Working as the sole Management Accountant for a global consultancy business, Thomas Draggon, ACMA, CGMA, was keen to continue developing his career and expand his expertise within the finance profession.

After completing an MBA, he decided to pursue CIMA as the next step in his professional development, taking on the challenge of becoming a fully qualified finance professional alongside his existing career and commitments.

Here’s his story.

Discovering the next step in his career

Thomas’s interest in developing a career was driven by the type of work he found most rewarding.

“I enjoyed the challenge of solving complex problems and wanted to turn this into a meaningful career, by investing in myself.”

His experiences outside of his day-to-day finance role also helped shape his perspective. While serving as a trustee on the board of a Community Interest Company (CIC), he gained an appreciation of genuine and inclusive leadership and the wider role professionals can play within an organisation.

He was also mentored by a senior CIMA qualified professional (FCMA). Having that guidance from someone who had already progressed through the profession helped strengthen Thomas's ambition to become fully qualified himself.

By this point, Thomas had already completed an MBA, but he wasn't ready to stop developing his knowledge. He wanted to push himself further and see where his capabilities could take him.

“I wanted to see where my limits were and joining a professional accountancy body seemed like the next natural step.”

Thomas pursued CIMA to build on his existing education and experience while developing his technical and strategic understanding of business.

Building towards the case study exams

Thomas followed CIMA’s traditional route, completing the objective tests in between the Management Case Study (MCS) and Strategic Case Study (SCS) examinations.

By this stage, he had built a strong understanding across the enterprise, performance and financial pillars. The case studies gave him the opportunity to bring that knowledge together and apply it to wider business scenarios.

His preparation was centred on practice, feedback and continually looking for ways to improve.

“I consistently benchmarked myself to improve my performance and this involved practicing mock exams, repeatedly.”

The mock exams gave Thomas a way to put his knowledge into practice while getting used to the demands of the case study format. He also valued the opportunity to receive feedback from examiners, using it to assess his performance and identify where he could improve.

“Both aspects served as an arena to compete with myself.”

This approach helped Thomas stay focused throughout his preparation and gave him a clear way to measure his progress as he worked towards both case study exams.

Returning to Kaplan for support

When Thomas began preparing for his first case study exam, he chose Kaplan as his tuition provider. The combination of structured learning, tutor support and regular opportunities to practise gave him a clear approach to his preparation.

“I sat my first case study with Kaplan and the whole experience was intuitive, interactive and structured.”

Having tutors available both inside and outside of classes meant Thomas could get support when he needed it, while practice questions and mock exams gave him regular opportunities to test his understanding.

For Thomas, being able to identify gaps in his knowledge and then focus his preparation accordingly was one of the most valuable parts of the experience.

“This was invaluable. It allowed me to isolate any weaknesses and build my knowledge within those areas.”

The experience gave Thomas confidence in his approach to case study preparation. So, when it came to preparing for the Strategic Case Study, he knew where he wanted to study.

“I wanted a repeat of this experience for the strategic case study exam (SCS) and ultimately, I returned to Kaplan as a tuition provider.”

Balancing CIMA with a demanding career

Studying for CIMA alongside a career in finance meant Thomas had to make the most of the time available to him.

With the demands of his role and busy periods such as month-end, finding time to study required planning and consistency.

Rather than waiting for quieter periods, Thomas built his studies around his existing commitments and made a conscious effort to protect time for revision.

“This included utilising my weekends to study and planning around busy periods, such as month-end.”

His routine also meant making use of his evenings, particularly when work commitments made studying during the day difficult. Maintaining that structure helped Thomas keep moving forward, even when his workload and other priorities competed for his attention.

Overcoming the pressure of the case study exams

The case study exams brought a different set of challenges. With just three hours to complete each exam, Thomas needed to balance his knowledge with the ability to communicate clearly, stay focused and manage his time effectively.

Preparation became an important part of building that confidence, particularly when it came to developing a reliable approach to each question.

“I managed to overcome this pressure, by practicing the mock exams and planning my answers to each question.”

The pressure of the exams was only one part of the challenge. Thomas also had to work through a significant amount of technical content, often fitting his studies around the busiest periods of his working life.

“This was particularly challenging around month-end and in the evenings after work.”

“Making progress sometimes meant giving up weekends and leisure time, as well as studying late into the evening to tackle some of the more demanding areas of the syllabus.”

Despite the sacrifices involved, Thomas remained focused on completing the qualification and reaching the final stage of his CIMA journey.

