clients during difficult circumstances.

"I enjoyed my time working in insolvency and learned a lot about business, how to deal with difficult conversations, and why businesses failed."

He later moved into an industry finance role, attracted by both the opportunity to broaden his experience and the chance to study towards ACCA through a fully funded training package.

Today, his role allows him to work across several areas of the business, helping him develop commercial knowledge alongside his technical accounting skills.

"I think it's a great misconception that accounting is purely just number crunching – it isn't. ACCA goes way beyond numbers, and you really need to have a good business understanding, alongside understanding what the numbers mean for decision making."

With a growing interest in finance and a role that offered both practical experience and funded ACCA study, Callum felt he had found the right path for his career.

Balancing work, study, and life

Like many ACCA students, Callum's biggest concern before starting wasn't the syllabus itself, but how he would fit studying around everything else.

"ACCA was tough at the beginning. Working full time, playing sport, studying, and having other commitments made me think, 'How on earth am I going to fit it all in?'"

As he progressed through the qualification, developing a routine made managing those competing priorities much more achievable.

"Once the first one or two exams were done, I was in a good routine and just had to sacrifice things in order to achieve success in my studies."

Studying through Kaplan's OnDemand learning option gave him the flexibility he needed to build revision around his lifestyle.

"I went down the OnDemand route of learning, and it's been great. As long as you're quite disciplined, it can be great as you can work it all around your lifestyle."

That routine became an important part of his success.

"I used to study before work, a bit on my lunch, and then after work, Monday to Friday. Saturday mornings I would also study, maybe do a bit Saturday night after football, and then have Sunday completely off. This rest day was vital as it was a good reset at the end of the week to ensure I was ready to go again the next week."

Knowing when to ask for help

While every ACCA paper brought its own challenges, Callum found Advanced Performance Management (APM) particularly demanding.

"I was very concerned at the start. I know it was a tough exam, and the one that has historically the lowest pass rate."

Rather than trying to overcome those challenges on his own, he reached out to Kaplan's academic support team.

"I've come to understand as I've gotten older that it's vital to reach out for help. It's surprising how many people are actually willing to help and see you do well."

Working closely with Kaplan tutor Peter helped improve both his confidence and his exam approach.

"My exam technique changed a lot – for the good. Peter, who was my main point of contact from Kaplan, was able to help me so much. You could genuinely tell that he wanted to help me – not just because it was his job."

Callum also valued the encouragement he received throughout the process.

"Peter gave me full support, reassured me that all would be okay, and showed me the right resources to use to ensure I could execute well in the exam. We talked a lot about our faith too, and how it's important to have trust in God throughout the process. This was absolutely critical to my success in this exam."

The support helped Callum achieve one of his strongest results, scoring 80% in Advanced Performance Management (APM). Across his ACCA journey, he passed all 10 exams at the first attempt, achieving an average score of 71% overall and 74% across the Strategic Professional exams.

Reflecting on completing his exams, Callum says:

"I am very grateful to God for all of this!"

Support throughout the journey

Looking back, Callum believes Kaplan's structured approach helped him stay organised throughout the qualification.

"The 12-week plans for each exam are really good. They allow you to plan well, cover the topics you need to early on in the course, and allow you to really tackle exam questions in the later stages of the course."

Whenever he needed additional support, he knew help was available.

"If I was stuck on anything, I could just email Kaplan. Within a few hours, a team member would come back to me and provide good support."

For more complex questions, speaking directly to tutors made a real difference.

"If something couldn't be sorted over email, a call could be scheduled. I found these really useful as you could find out really valuable information in one go, and one call could mean the difference between passing or failing."

Callum also credits Kaplan's mock exams and feedback with helping him prepare effectively.

"The mock exams, including the progress test, mock 1 and mock 2, are absolutely critical. It's really useful to have a rough benchmark to see where you're at, from papers that are marked by someone else who is reliable."

"The feedback from mocks gives you guidance that you wouldn't get elsewhere and definitely helped me push on to get better marks, as they gave me an honest reflection of where I was at that point in time."

Reflecting on his experience overall, he says Kaplan played an important role throughout his studies.

"Kaplan have been great. Would I have been able to execute upon my plan of passing all exams first time, with decent scores, without Kaplan? I don't think so."

Callum's advice for other ACCA students

Having completed his ACCA qualification while balancing work and other commitments, Callum's biggest piece of advice is not to struggle alone.

"Don't feel like you are alone. It can be scary in your own thoughts, but it's important to seek help if needed and it will help you in the long run."

He also believes having a clear plan and staying consistent can make a significant difference.

"Have a clear plan. Know what you are doing every day before the day starts."

Finally, he encourages learners to support others as much as they seek support themselves.

"Don't hesitate to help others too. People are always willing to help you, and if you are willing to help others too, you could be that person that helps others achieve success too."

Looking ahead

Now that he has achieved his ACCA qualification, Callum is focused on continuing to develop his career in finance.

"I plan on pushing forward and using my qualification to help me climb in my career."

His long-term ambition is to lead successful teams and continue growing as a business leader.

"My long-term goal is to become a CFO."

"I am very interested in business, so perhaps I could become a CEO in the future as I could use my finance background, and experience in business, to move into a CEO role."

Thinking about studying ACCA?

If you're just starting your ACCA journey or preparing for your final exams, having the right support can make all the difference.

Explore Kaplan's ACCA courses to discover how flexible study options, expert tutors, and personalised academic support can help you achieve your career goals.