Choosing your career path can be a daunting experience. I felt I would like to do an apprenticeship rather than study for A levels. Even though both my sisters gained A levels and went on to study at university, I knew this route was not for me.
 
The summer before my exams I decided to do a weeks work experience with Perrin & Co accountancy firm and from here on in I knew I wanted to be an accountant. I now had to make the decision whether to continue my studies at West Buckland, where I would be provided with a wealth of opportunities such as being a part of the sports teams, senior choir, senior play and of course achieve A levels. Having been a part of the school community for so long this was not a decision I took lightly.
 
I gained  6 A’s at GCSE and felt I would like to do an apprenticeship alongside an AAT course. However with one million students currently out of work, I new finding an accountancy firm to offer me an apprenticeship would prove difficult!
Eventually Davison’s accountancy firm of South Molton offered me two weeks work experience during the summer following my results. This was my chance to prove myself, work with a dedicated approach, show willingness to learn and become a committed member of the team. Luckily, this in turn lead to me being offered an apprenticeship alongside an AAT course, which is one day a week at the A Plus training centre in Exeter.  If I had not been fortunate enough to have been offered this apprenticeship I would have gone back to school to study for my A levels.
 
I have now been at Davisons for four months and in this time I have learnt a great deal. I have found my literacy skills and knowledge of excel which I had learnt at school to be of a huge advantage for this role. I am currently working on client’s accounts, experiencing the role of a financial advisor and communicating with large investment companies. This is of course just a small insight into what there is yet to learn and I am sure that my aim to become a qualified accountant will take several years of hard work!
 
Candice Reed