Sandra Millett

Bookkeeing success despite severe setbacks

Sandra gained her qualifications despite severe illness … and a big set back
Sandra enrolled a few years back for our courses for the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers examinations. She passed Levels I and II but feeling unwell and having to go out to work prevented her from continuing with her studies. When she resumed her studies in 2013, Sandra was still suffering from ME but had learnt to manage her condition. As she had let her registration with the Institute lapse she was faced with having to re-take exams she had already passed. This would be enough to put many people off!

However, Sandra re-registered with the Institute, and studied assiduously, passing the exam for Level III Diploma in Payroll Management in January 2014, before going on to complete all the Manual and Computerised Bookkeeping exams at Levels I, II and III (five exams), with several distinctions, between March 2014 and March 2015. She is now delighted to be a fully qualified Member of the Institute and licensed to practise as a bookkeeper.

Sandra explains that she has chronic fatigue syndrome (ME), with severe depression, which can be both mentally and physically debilitating. She writes that, “One of the reasons I chose bookkeeping and also distance learning was that I can do it at my own pace and have the breaks I need and that I can work for myself. Having to re-start though was a real setback for me as I had achieved good results on the course previously. When the ICB told me I had to do it all over again I very nearly gave up. My courses actually helped to keep my brain active as although I was unable to work at the time I still needed to use my brain! Receiving my certificate with my Member grade and being able to use the letters MICB Dip PM after my names made it all worthwhile. It is such an amazing feeling. It has given me a real drive and addiction to learning. I am not going to stop here..!”

Sandra’s Tutor, Ray Taylor, reports that “Sandra worked very hard on the courses and was a great student, in that she let me know if she had any questions or problems and was happy to discuss anything until she was confident in a topic. We got to know more about each other as we shared anecdotes and thoughts about the day which added to the pleasure of receiving her assignments. Each was more like receiving a letter from a friend than a formal and more distance teacher-student relationship.”