I am an Accountant

The number one question I get asked at the start of the semester is, "why are you an accounting major?" I usually try to think of some brief and witty response. In reality, the answer to that question is long and complicated. When I graduated from Snow I thought I knew what I wanted. My plan was to study political science and then attend law school. I knew it would be a lot of work and I was up for the challenge. Fortunately for me, Alison was more pragmatic and gently pushed me in a better direction. She wasn't as thrilled about the 5+ years of school I was about to sign up for and she wanted to make sure we were making a good investment. She suggested that I at least consider a business degree for my undergrad. This request seemed reasonable so when I attended academic advising I met with both the business and political science departments. I was quickly sold on majoring in business.

Between academic advising and actually beginning school, I went hunting with Blake. On the drive down we had a really good talk. Blake told me about the differences between the business majors and about his experience majoring in business. He told me a lot about accounting – including a detailed explanation of debits and credits. I have to admit it went right over my head. Blake knew how valuable an accounting degree could be, he encouraged his children to pursue an accounting degree. From our conversation, I knew accounting was valuable. I also knew it would be very difficult and I didn’t think I would enjoy accounting or that I would ever think of choosing it as my major. During my first semester, I decided to get my required accounting classes out of the way so I signed up for Accounting 2600. I was nervous about my first accounting class and just hoped that I would be able to get through it. 

I walked into class my first day and met Marci Butterfield. She is one of the most gifted teachers I have ever met. She is passionate about accounting and during class, she shared that passion. I can honestly say no teacher has had a greater influence on my education than Marci. Before long I realized that I was pretty good at accounting and that it was fun. Soon Marci began to encourage me to major in accounting. It seems like every day in class she would try to recruit me into the major. She would always tell me the reasons accounting was the best business major and I believed her.  There was only one problem - I hated math. In accounting most of the math is simple. If you can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and do basic algebra you will be fine. The problem was that all accounting majors are required to take business calculus. For me, this was a problem. I never applied myself in math during high school. I even chose to drop pre-calculus halfway through my junior year because I didn't think I could do it. I really wanted to study accounting but business calculus scared me. Finally, after a lot of thought and consultation, I decided that I would go for it. At the end of the semester, I told Marci I was going to study accounting and she was thrilled. I have never regretted my decision.

I took business calculus the next semester. I had never worked so hard in a class before. I spent a lot of time with my professor and in the math lab. I always felt behind in the class - like I was playing catch up for all the years I didn't give math my best effort. Coming out of the final exam I would have been happy if I got a B in the class. My hard work paid off and I actually got an A. I knew then that I had made the right decision.

Getting through business calculus doesn’t mean the most challenging part of my degree is behind me. I am in the middle of one of my most difficult semesters and I have a little over one and a half semesters left in my undergraduate program. Although my classes are challenging and demand a lot out of me they are also rewarding and I enjoy going to class. I am also currently in the middle of the very busy recruiting season. In Salt Lake City most firms prefer students to do an internship prior to a master's program, and if you do well during the internship they hold a full-time position for you while you complete the master's program. I have applied with and been interviewed by a number of firms located in Salt Lake City. I am excited about the outlook and I will be very happy in a couple months when the recruiting season is over. I hope to intern with a firm this winter/spring and then finish up my undergrad during the summer semester. I then plan to continue with the Master of Accounting program through the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business. After graduation, I will pursue the CPA designation and a career in public accounting.