Accounting to FP&A Possible?

I made the move from Accounting to Finance about 5 years into my career and will say it was the best move I ever made. I found it somewhat easy to do from my accounting role by joining in projects with the sales / marketing / supply chain teams. I had a mentor years ago describe the move by comparing it to a jigsaw puzzle, in accounting you make the pieces fit while in finance you see the picture.

In working with other people who have also made the change from accounting to finance, I see one mindset that tends to trip them up and make a less successful. The Jigsaw puzzle analogy sums it up perfectly, individuals who were not able to move away from seeing the individual pieces to see that they created a picture had issues with the team / project they were supporting. Good luck!

It is quite common to see people move from various roles in accounting to roles within the finance organization. In larger companies I've noticed that this move often results in accounting support or backup functions at first, before you can completely break fee from accounting.

The challenge that people face most is the need to interact with more people, departments and business units, so it helps to have an outgoing personality, something that is not always needed in an accounting role. The move to finance will also create great opportunities for the right person, and depending on the company and its culture, you can enjoy a much more creative environment than in most accounting departments