I did it! It has been a long awaited day. The second greatest achievement in my education right after the enrollment as an ACCA affiliate since 2016. Now, I am officially an alumni of University of London (UoL).
After waiting for roughly 4 months, finally receiving the prestigious certification by today.
The course is run by UoL, with the Programme direction and assessment is undertaken by University College London (UCL), which has been ranked as the top 7 (Source 1) in the QS World University Rankings 2018!
Learn more about this course : Source 2. Official University website Source 3.
Why Master?
Questions raised from most of them, which including: “Why are you taking Master since you have already awarded ACCA qualification? Isn’t that wasted or too much as being an ACCA affiliate is more than suffice (Saying being an Accountant does not need Master)? Well, I have no argument on that and it is true”. The answer to these questions is: “I do have my own dream”. It is my dream in getting a degree or master (As I only have an ACCA qualification) and to challenge myself out of the comfort zone.
It was a morning in December 2016 which I have decided to register the course. My concerns were: “Am I able to cope with the course and how hard is it? What if I fail the course? Is the course worth in money of value?”
Return?
It was my instinct that drove me to brave myself, to realise one of my life goal. Now, I have unlocked this goal and what actually have I obtained? Definitely, this qualification has added value to my career advancement and CV. Despite of this, I have gained a lot from the course. Most important lesson I gained is that, there is nothing impossible if you think it is possible!
* Frankly, I have no confidence in passing the course at that time as ACCA’s syllabus is entirely different from this course.
The course has opened my eyes on the international standard of English (Definitely I have to do a lot reading with technical jargon) and the world class of University standard (Also as a way to evaluate whether am I up to that standard being an ACCA qualified, if not then what is my improvement area?). Via this course too, it has united a group of friends from all around the world, namely England, Dubai, Africa, China, Singapore, etc. (We do maintain a Whatsapp group of Alumni). Who knows one day we may have achieving some big things among these weak ties globally? It was not an easy task to cater my daily job and this Master course at the same time (As I was having a full time job as a tax consultant in a local firm), I have to set up self discipline to cater all these, i.e sacrificing my entertainment time, wake up at 6 or early morning for reading, etc.. Prioritisation and time management skills were further enhanced and trained.
Review
- The whole course is designed in a way to meet the world class standard with interesting reading and international hot topics such as tax avoidance issue, Financial crisis, M&A (If you are keen in international issues and working in Finance related industries);
- There are a lot of reading to do (Get ready your dictionary!) to complete the assignment;
- It has no examination (For pathway 2) but the assessment is based on your project assignment only but demand high research, critical, reading and writing skills;
- Whole course would take you one year (If you are studying part time then you may need to allocate time wisely and there are deadlines to meet for assignments);
- Online tutor is very helpful but it takes time for them to reply promptly;
- Self study is required, being an online long distance course but you may opt for local institutional guidance (List of tuition providers);
- Most of the reading materials are in soft copy file and not much video lecturing (Normal laptop is sufficient); and
- Students have full access to online library and many online research tools are available in completion of assignment (Handy resources available);
In short, I highly recommend those partly or fully qualified ACCA students to enroll in this course if you are keen. Reasons being simple, you get a world class qualification with affordable cost (Not as high as compared to other UK universities) simply because the recognition of your ACCA qualification and “2 in 1” bonus (ACCA + MSc), which is the first in the world.
So, what’s next?
I do not see this as an end of the learning pathway and the MSc would be the new spark of my career life. This achievement definitely drives me to hit my career to the highest achievement in becoming a tax expert in the future! Being a holistic person is not easy and I am not only looking for academic successful but hopefully becoming an all rounded person.
Appreciation
Last but not least, without my parents and my girl friend, I wouldn’t have achieved this milestone. A big thank you to them! Their support and companion is the best motivation throughout the whole learning process! “SHE” is the one who motivated me while I was in downturn and “rewarded” me with good food on every timely submission of assignment online. 🙂
honglim 