Jane Allen
Political Economy of Natural Resources Major
Class of 1995
Principal at PwC
“I help clients through a variety of problems such as the strategy and implementation of a risk-based approach to Information Governance, with a focus on legal/regulatory compliance and proactive management to avoid IP theft or cyber breaches. This also includes responding to Fraud Investigations, SEC or other regulatory investigations, global eDiscovery matters, and cyber breaches. My team leverages advanced technology in a forensic manner to help with proactive or reactive matters, often also incorporating Investigative Data Analytics in our work.”
John Caldwell
History Major
Class of 1986
Audit Services Partner at Grant Thornton
“Accounting is the language of business. My interest in it began with the structure and order that it brings to business activity and the knowledge that auditing was and is such a great place to launch a business career. As the years passed by, the challenges never diminished and the opportunities to add value in numerous settings never ceased.”
Jessica Connor
Political Economy Major
Class of 2015
Core Tax at PricewaterhouseCoopers
“One main misconception about accounting is that only people with a lack of social skills go into the profession. Having social skills is actually quite important in accounting because of the number of colleagues and clients you interact with, in addition to the fact that engagements are done in teams so getting along within a team is vital.”
Yufan Dong
Economics Major
Class of 2015
Assistant Professor of Accountancy
“Accounting is a great complement to the theoretical nature of economics and anyone involved in business. It presents the impact of market changes on individual businesses. The opportunities and applications of accounting are enormous.” “I would advise students to try out different areas of the accounting profession. Try tax, audit, forensics, business valuation, advisory, and much more. Try anything that seems interesting to you and ask lots of questions.”
Maricela Frausto
Business and Economics Major
Class of 2001
Audit Partner at KPMG
“Accounting is an exciting career and plays a significant role in the capital markets. For example, in my role as an audit partner, we give confidence to stakeholders of a business (i.e. investors, customers, regulators, etc.) that the business is stable and well-run. To be able to do so, we need to understand the business – how they are run, how they identify and manage risks and how they present themselves in the marketplace. Understanding accounting is only one element of that, other skills such as strong business acumen, interpersonal skills, writing and knowledge of IT systems, are equally important. Consequently, it is important that students focus on their core accounting classes but also develop those other skills for a successful career in accounting.”
Mark McComb
Business Major
Class of 1986
Partner at KPMG
“Public accounting firms all devote significant resources to continuing education (one of the reasons that all of the Big 4 firms are in the Fortune top 100 best places to work). Associates gain technical accounting, analytical, project management and people management skills that are valuable throughout a career.”
Jonathan Edwin Parsley
Business Major
Class of 2015
Revenue Manager at Doximity
“Try and explain the concepts you are learning to an average person. Accounting is a specialized field. Not everyone in your office, much less your life, will understand why you are doing what you do. Being able to interpret what you are doing and refine it into something that someone without an accounting background can understand will do wonders for you career and your own understanding of the material.”
Shivani Sopory
Business and Economics Major
Class of 2005
Audit Partner at KPMG
“I think most people assume that accountants are only ‘number crunchers.’ I’ve found over the years, though, that most accountants are people oriented. As an auditor, I spend most of my time actually talking to my clients, coaching my staff, or speaking with prospective clients.”
Joseph Yuen
Business Major
Class of 1991
Senior Director of Accounting at Uber
“I am currently working with a small privately held biotech that has some really promising drugs for people suffering from rare diseases. In order to raise funding for their research, my client is seeking a reverse merger into a public company biotech (whose own drug failed trials). The merger of these companies will allow my client access to more funds, while also providing a more promising investment outlook for the shareholders of the public company. It is an atypical deal structure but in this profession we have to be part of the solution!”