To become a qualified accountant, you will need to obtain a recognised degree or a professional accountancy qualification; and 3 years of approved experience. Here are some examples of professional accountancy bodies in Malaysia:

Accountants must have good analytical skills and be detail oriented. They need to be able to pay attention to detail when examining and identifying issues in documentation; and suggest solutions. Good communications skills are also essential when it comes to listening to their clients or employers and discussing their work during meetings. Strong organisational skills and a passion for figures are also important.

Generally, upon completion of your SPM or an equivalent qualification, you can choose to progress to a Pre-University course (A-Level, STPM, AUSMAT, etc) or a Foundation in Business or Foundation in Arts. You can also choose to pursue a Diploma in Accounting instead.

Upon completion of your Pre-University, Foundation or Diploma qualification, you can then choose to pursue your Degree in Accounting.

If you want to enhance your technical knowledge in the accounting field and add more bells and whistles to your résumé, you can pursue professional accounting qualifications such as ACCA, MICPA, CPA Australia, CIMA and ICAEW.

These days, everything is changing rapidly around us and, to some people, a 4-year degree is not suitable because it is too long. Many opt for options that are considerably shorter than that and try to finish as soon as possible. ACCA offers such option. Many can pursue ACCA qualification immediately after SPM by doing the ACCA Foundation programme. It is a one-year programmes that focuses on the fundamentals and prepare students for the professional qualifications needed.

Then, the full time ACCA course will require at least 2 years of study to complete all the professional papers and take the needed exams. Upon completion, you will be able to find work relatively faster than your peers.

Remember you need ACCA qualification even if you have a degree. You still need to be a member of MIA if you need to develop your qualification and have a sustainable career progress.

There are several other qualifications that require exploration such as CIMA, ACA, CFA, CFP and other qualifications.

If you like to view tertiary programs related to this article, click here to go to the list of recommendation.  If you are not sure which path you want to pursue for your tertiary education,  you should find this psychometric test here to be helpful in providing some aptitude breakdown and course suggestions upon completion of the test. Feel free to proceed to the test, it's free after all.