Julia Williams grew up in Northwest England and earned her Bachelor of Business Studies at Sheffield Hallam University. The school’s well-known business studies program included a yearlong internship, which turned out to be key in Julia’s career decision.

“During my internship with a software company’s project management department, I worked with the CFO on a number of projects and developed skills in forecasting,” Julia recalls, “and decided to focus on accounting and finance in my final year at Sheffield Hallam.”

Julia’s interest in financial management led her to joining the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), “the typically required professional qualification to pursue a career in finance in England.” She also began a graduate trainee program at United Biscuits working as a financial analyst.

“I joined their finance program, and rotated through their cost accounting and financial accounting groups, supporting one of their manufacturing sites,” she tells me. “I then worked with their commercial accounting group with the sales and marketing groups. During this time, I took my CIMA exams and completed the three-year work-experience requirement.

“It was an excellent introduction to corporate finance and industry.”

Julia left England to travel and acquired a temporary work visa in Australia as an SAP finance consultant for The Smith’s Snackfood Company Pty Ltd., a United Biscuits subsidiary. There, she spent nine months working on the SAP implementation of the company’s manufacturing and accounting modules.

When she returned home to England, Julia took the opportunity to expand her skills and pursue other interests. And so she joined Applied Biosystems’ Warrington location as a senior financial analyst.

“I was excited by the life sciences industry,” Julia explains, “and I wanted to be part of a company and industry that could improve people’s lives through advances in technology and help research and drug development.”

From CIMA to CPA

In 2001, Julia took an international assignment at Applied Biosystems’ Foster City, Calif., office, where she continued to grow her financial skills.

“As a finance manager there, I worked with a number of business units managing their global P&Ls and worked on financial planning and modeling for new products,” she says.

Even during a career break to care for her young family, Julia continued to put her accounting and finance skills to good use: She performed accounting for small businesses and volunteered for the elementary school PTA in various roles.

In 2016, Julia returned to the workforce for Murdock Martell in San Jose. That’s when she realized a need to upskill. The following year, she began our Certificate Program in Accounting.

“At Murdock Martell, I provided accounting and finance services for tech startups,” she explains. “My education and career so far had been more focused toward FP&A than accounting, so I began the accounting certificate with the plan to sit for the CPA Exam afterward.”

Although Julia completed the certificate program in late 2019, certain courses remain memorable experiences.

“I enjoyed Accounting Ethics and contemplating ethical questions,” she recalls. “We learned about frameworks to think about ethical questions in accounting and how to deal with situations in the workplace. It was a very important course and the instructor made it interactive and thought-provoking.

“In the taxation course, instructor Gregory Crofton had his own practice and would share work experiences about relevant topics that made the subject come to life. Taxation is complex and having a set time each week to be able to discuss topics, ask questions and learn really helped me.”

Because the tax-related courses in our Certificate Program in Accounting went into so much detail, Julia chose to do the REG CPA Exam first, while the information was still fresh in her mind. 

“The certificate was rigorous and comprehensive, and it took me back to basics for accounting through to tax and auditing,” Julia says. And it was this rigor that helped prepare her to sit for the CPA Exam when the time came.

“I don’t think there was much in the CPA Exam that I had not covered in more detail in the accounting certificate.”

Using All the Skills in Her Toolbelt

From the beginning of the certificate program, Julia was able to apply the accounting knowledge she was learning to her daily work.

“Every class was relevant,” she concurs. “I had a number of small-business clients so I was able to apply the coursework directly to each: being audited, understanding company taxes for LLCs and C-corps, revenue recognition, consolidations, general month-end close accounting, lease accounting, accounting for equity and stock compensation.

“I was also able to use the training in nonprofit accounting when I volunteered for the nonprofits.”

Now, as a director of finance with Dextera Biosciences, Julia continues to complement her financial background with her accounting knowledge to benefit herself and help the company reach its goals.

“There is no end of opportunities to continue to develop and grow in my role and support the evolving needs of my company,” she says of her career growth. “Startups are a lot of work and challenge you to always be learning and improving. I love being part of the pharma industry and knowing our work can make a real difference in the lives of people suffering with various health conditions.”

So how does all of this add up to make a successful financial career?

“Education is cumulative, and all those skills from UC Berkeley Extension were added to the foundation I already had,” Julia reflects.

As for others who might not have the same financial background as Julia, she advises, “Apply the skills and put them into practice. You need the education to understand the rules and framework. Real-life situations are never as clear as textbook examples, but they provide the structure and you can then consider the nuances and really come to understand how to resolve more complex accounting issues.”

Sound advice for newbies and the more experienced, alike.