Jason Sullivan, Chartered Accountant, Pfizer

What is your name, job and employer?

My name is Jason Sullivan and I'm a statutory accountant for Pfizer

What are the different pathways into your profession as a graduate?

Generally, graduates take the three-and-a-half-year training contract. I am with the Chartered Accountants Ireland training contract so I'm in a three-and-a-half-year training contract with Pfizer, so I work full-time and I study part-time. The flexible route is the non-traditional route into an accountancy qualification that would involve you maybe not being in a training contract, but you want to start your studies already.

What are the most important skills to have in your career?

I think you need to be adaptable and enthusiastic. Things change at a very fast pace in all routes in accountancy and I think for me you need to be adaptable. It's probably the main skill you need but you also need to be hardworking because it is a very fast-paced environment and you have to be able to study at the same time.

How long does it take to become fully qualified?

Generally, it takes three and a half years and that includes your study and your working requirements. You sit your cap 1, cap 2 and FAE exams each year alongside your working commitments.

What piece of advice would you give a 1st year student about this career?

The advice I would give is that you need to study hard and work hard but you will get the mentoring supports that are in place from Chartered Accountants Ireland to help you to be successful in your career.

What are the typical long-term career paths that your members follow?

Training with Chartered Accountants Ireland means that you'll get a global qualification. It means you'll have the ability to work in Ireland or travel abroad. I think the long-term career prospects are if you look at big companies there's a lot of CFO's out there that are chartered accountants and there's a lot of other big players in the market that are chartered accountants. I think that's going to open a lot of doors for anyone that has this qualification.