When I took my first accounting class in college, I learned that an accounting degree provides endless opportunities for graduates. You could become a corporate accountant, tax preparer, auditor, financial analyst, or personal financial advisor, to name a few career paths. Furthermore, with the development of technology and introduction of automation, the accounting profession has started to evolve, providing even greater possibilities for accountants to make a difference in the industry. I can attest to the fact that the accounting profession opens the door to numerous possibilities, but whether to explore them or not is up to us.
During my career at Kreischer Miller, I have worked in a few roles. I started my career as an intern in the Audit & Accounting group. After my busy season internship, I was offered to stay on as an intern in the Financial Statements department during the next two summers. This experience enabled me to learn what happens behind the scenes after the audit has been completed and the financial statements are being finalized. Learning how to format financial statements really benefited me when I became a senior accountant because I did not have to spend additional time trying to determine the right formatting and could concentrate on the content, thus decreasing the overall document processing time.
Upon graduation from Temple University, I joined Kreischer Miller as a staff accountant in Audit & Accounting. I had an opportunity to work on various engagements providing services to a variety of businesses, including manufacturing, distribution, not-for-profits, professional service organizations, and employee benefit plans.
My career took a turn when I expressed an interest in learning more about Microsoft applications. When I took an internal training course prepared by one of our managers, Liz Carroll, I was amazed by the number of ways I could manipulate data and how much time I could save by simply understanding the formulas and knowing when to apply them. I expressed an interest in the subject and became an instructor for our internal Basic Excel course (and unintentionally fulfilled one of my childhood dreams of becoming a teacher). I also joined the Audit & Accounting IT Committee to help the team explore the latest technological developments aimed at gaining efficiencies in the workplace.
The firm supports my career aspirations and provides me with an opportunity to attend webinars to advance my Microsoft apps skills, such as Power BI and Power Automate, in addition to developing my technical and leadership skills. This perfectly aligns with my professional goals and helps me build my own career path. The firm also understands my personal challenges and has worked with me on an individual remote schedule, which allows me to meet my family obligations and be fully present for my teams at work.
I encourage young professionals to engage with their co-workers and learn about their professional journey. Chances are that someone’s career path resonates with your career aspirations, which will provide a great opportunity for development. An easy way to do this at Kreischer Miller is through the firm’s career counseling program, which focuses on providing guidance to team members to help them succeed in their field.
I always try to make the most out of all the opportunities I have at Kreischer Miller, which enables me to have a versatile career – I am a career counselor/coach, instructor, auditor, and a member of the Audit & Accounting IT Committee. The accounting profession is truly rewarding if you manage to take advantage of all the possibilities coming your way.