Developing confidence beyond the qualification

Finishing CIMA marked an important milestone for Thomas, both professionally and personally. After the demands of working towards the qualification, achieving his goal gave him a renewed sense of confidence in what he could accomplish.

“Completing my CIMA studies proved that I had the capability to succeed.”

The qualification also changed the way Thomas approaches business decisions. Rather than looking at individual financial issues in isolation, he developed a broader understanding of how different parts of an organisation connect and how decisions can have wider implications.

“The CIMA qualification has enabled me to think holistically about organisations and the wider implications of business decisions, from a top-down and bottom-up level.”

Alongside this broader perspective, gaining the ACMA and CGMA designations strengthened Thomas's strategic, analytical and financial capabilities, giving him the confidence to apply his learning in both theoretical and practical settings.

“It enabled me to broaden my strategic thinking, whilst elevating my analytical and financial skills, in a theoretical and practical context.”

The achievement Thomas is most proud of

Looking back on his CIMA journey, Thomas reflects on the commitment it took to keep progressing alongside his career and other responsibilities.

“I am most proud of remaining consistent and persevering.”

There were inevitably times when competing priorities made studying more difficult, particularly when Thomas was working through some of the more technical areas of the syllabus.

“Motivation could easily dwindle, especially with managing conflicting priorities and the demands of studying technical areas in the syllabus.”

Those experiences showed Thomas that achieving the qualification would require him to draw on more than the technical knowledge developed through his studies.

“Whilst CIMA teaches technical and strategic thinking skills, there’s also a degree of resilience and determination that’s required to see the qualification through.”

Reaching the end of that journey was therefore a particularly meaningful moment for Thomas, especially after the support and encouragement he had received along the way.

“It felt extremely fulfilling to inform my family, mentors and acquaintances that I had cleared the final hurdle to become fully qualified.”

Taking a wider view of finance

The case study exams also changed the way Thomas approaches his role.

Working through realistic business scenarios required him to think about more than the financial information in front of him and consider how it would be understood and used by others.

“The case studies taught me the value of communication and context.”

That has become particularly relevant in Thomas's day-to-day work, where he works with stakeholders with different priorities and levels of financial knowledge.

“Practically, this developed my confidence in telling a story behind the numbers and adapting my communication to suit the needs of different stakeholders.”

The qualification has also given Thomas opportunities to connect with other professionals and consider possibilities he may not have previously explored.

“Pursuing CIMA has reshaped and broadened my professional and personal outlook.”

For Thomas, completing CIMA has therefore been about more than gaining another qualification. It has influenced how he approaches his role and how he sees his future within the finance profession.

Thomas’ advice for future CIMA students

Having experienced the highs and challenges of working towards both the objective tests and case study examinations, Thomas believes that having a clear sense of purpose can make a real difference when motivation becomes difficult to maintain.

“I would encourage prospective and existing students to trust in their ‘why’ to maintain motivation and plan their ‘how’ to facilitate focus and consistency.”

For Thomas, knowing what you want to achieve is only part of the process. Turning that ambition into a realistic approach to studying is what helps you keep moving forward, particularly when you're balancing CIMA with work and other commitments.

“Trusting both aspects will serve as motivation to attain success. Applying consistency will help to ensure it.”

Looking beyond the numbers

With CIMA now completed, Thomas is looking ahead to how he can use what he has learned to make a broader contribution within the finance profession.

His experiences throughout his career and studies have shaped his view of what it takes to make an impact, particularly when working with people, making decisions and understanding the wider needs of an organisation.

“Beyond the numbers, there are lots of unspoken skills that are demanded of finance professionals.”

Thomas is particularly interested in developing his approach to communication, stakeholder relationships, business intelligence and inclusive leadership as his career progresses.

“My ambition is to leave a meaningful footprint within those areas and provide a different spin on finance, without neglect for the fundamentals.”

With his CIMA qualification providing a strong foundation, Thomas is now ready to continue developing his career while exploring new ways to bring a broader perspective to finance.

Ready to take the first step in your CIMA journey?

Thomas’s experience shows that completing CIMA alongside a demanding career takes commitment, but the value goes beyond gaining a professional qualification.

For him, the experience has changed how he approaches business decisions, communicates with stakeholders, understands the wider organisation, and sees his role within it.

With the right approach to preparation and support, CIMA can help you build the knowledge and confidence to take a broader view of finance and your career.

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