The Challenge
To begin a career more closely aligned with his University education
Like many undergraduate students, when Nick left university he didn't have a clearly-mapped plan for his career.
After completing his Economics and Accounting Degree at Cardiff University, Nick headed out to Disney in Florida and worked as a cast member in the Haunted Mansion, before returning to the UK to work in the nightclub business. After several years of overseeing the opening of new clubs all over the country, Nick began looking for opportunities more relevant to his degree that also involved less travel.
I’ve really enjoyed my studies so far, the tutors are excellent and know exactly what they’re doing, and I feel it’s good value for money. I’ve never looked at going somewhere else.
The Solution
Successful study towards a CIMA qualification with Reed Business School
His pathway may not have been the most conventional, but Nick would eventually begin working for logistics firm Hegele as an assistant in planning and forecasting for the medical installation side of the business. He learnt on the job how to forecast from week-to-week and for the month ahead, getting involved with invoicing and the legalities of running freight.
Not long after he started at Hegele, Nick began studying towards his CIMA qualification, enrolling at Reed Business School in order to further develop his career. Nick chose RBS because our tailored approach to his initial queries reassured him that Reed was the best place to assist him on his journey.
“Reed Business School was in a great location for me, but I also felt they took the time to understand me and my needs and provide a tailored offer, rather than a copy-and-paste reply.”
The Results
Third highest mark in the region for his CIMA case study
With hard work and a commitment to his studies, Nick is now very happy with where his career is taking him. He recently scored the third highest mark in the region for his CIMA case study – operational level.
In achieving his excellent mark, Nick essentially started from scratch in going through each of his theory modules again to make sure everything was fresh in his mind. Then once the pre-seen materials were released, he tried to make as many connections as he could.
“I brainstormed everything in the pre-seen materials, making notes of anything that could segue into any of the theory, for example martial costing and how this might affect the company.”
Nick completed this process of revision, note-making, and preparation before attending his classes for the case study paper, which gave him a good head start and a better understanding of the task at hand.
In addition to all his preparatory work, Nick admits there were several other factors that contributed to his success, starting with the tuition and support he’s received from Reed Business School from day one.
“When I started, I was a bit daunted looking at practice questions and then the model answer, as I couldn’t see the link as to why some things were included and not others. But the tutor broke down how it was marked, then I could understand how many opportunities there were to get the marks, which is something I wouldn’t have been able to apply in an exam just from looking at the model answer.”
Nick’s tutor provided a detailed mark sheet back for each practice question attempted – and would explain where marks were scored, and what parts had been missed. Nick believes this feedback was invaluable, as were the networking opportunities with fellow students that gave him further sounding boards and accountability partners for his studying
Nick’s study journey has enabled him to take on more responsibility and autonomy at work, with his Executive Director able to rely on him to complete more tasks, and contribute to more areas of the business. And while he still doesn’t have a definite long-term goal, he was well on course to complete the strategic level, after which many more doors would be open to him.
