I’m Dawud Sheikh, and I joined RSM as a school leaver in the audit service line, based in Birmingham. I’ve been at RSM for around 18 months.

My fast-track career route

Initially, I was keen to attend university but soon learned that I would still need to complete the ACA professional qualification after university to reach my career goals. So, when I was looking at RSM’s website and saw the school leaver programme, I thought this was a brilliant opportunity. I could skip university and start my career straight away without the student debt, while still working towards the qualifications I wanted.

I can bring my whole self to work

As part of the audit team, our work is planned using a resourcing calendar to manage all our client audits. This year, I am working on three large audits for some of our biggest clients, from large distribution centres to well-known restaurant chains. As an Audit Assistant, I support on reviewing clients’ financial records right from the start of the process, including the planning, sampling and execution stages.

I work as part of a large team on these audits, so there are experienced team members around who can help answer any questions and guide me through how to approach different tasks.

Navigating my career ambitions with those I have outside of work took a while to get right, but I’ve now found the balance and can wind down through my love of physical sport. I’ve always enjoyed swimming and running, so started to pick those up again. I now train for swimming four times a week and go for a run at least once a week, and I joined the annual RSM Birmingham run. During the summer months, my dad and I also go on long bike rides on a Sunday morning.

My religion, Islam, is another important driver for me. Part of my religion is to pray five times a day, which gives structure to my day. Having access to the prayer room in the office is important and something I hugely value.

RSM develops me professionally and personally

I am currently completing my AAT qualification and I have started to transition into more of a supervisory role, helping those who have recently joined our team.

Navigating the change from sixth form to audit planning meetings, stocktakes and audit reports hasn’t always been easy, but I’mve always been well supported and I’m proud of how I have seen myself grow.

Alongside client work, RSM has also supported me in completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, which gave me the amazing opportunity to receive my award at Buckingham Palace.

My advice for others starting their journey

For anyone who is considering a role at RSM, I would say just hit the apply button and go through the application process. All you can do is try your best. If you never take the step, you may never fail, but you’ll also never move forward.

This is a really supportive place to work. The hot desk system means you sit next to different people, who can be in your team or a different service line all together. This means you get to build connections with colleagues and learn from them every day. This helps build relationships and understanding of our broader business, helping us to deliver a better service to our clients.

Make an impact. Be our future.