One of the most common concerns potential students have about getting a professional qualification is finding the time to study. If you want proof of just how manageable AVADO’s courses are, look no further than Allie Haggerty.

Allie started studying her ACCA F4 course with us in August 2016, believing she was exempt from papers F2 and F3. Unfortunately, it turned out she wasn’t. So what next? Many people would have put F4 on hold until they had completed the earlier papers, but Allie opted to study them at the same time! In just four months she had completed all three papers and moved on to F5, a feat that would typically take nine months!

On top of all that, Allie was working full-time as a Commercial Director and caring for three children! So what was her secret? How did she manage to juggle her studies with other commitments? Does she ever sleep? The answer, she says, lies in her “strange brain”:

“I see a goal or end result and I systematically break it down to bite-size chunks, to ensure I grasp each concept before I move on and that’s why I like AVADO because the course works exactly the way my brain wants it to! So I have to achieve something, pass a test, to move onto the next session. And I will only sit the mock tests when I feel confident with each subject. So for me, this is perfect.”

Even though Allie had never done any online study before, she’s quickly been won over by the flexibility studying with AVADO offers. She also found it easy to communicate with her tutor and the Student Services team, saying “AVADO’s response time if there are any problems is fantastic.”

“I finish off my working day as a Commercial Director, then I see to the children, spend time with them, goodnight story etc., and then I have time to myself to do my study.”

Allie even found time to help out her fellow students during her courses:

“Paul [Kirkwood, my tutor] and I spoke about an equation sheet and he asked me to send my own which I had done and he took that feedback and shared it on the campus with others in less than a week.”

And Paul had plenty of praise to heap on her, too, saying:

“Allie has blown me away with her ambition and ability to achieve a great work/life balance. Her achievements in the last 4 months have been incredible, I’m in awe of her dedication and commitment.”

We might not all be blessed with Allie’s brain, but everyone can learn something from her: even the most daunting tasks that seem impossible become much more achievable when you split into a series of manageable goals. It’s a philosophy we believe in strongly at AVADO, and outstanding students like Allie show just how rewarding it can be!