Accounting Instructor

Ashton College Accounting Instructor: We recently sat down with Saeed Ahmed (CPA), Ashton College Instructor for our Certificate in Accounting and a professional accountant of 15 years. He has been a financial manager in the Canadian private sector, a public service officer with the Federal government, a business owner and a teacher. He is inspired to pass along the best he has learned and appreciates good, healthy discussions resulting in productive action. His teaching style is to learn from stories, anecdotes, common sense and critical thinking to discover the reasoning behind ideas and put classroom learnings into practice.

What aspects of your career are you most passionate about?

Businesses need accounting, and this cross-sectional discipline has led me to an exciting career. Accounting allows you to learn about various fields, even without directly working in them. You gain insight into different businesses, how they operate, their taxation, and their risks. For example, I have learned a lot about oil, logistics, and wood-related industries. This career keeps you engaged, with constant activity and endless learning opportunities.

Why did you decide to become and Accounting Instructor at Ashton College?

The opportunity arose just before COVID-19 when I was already teaching at a couple of other universities. I was a tutor for CPA students then but was also looking for other opportunities. I wanted to teach students from different backgrounds, including those who did not want to become accountants but took accounting courses as electives.

What do you enjoy most about being an Accounting Instructor at Ashton?

I found Ashton College’s teaching setup very well organized. This makes it easy to know what to do and to deliver the content. The work is also flexible, and many instructors hold other jobs while teaching part-time. As instructors, we do not only teach, but we absorb new information and get to know ourselves better. I also enjoy Ashton’s flexible online learning approach with an asynchronous and synchronous component. Many students from different backgrounds miss classes because of other duties, and Ashton caters to different needs to accommodate everybody. I like it because students can watch the recordings on their own time, and if they face any issues, they can connect with me.

Can you tell us about your teaching methods as an Accounting Instructor?

When you have a variety of students, you have to be as patient as possible because not everybody is on the same level. You need to identify those who require more attention and those who can absorb the information quickly. Some people want to learn fast; sometimes, you need to slow them down, while others need to be brought up to speed. This is how you can teach everyone on the same level, and that’s the kind of thing I enjoy.

I often use stories, anecdotes, and examples that should be familiar to everybody. For example, everybody knows how to shop at a grocery store on a budget. This concept can be used when I teach budgeting; everybody understands it. You also have to make sure you relate to students who take an accounting course as an elective, not as their main subject, as well as to the ones who do. You have to cater to both types of students and give different examples so everyone can profit from them.

What are your tips for aspiring accountants?

As an accountant, you must understand and apply accounting concepts ethically and morally. Educators teach accountants and CPAs that we have a three-layer responsibility: to our profession, ourselves, and society. If we make a morally incorrect decision—whether by choice or under pressure—we are still in the wrong. This principle also explains why combining roles in sales and accounting is problematic, as it creates conflicts of interest and increases the risk of fraud.

Have you had any challenges throughout your Accounting Instructor career that you would like to share?

When I started my first accountant position in 2008/2009, my company prepared financial statements a year later and had more than enough profit. I was asked to write off inventory to lower reported profits. In such situations, you weigh the risks—losing your job versus doing something unethical. You must navigate carefully, standing your ground without offending. I relied on my ethics and said I couldn’t do it unless an external accountant approved it—knowing none would. This was a tough moment, but it reinforced my values. Now, 22 years later, I share this story in my first accounting class to engage students and ask what they would have done.