Finding stability in the numbers game

February 26, 2019

Accounting is not just crunching numbers. Matthew’s study has delivered him a stable, yet stimulating career that he plans to stick with.

What drew Matthew to a career in accounting was a desire to become more valuable to the economy. In his prior role in business development, Matthew felt that he was disposable in the eyes of his company. “In sales, if the economy slumps, you’re the first one to go” he says.

In a risky move, Matthew stepped out of his six-figure role to give study his full focus. He enrolled in University of South Australia’s Bachelor of Accounting, online through Open Universities Australia (OUA). Choosing to study remotely allowed him to live abroad, and maintain an income stream through a side business.

“I was confident that I was intelligent enough to do it, but not confident that I had the discipline to do it” says Matthew of his decision to study at university. But he put his mind to it, succeeded, and landed himself a job with one of the big-four accounting firms, after completing a Chartered Accountant qualification in addition to his degree.

Currently, Matthew is responsible for ensuring the profitability of the Sonic Clinical Services medical centres. His daily work consists of analysing the success of medical clinics, preparing reports, making recommendations, and helping identify weaknesses and opportunities. When Matthew can devise a solution to benefit the company, that perhaps even senior management hadn’t thought of – that’s what makes the job worth getting out of bed for.

I was confident that I was intelligent enough to do it, but not confident that I had the discipline to do it”

Accounting is a very technical role, and Matthew swears by his degree. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a number, unless you’d done the degree” he insists, “It’s not something you can pick up and run with – you need the study”. Once you’ve got the qualifications you need, a career in accounting can be incredibly rewarding, and can take you across practically any industry. The world is truly your oyster.

Find a career that ticks the boxes

Meaningful work is something to aspire to, whether you travel down a new, cutting-edge career path, or a traditional one that’s tried and true. Ask yourself – what do you want to get out of your career? Through Open Universities Australia, you’ve got so much choice, and the ability to try on study areas for size through single subject study.

Through OUA, you can:

• Find the right course for you – We can guide you in your selection from over hundreds of degrees, from leading Australian unis.
• Start studying, regardless of history – We offer single undergraduate subjects from full degrees without any entry requirements.
• Gain credit towards your degree – Apply for credit for past study, or your work experience, and finish faster.
• Graduate with a degree from a leading uni – Study through us, but graduate with exactly the same university degree as on-campus students.
• Feel supported from start to finish – Our Student Advisors can guide you in the right direction and help with your enrolment.

Related courses through OUA:

Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) – Curtin University

Bachelor of Business (Financial Planning) – RMIT University

Master of Professional Accounting (Specialisation) – University of Tasmania

Master of Taxation – Curtin University