Why do I love my job: I love working for myself and I love how final numbers are. They are either right or wrong! Not open to interpretation. Once you have worked for yourself and not had to take orders from anyone else, it is very hard to go back.  

What did I love doing at school: Skateboarding and to a much lesser extent, Maths. 

Childhood hobbies: Skateboarding, drawing cartoons, being outside as much as possible and never having a phone. 

How to get into the sector? A little bit of drive and ambition and a lot of chance. To become a chartered accountant you need to complete lots of exams, 13 in total, in addition to this you need to work for another qualified accountant for at least 3 years and they need to sign you off to confirm you are competent, and if you want to run your own accountancy firm you need to submit even further applications with the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). It’s a lot of work but ultimately worth it.   

Related jobs: Bookkeeper, auditor, tax professional. 

Career high: Becoming chartered and getting lots of letters after my name. However, I wasn’t always an accountant. I was butcher (see photo), a wake boarding instructor and for many years I lived in Australia doing all sorts of jobs including furniture removals and working in bars.

Top tip: Don’t worry too much at your age, life will happen either way. - Andrew Rutherford, Accountant