It’s true that many of us have written a bucket list of things we want to achieve in our lives, from jumping out of an aeroplane to seeing the Seven Wonders of the World to writing a novel.

But a career bucket list?

This is a great way to get down on paper your core ambitions, the big-ticket goals you have for your career. And each goal you achieve will improve your CV too.

So, while this isn’t a definitive list – yours could be very different – here are some ideas to help you think about YOUR career bucket list and how the ACCA qualification can help you achieve what you aspire for:

Work in another country

Working overseas can be deeply rewarding on both a professional and personal level. And fortunately for ACCA students and members, the world is your oyster, because the qualification is globally recognised!

Learn a language

If you work in a different country, you may well end up learning a new language as part of your job. Learning a language not only opens doors to richer cultural experiences, but new opportunities in other countries too. Learning Mandarin, for example, is highly valued given the size and gradual openness of the Chinese market. With the CPEC developments here in Pakistan, this could give you a serious edge in terms of employment.

Be an entrepreneur

This is becoming a very popular and rewarding career path. With all the potential for new technology to disrupt every sector and every part of daily life, if you have an idea and some business acumen you can quickly become a successful entrepreneur.The financial knowledge and skills you pick up in your accountancy study can be a great springboard for starting your own business.

Master a new skill

Studying ACCA is mastering a new set of skills – technical and professional. But being an accountant means you never truly stop learning. Given the levels of responsibility that accountants handle, including the financial stewardship of companies, you’re obligated to maintain a high level of continuous professional development (CPD). And more than this, you should also seek to learn complementary skills that can help your career progress down interesting avenues, for example, project management, data analysis, forensic accounting, business partnering.

Or this could mean a completely ‘new skill’, a passion project away from work, like furniture design, horse-riding, knitting, diving… it’s your life, you decide.

A good work-life balance

This may not seem like a ‘bucket list’ candidate, but considering how difficult some people find striking the right balance, it’s worthy of something to aspire too. After all, a good balance often means being more productive, working better, while also maintaining an all-important full family and social life.

Make your parents and family proud

Become an ACCA member, be happy in your work, achieve even a few goals on this list and there’s no doubt your family will be proud.

An inspirational leader

This is not an easy one, but it is so valuable. ACCA’s news module Strategic Business Leader is designed to progressively broaden and deepen the knowledge, skills and professional values demonstrated by the student on their way through the qualification.You will likely progress in your career to managing teams of various sizes and if you can maintain a happy, productive team, then you’ll be inspiring and teaching the next generation of professionals just by doing your job.

So what are you waiting for – it is time to begin your ACCA journey!