University of Essex

From property management to training and credit management, Benjamin Koh recently made a bold career switch and saw the need to acquire new knowledge. Halfway through the University of Essex Accounting and Finance programme, he embarked on a new role as the Head of Business Development at a regional distributor for spices.

“I took up this programme because it covers exactly what I need to hone my skillsets in understanding regional markets and company financials. Though I’m only mid-way through the Degree programme, the modules have been useful and highly applicable to my job daily,” said Benjamin.

While juggling between work and studies is no mean feat, Benjamin has been managing well. He shared, “Having a focused mindset is important. A strong motivation to learn so I can perform better at work keeps me going.”

Drawn by the possibility of obtaining several exemptions for ACCA papers* and relevance of the programme syllabus, Vina Xu decided to embark on an Accounting and Finance Degree with University of Essex.

Currently an Accountant with an established local accounting firm, Vina has found her learning journey to be enjoyable thus far. “This double specialisation programme provides holistic knowledge of both accounting and finance that’ll be useful for my future career,” said Vina.

With about 3 more months to go before completion of her studies, Vina recounted her experience in managing work and studies. She shared, “I spent a fair bit of my weekends and public holidays catching up on my revision. Thankfully, the programme schedule is flexible and designed to suit working professionals. This makes my balancing act easier.”

I chose University of Essex due to its global ranking. In addition, I loved the curriculum because it offered modules that are industry-relevant such as Bank Risk Management and E-commerce in Business.

They helped me in my decision making as an entrepreneur in terms of cash flow and how to run my online e-commerce business.

Also, another reason why I took up the University of Essex Bachelor’s Degree programme is because its partner, Kaplan, who has established itself as the leading private education institution.