Frederick Appiah (LLB 2015)

Growing up, I never contemplated studying law let alone working in the legal industry. My career goal was to become an Accountant. And so, after completing secondary school, I obtained a Diploma in Accounting and considered becoming a chartered accountant (pursue my Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) certification).

My search for an institution where I could study for my ACCA certification led me to The University of Buckingham. The more I browsed researched the University’s website, the more I fell in love with the University. Then, I stumbled upon the University’s part-time law programme and noticed there was an upcoming open evening event. Without hesitation, I decided to attend. It was an eye-opening experience and the interactions I had with present and past students, and the lecturers, were amazing. The structure of the programme was also perfect for my work schedule so I applied to the part-time programme.

That single decision to apply, turned out to be one of my greatest decisions in life. Shortly after enrolling onto the programme, it began to unlock opportunities for me. I was hired by a U.K Government Department as a Project Officer and, after telling my Line Manager I was studying law via the University’s part time programme, I was quickly reassigned to join the Project Governance team. There, I oversaw the project contract administration function and was also part of the project Governance and Risk Team.

After a year and two months in my position, and having completed the part time law programme, I relocated to Texas, in the United States. Within a month, I was hired by a global immigration law firm as a Consular Advisor, where my legal knowledge acquired from University of Buckingham enabled me to advise on various global mobility projects. Specifically, on U.K and European Union (EU) related immigration projects.

Some of the projects I worked and or advised on included short/long-term work permit applications, intra-company transfers to the UK/EU, and dependent visas. After almost a year in this role, although I enjoyed my work, it wasn’t the right fit. I did not have sufficient work-life-balance. So, I decided to change careers and was hired as an Associate Auditor at the Office of Inspector General, part of the Texas Health and Human Services System.

On my first day at work, my manager said to me, and I quote “Frederick, I hired you even before you had your interview; as soon as I saw you had studied law on your application, I knew you’d be a great fit”. Fortunately for me, I was promoted to a Staff Auditor less than a year into my new career as an auditor. My manager commended my exceptional professionalism, hard work, and work ethic.

Since then, I have held other positions in different companies/organizations such as Senior Auditor, Senior IT Auditor, Project Lead, Assistant Project Manager, and Information Security Compliance and Risk Analyst. These minor successes I have had to date, I can only attribute to, and forever be indebted to the University of Buckingham’s part-time law programme.

Will I recommend the part time law programme to anyone who is considering pursuing further studies? 1000% YES!

Even if studying law is not on your wish list, I will highly recommend you give The University of Buckingham part-time law programme a good look. The programme will not only equip for a career in the legal industry, it prepares and equips you for many different careers. And besides that, you will make great and amazing friends who will not only motivate and support you while studying, but potentially for a lifetime.