“I soon came to the conclusion that this subject (and career) was not the one that I wanted to follow so I quit my studies and grabbed an opportunity that was presented to me and started working as a real estate agent, mainly dealing with property sales and evaluations. This lasted from 2007 to 2012, then, due to the economic crisis in Greece, the property market crashed and the financing sector were struck out. The next step in my life was totally different than what I had been doing the previous years. My second passion, after numbers and finance, is music and therefore I became a disc jockey. This was a big chapter in my life which continued for 7 years until September of 2019.

A life changing moment

Then, came the life changing moment when I decided that I wanted a new challenge; I wanted to move to a place where I could work hard, reach my potential and progress without limits. I decided to move to London on the 21st of September 2019 and I immediately started searching for universities, courses, colleges and everything that would help me achieve my goals and start a career in economics.

When I saw the AAT courses and started searching more about this qualification and the prospects that would follow, I didn’t have to think more.
That was for me.

My passion for numbers, my interest in understanding how a company works, the economic control of an organisation, budgeting, revenue, expenses, investments and all the relevant aspects of accounting made me want to think no more and start studying immediately.

Not having any previous experience was not a problem at all, as my motivation and determination were (and continue to be) so high that I wanted to learn more and more and progress, as I mentioned before, without limits.

Setting a goal to be AAT qualified in less than a year…

I started working full time in October as a Lettings Agent but also decided simultaneously to start studying AAT Accounting with Training Link, starting from level 2 and setting a goal to be qualified within a year. Eleven months later, in September 2020, I have managed to finish level 2, level 3, and level 4, while at the same time I have already progressed to the ACCA preparing for my first exam! I am more than happy to have exceeded my initial goal, having achieved a distinction in 6 exams and having passed all bar one exam with a mark above 80% (78% in level 3 synoptic).

Furthermore, despite the difficult times that everyone is experiencing with the Coronavirus and the moments of uncertainty that have affected so many people, I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to turn my passion for accounting into my new career.

I have already started working in a successful accounting practice, demonstrating every day the education and knowledge that the AAT and Training Link have taught me.

One year ago, I was a disc jockey in Greece… now I’m an accountant in London

Can you imagine that? One year ago, I was a disc jockey in Greece without any studies, and eleven months later, without even English being my native language, I work as an accountant in London having almost finished the AAT and having moved forward to the ACCA!

You never know what life will bring, but nevertheless, the future looks bright and I am excited with my new life!

Finally, I would like to mention the reasons why I decided to study via distance learning.
I am a person who wants to feel independent, and this means that I don’t want to have time schedules and be bound to a set program. I want to study at my own pace and the more I study the faster I will progress. Also, without attending classes, it will keep my motivation high as I have to push myself to get a deeper knowledge of the studying materials. Furthermore, without having to attend classes I have a more flexible program and this enabled me to study and work at the same time.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Training Link and my tutors Michele and Jennifer who played a big part on my successful AAT journey!”