ACADEMICS, CAREER, RINY, STUDENT LIFE

MY ACCOUNTING STORY: NOT YOUR TYPICAL DAYTIME DRAMA

NOVEMBER 3, 2010 DB LEAVE A COMMENT

by Riny Varghese

Why accounting? My family, friends, teachers, recruiters, almost everyone has asked me that
question. To be honest, Ive been asking myself the same question every day. Growing up, it
never crossed my mind that I would be an accountant. So how did it all begin? This isnt your
typical afternoon soap operaThis is the story

Decision to pick accounting

I graduated high school with a set goal that I would be a journalist. However, after realizing that
it was not the career I could see myself doing for the rest of my life, I let go of this goal and
decided to consider other options. I went to a community college in California, where I took so
many random classes, none of which would lead me to a clear career path. I went through a
period of confusion and frequently switched majors. I thought I was going to be an engineer, a
computer scientist, a pharmacist, or an English teacher. I was in a state of panic, because I didnt
know what to do with my life. Thats when I decided to take the careers assessment test at my
colleges counseling center, and voilaaccounting was one of the most compatible careers for
me. Coming from a family of engineers, I did not know anything about this field. I decided to
take an accounting class and liked it. Close to the end of the semester, my accounting professor
talked with me to ask if I was interested in majoring in the subject. I told him I was considering it,
but he reassured me that it is a great field to get into and that he could see my potential to do
well in the subject.

Transferring to the McCombs School of Business and the MPA program

I was very excited that I got into the No. 1 Accounting program in the nation. Unfortunately, my
first semester in the program was far from a smooth ride. I was struggling to keep up with all my
classes, and I felt that I was very unprepared for the rigor of courses in McCombs, not to
mention the MPA program. It was the first time I received Cs on my exams. I questioned my
abilities, my motivation, my career pathwhy am I in accounting? I went through another period
of confusion. I was about to switch majors again, when I realized that I was just trying to escape
failure. I am not a quitter. I changed my perspective and learned to appreciate my classes,
regardless of how hard they were. I realized that Im in school to learn and not to get a 4.0. This
perspective took so much pressure off my shoulders. I enjoyed accounting again, which is why I
am happily blogging about it.

The Tax Track

So now that Im firmly determined to do accounting, which accounting path should I pursue? UT
has four MPA tracks that students can choose from:

Financial Reporting and Assurance

Taxation

Managerial Accounting and Control

Generalist

This page provides more information about the tracks:

http://new.mccombs.utexas.edu/MPA/Integrated-MPA/Curriculum/MPA%20Tracks.aspx

I was in Financial Reporting and Assurance, the track pursued mostly by future auditors, during
my first semester, just because everyone else told me so. I had no idea of what being an auditor
entails. I also heard negative stereotypes about the tax track: tax professionals are anti-social,
they just hide in their cubicles, they dont like to explore and to travel, and that once youre in
tax, you can never get out. I love people, I love to explore, and I like flexibility thats why I did not
consider choosing tax, despite the fact that I enjoyed my Introduction to Taxation class. However,
through various networking events that McCombs offers, I talked with tax professionals and
realized that such stereotypes were not true. Tax professionals were among the most interesting
and well-rounded individuals I have met. I could see myself working with these people; I could
see myself being one of them. I talked with my Accounting professors and they told me to
pursue whatever interests me. Thus, without any further hesitation, I changed my track to tax.

Being a tax accountant does not mean that you will only do tax returns. Tax also entails research.
Through ones research skills, he or she can help a client evaluate the tax consequences of the
clients activities. It might be a daunting task for some, but the knowledge that you are helping
someone makes all the work more fulfilling. And besides, who doesnt like the feeling of finding
something after periods of hard work?!

The future

As of the moment, my goal is to expand my knowledge in accounting, particularly in the field of

tax. I plan to work in a public accounting firm, which would give me diverse opportunities in
exploring the tax field further. After that, who knows? Only the future can tell

How about you? Why accounting?