Hi all, I would like to get a better understanding regarding project management.

This year I have just finished my ACCA studies, and therefore now I am a fully qualified accountant. Currently I am working in an audit firm but my next step now that I would like is to continue my father's business. He is a director of a Mechanical and Electrical contracting company. I am very interested in this business since I enjoy working on projects and being on sites, not just at the office. I am considering taking a masters in project management, but would appreciate if someone can help me out.

My impression is that most project managers are architects or engineers that have experience in the field and therefore I wonder if it would be a good idea for me as an accountant to continue my studies in project management.

Therefore I would appreciate if you can give me some info about this subject and maybe can enlighten me about any prospects that there are in this field for a project manager with accounts background. I am also considering trying to find an apprenticeship with a foreign contracting company instead of doing the masters, but I believe this would be much harder to find a company to accept me as an apprenticeship.

hi DD22 congratulations on getting your ACCA! I have heard that its not easy, lots of people fail. Have you asked any people who are actually already in the business? Looking at it either way, your future prospects are very bright. You have your ACCA, you can either do a masters in project management and you have your dad's business to fall back on.

I'm not from accounting field, I know only 3 fully qualified accountants who dont want to be accountants and are doing something else with their life. If you want to be a project manager, do it because you want to do it; you'll definitely pick up the skills you need, now you just need experience. YOu must probably still be very young (less than 30, I am guessing) so if you actually take up a one-year masters in project management you still have lots of time; you could arm yourself with this degree and then start getting your work experience, still not too late. With this masters you dont have to have people saying things about your background, you dont have to be bothered with all that.

either that you could also start working in your dads company and learn the ropes from bottom up. YOu could also start looking for apprenticeship now and see how your applications go, see if these companies accept your ACCA background. In fact, having ACCA is a good thing. You have learnt many skills from ACCA, and most project managers have no idea what accounting/auditing is (!) which is crucial to running and budgeting, you could have an upper hand.

Go ahead and explore first. Good luck

Hi
I was (I suppose technically I still am) a CIMA qualified accountant but left 6 years ago after 16 years as I had been unable to make the move from finance to general management and then I decided I wanted to be an academic.  I would think that if you can do the project management course then that coupled with your finance qualification would stand you in good stead. As has been said a lot of project managers / engineers etc have no idea about finances (my husband, also an accountant, used to have a display in his office with pictures of what £10, £20, £50, £250k would buy as he got sick of engineers saying "it's only...") so you would be combine two very important areas.

As far as going into the family business is concerned - it depends where you are - if you are in a Mediterranean country then there will be no problem, if however you are in the Uk I would make sure that you get plenty of experience in another company before you join - Brits don't take kindly to bosses children (I speak with some experience - I decided not to joint the family firm for that reason) - again your accounting qualification and the project management course will help and if you can get some experience to go with them so much the better. 

If you do the project management course you can always keep your hand in with the accounting by doing interim/temp work in the holidays which would help if funding is an issue (and if there is a finance component on the Project management course you'll probably get exempt - I did when I did my MSc)

Good Luck

Hi, my professional background is as a Quantity Surveyor, however, I am aware of a lot of Quantity Surveyors who have moved into Project Management. 

So to answer the part of your query I feel I am most qualified to answer, which is should you undertake a P.M. masters, my advise is you certainly should. Your background in accountancy will be invaluable to you, given this close relationship to my construction orientated profession which forms a key part of Project Management. However, I would also advise you study in the university as apposed to distance learning and try and find a course which includes Construction Technology as core. Or equally one which would allow you to complete such modules as an associate student.

Good luck with it, if you want some advice on the best universities for this type of program drop me a message giving me your rough location and I will fire some recommendations back.

My final point is make sure your course is either RICS (preferably) or CIOB accredited as professional memberships are even more important than the degree in this industry as they prove you can walk the walk not just talk the talk.

Dear all,

Thank you all for your comments! I must say that they are very encouraging and motivating!

I have started to look up for universities and now I will start the application process.

Dear "tester" can you please send me the list of universities that you recommend?

Thanks once again!

Accountants, I believe learn a great deal about management in their courses. After all a successful project management primary goal is to complete the project within resources and of course complete it within a certain time frame and with success. The Project Management degree will mostly train you how to systematically apply resources&skills using computer programs like Microsoft Project. I think instead of going for a full time degree just b.uild on your modules towards masters whilst working 4ur dad. You can take modules in different universities even at open university to count towards a masters.
Ask your dad if he is willing to let you work on particular project from initial counseling to final implementation. Keep all the paper work and that would be your MSC Project Management thesis. I think if you go for another full time your dad and others think of you a 'total waste of time'. You are lucky to have a dad who is successful and encouraging you to work with him. Don't let the ego come in between and try to compromise. My dad passed away when I was only 29 and their was an age gap of 50yrs which always kept us seperated..

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