Jesse Leme

Why Accounting & Finance positions?

My interests and journey into accounting and finance started while I was back in my home country (Myanmar), studying a business and management diploma course. As I am passionate and entrepreneurial, my initial aim and goal was to acquire the knowledge, skills and expertise required to run my own business, specifically a café restaurant one day. All the modules and courses were incredibly effective and engaging, providing me with strong insights into business principles and practices. However, it wasn’t until I started taking accounting and finance classes that my passion and interests in these business fields really took off.

Learning and understanding the financial aspects of business such as risk management, investing decisions, valuations, financial analysis etc, has always been engaging and interesting for me. On top of that, I genuinely found myself extremely excited to dive into analysing financial statements, data entry and conducting detailed analysis of the balance sheets as these activities and assignments allow me to uncover valuable insights into accounting perspectives.

All in all, these experiences and classes made me realise that accounting and finance is not just a stepping stone for my business aspiration, but an area that I am greatly passionate about and want to build my career in. In the next 3-5 years, I envision myself continuing to grow and build on this foundation and accept roles where I can further develop my real-life skills and experience in accounting and finance, ultimately contributing to the financial health and success of a company.

What interests you the most about working in Accounting & Finance?

It’s the opportunity to analyse the numbers which reflect the story and performance of a company. Although I am not an expert in Maths and number solving, it has been always exciting to tackle financial problems and calculations, which allows me to think critically and enhance my analytical skills. Moreover, every financial statement is a puzzle and solving it provides insights into how a business operates, where it can improve, and how it can grow. So, these insights makes accounting and finance particularly interesting to me as it provides me the chance to understand and uncover the underlying dynamics that drive business success.

You’ve lived in Bristol for almost 2 years now - what do you love the most about this city?

Bristol is a city that offers the perfect blend of vibrant multi-culture, rich history and a diverse business environment. At the same time Bristol is a medium-size city which offers a diverse landscape and a wide range of things to explore. The city’s manageable size means I can experience all the benefits of urban living without the overwhelming pace of larger cities, while still having access to a wide rage of opportunities and amenities. Most importantly, the business landscape of Bristol is also very wide and varied, surrounding everything from start-up businesses, finance sectors and technology and hospitality industries which provide a lot of opportunities for young professionals to grow and thrive in different fields.

What would securing your “First Step” mean to you?

Securing my “First Step” in accountancy and finance would be incredibly meaningful to me as it would mark the beginning of a career that I’ve always dreamed of and am passionate about. It would represent the achievements and efforts of my education, allowing me to apply my skills and knowledges that I’ve acquired in a professional setting. Additionally, this role would offer me the chance to gain and develop practical experiences and skills which is extremely crucial in enhancing my future career to becoming a reliable and trusted professional who contributes effectively to any organisation.