My experience of attending the FP&A Masterclass

Back in March 2024, I consciously decided to take a leap into FP&A. As I began applying for roles, I felt nervous every time I read a job description.

Most of the job descriptions focused heavily on budgeting, forecasting, and previous experience in financial planning and analysis.

At the time, I was already working on a book project with Asif. I decided to seek his guidance on how to excel in those interviews.

He suggested that aside from leveraging my audit experience, I should consider taking up a certification course—provided I was truly serious about transitioning to FP&A.

His words of caution made me rethink my decision over the next two days. Ultimately, I concluded that I must give this a shot.

I signed up for the FP&A Masterclass, which included eight sessions of two hours each.

The best part was that the sessions took place on weekends, so they didn’t disrupt my regular schedule.

Here’s what I feel about the course:

• In-depth Insight: This course gave me a deeper understanding of what the FP&A role demands on a day-to-day basis.

• Beyond Number Crunching: The program covers Budgeting, Forecasting, Management Reporting, Finance Business Partnering, Storytelling and Presentations. It does not cover topics like Excel, financial modeling and  Power BI.

• Real-World Applications: Although the course doesn’t teach financial modeling, it covers several case studies on budgeting, forecasting, key drivers, and more.

• Target Audience: This course is perfect for someone new to business finance and FP&A, looking to dive deeper and acquire new skills.

If you are someone who wants to get into FP&A, I highly recommend taking up this course. 

I have mentioned doing this certification course in all my FP&A interviews and it definitely gave me an edge in gaining the interviewer’s confidence.

When I finally cracked the interview, I realized what had made the difference. My conscious choice to trust myself and take up this course had truly paid off.

Career transformation requires extra efforts but the returns are worth the wait.

If you still have a question, feel free to reach out.

Happy learning!