Alex Hatton’s natural affinity for maths and problem-solving has shaped his trajectory into accountancy and ultimately led him to where he is today: at the beginning of his journey as an ACA Level 7 accountancy professional apprentice.
He has always “loved that accountancy has its own language,” so pursuing the ACA felt like the natural next step after university.
Based in Nottingham, Alex now works in a graduate accountancy role at Botham Accounting.
Path to the ACA
The credibility and breadth of the ACA strongly appealed to Alex. As someone who enjoyed maths at school, he took the opportunity to study Accounting and Finance at Nottingham Trent university, before exploring a career in accountancy. “The ACA develops maths and problem-solving skills, both of which I enjoy”
I’m a big fan of maths; I really enjoy it
He liked the structure, detail and way of working, and felt confident that it was the right path for him.
Thanks to his undergraduate degree, Alex received Credit for Prior Learning, the term for exemptions, meaning he sat his first Certificate Level exam two months into his apprenticeship.
It feels like I’m opening myself up to an entire profession. I’ve only been at my firm for two and a half months, and I haven’t seen everything it has to offer. I don’t yet know exactly what path I want to take, but pursuing the ACA feels right.
Study approach and exam preparation
In between school and university, Alex completed a two-year apprenticeship with a bookkeeping qualification. This gave him valuable exam experience, allowing him to further define his personal study style.
For Alex, repetition and time management are key, particularly when paired with plenty of practice questions. He usually allows himself a three-week revision period: starting with learning the content, moving into a “little and often” approach to practice questions, and then increasing the intensity as the exam gets closer.
Alex explains:
“It makes it so much easier, when you get into the exam you think ‘well I’ve seen this type of question before’, which means you can focus on giving the answer to the question rather than trying to work out what the question means.’
Advice to ACA students
Alex is careful to balance his study time alongside work commitments, breaking revision into manageable chunks to avoid overwhelm.
His biggest piece of advice is to stay confident and calm:
“I know a lot of people who panic about exams and it’s just not worth it. Trust that you know the content and you will be able to replicate it when you get into that exam. You’ve put in the work, it will show”
Looking ahead
In his role at Botham Accounting, Alex helps to support SME clients. He finds this people focused role particularly rewarding and is excited to gain the technical expertise to take on more responsibility, have those big conversations and eventually take the lead on client accounts.
Alex is getting exposure to different ways of working and a variety of specialisms, giving him a clearer picture of what the profession has to offer. He’s approaching his future with an open mind and is excited to see where the ACA will lead him.
Advice to his younger self
Having experienced phases of uncertainty along his career path, Alex’s best advice to his younger self would be to trust in your decisions and “accept that it will be a challenge, especially in the first week of onboarding and studying for your first exams. Reframe it as exciting, rather than scary.”
Every step, even the tough ones, have led to somewhere meaningful – Alex is in a job he enjoys, with colleagues who inspire him, and continues to seize every opportunity.
Discover more about the ACA, including exam resources and student benefits at icaew.com/aca