Before unlocking the health and wellness potential of her clients, she was crunching numbers through her accountancy and finance studies at RGU.

“On face value, finance and wellness may seem like polar opposites but actually there are more similarities than you think” she shares. Jasmin gives a glimpse of her career journey since graduating and her key university take-aways in our RGU Alumni Q&A.

What brought you to RGU?

So, I came to RGU through the 2+2 accountancy and finance pathway with North East Scotland College but before that I actually studied beauty therapy and had started up my own business as a beauty therapist.

I always had a bit of a knack for numbers and after a few years in business, I thought “why not try accounting?”. Everything seemed to just fall into place from there.

Even though I was changing career paths, my business was doing well and I didn’t want to just give it up, so I kept on working while I studied.

What are some of your memories from studying the course?

I guess my experience on the course might be a bit different from my classmates. Not only from being a 2+2 student but being kept busy outside of the course running my own business. It was challenging balancing the two but it definitely prepared me for the world of work.

A key memory I have is writing my literature review about The Glass Ceiling and what women face in being seen as equal in the corporate world. Fiona Duncan supervised me during that process and she really stood out for me.

She probably didn’t realise it at the time but I definitely took a lot of inspiration from her. Her outlook on gender equality really made me more open-minded and gave me that determination to continue to close the gap.

What were your career aspirations when starting the course, did you have clear idea?

I’m not going to lie, on the run up to coming to RGU, my aspirations were pretty high. I was in full Partner mode. I don’t think I really thought about industry, I was definitely more focused on working within practice and climbing to Partner level.

How did your aspirations marry up with your first career steps after graduating?

Within a week of finishing my last exam, I actually did end up going straight into practice. I worked with a firm in Peterhead for about a year before I started my professional exams but being a small town girl, city life was calling. I moved to a practice in the city where I continued my exams and became chartered. Everything was fitting into place.

Degree, tick.

A job in practice, tick.

Chartered, tick.

But something didn’t feel right. Working in practice was all I knew, but was it right for me? So with that question pinballing around my head, I handed in my notice and took a belated gap year to take a step back and work out my next steps.

I spent my year travelling around Asia, then New Zealand and before I knew it was time to come home. On my return, I ended up working in industry for KCA Deutag and it was there I thought, “there’s no way I’m going back to practice” and my aspirations of being a Partner soon turned to Chief Financial Officer.

What was it about working in industry that made it a better fit than working in practice?

My role with KCA started as a corporate accountant which soon transitioned into a Business Unit Controller role within the land division.

I think the biggest selling point for me was that in industry I was more hands on within the business. Working with the different finance teams in the company’s locations all over the world was just so interesting for me. I found it all really fascinating.

The recording every 15 minutes of your day that comes with working in practice really wasn’t for me. Yes, you’re working with different clients all the time and that’s all really interesting in getting an insight into their businesses but working in industry allows you to really get immersed in the business. That’s the part I really enjoyed.

How did Wellthy You all come about?

After giving up my successful beauty therapy business when I graduated, that bug for having my own business never went away. When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis a few years ago, that was the start of my journey to Wellthy You.

I had always considered myself a relatively healthy person but the diagnosis changed my perspective on a lot of things. “If I can’t do the things I enjoy, who am I? What does life look like going forward?”, was a continual thought of mine. I lost my identity a bit.

I’m a fixer by nature so rather than just worrying, I took a deep dive into research to find a solution that wasn’t medication focused. I looked at my lifestyle as a whole and made changes to my diet and exercise – I soon started to see progress and my symptoms got better.

Soon I was in remission and I had a whole new perspective on health. It was there that I decided to help others, so – whilst still working full-time - I went back to college and did a health coaching diploma. After coaching for a couple years while working full time in Oil & Gas, I was ready to leave my accounts role and bring Wellthy You to the forefront.

How did your studies at RGU help in starting your business?

On face value, finance and wellness may seem like polar opposites but actually there are more similarities than you think. The transferrable skills I adopted through my studies and career were definitely invaluable.

That investigative nature that comes with working in accounts and finance was something that wasn’t just ingrained in me for accountancy tasks but something I use every day. Figuring out what’s working, what’s not and finding a solution is something that lives in both worlds.

Having that accounts and finance knowledge in general is of course a great foundation for managing the finances for your business too.

What would be your advice to accounts and finance students and graduates?

Be open-minded and try not to focus on one job or industry as such.

It’s really important to get a feel for different career routes so don’t be scared to try things out and see what fits. Once you find your fit, it makes it easier to advance in your career when you feel you’re in the right place.

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2023 marks 25 years of BA (Hons) Accountancy and Finance at RGU, read more stories from the course’s alums: