Richard’s current role as an Accountant with ANZCO Foods, one of New Zealand’s largest exporters of lamb and beef, was exactly what he hoped for after completing his Master of Professional Accounting (MPA).
Since graduating, Richard has held a number of roles as an Auditor with KPMG and BDO, both global accountancy firms, and has completed the Chartered Accountants programme to land his current work.
The bigger career prospects available from professional accounting studies motivated him to do further studies after undergrad.
"Accounting offers a wide range of opportunities for graduates in many different fields. A future with an accounting degree offers a lot of prosperity, in both financial and opportunity aspects.
"The decision I made to undertake the MPA I will never regret. Having an accounting qualification has put my future in a very clear and positive direction. I believe if someone is looking for a career with great opportunities and enjoys working with numbers it is a great programme to study."
Richard had initially completed Marketing and Psychology degrees that gave a focus on understanding client behaviours. Making the transition into Accounting was made easier by returning to UC.
"I had studied at UC for the majority of my undergraduate studies and was very satisfied with the quality of courses and lecturers the University has to offer," he says. "Christchurch is my home and I really enjoy living in the city. I enjoy the outdoors (mountain biking, kayaking) and I feel Christchurch offers a wide range of activities."
One real added advantage of postgrad study was the UC careers fairs with visiting accounting firms on campus.
"These offer a great opportunity for students to make themselves known to employers and ask questions to see if the job is right for them."
Richard says that the internship component of the MPA was the most developing part of the programme in this respect.
"Not only did this provide me with an invaluable experience, it gave me confidence when applying for jobs of what is expected in an accounting position and that I was capable to do that," he says.
"Looking back, the internship was very similar to what I do now on a daily basis. I went in not knowing what would be expected of me, but came out feeling confident I provided something of benefit to that organisation."
However, his favourite part of being at UC was the small classes and fellow students in the MPA programme.
"Classes were interactive and group oriented and felt much less like a lecture. Due to the size of the class I was able to get to know classmates very well and have continued strong relationships with them to this day."
