by Riny Varghese

Why accounting? My family, friends, teachers, recruiters, almost everyone has asked me that question. To be honest, I’ve 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 isn’t your typical afternoon soap opera…This 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 didn’t know what to do with my life. That’s when I decided to take the careers assessment test at my college’s counseling center, and voila–accounting 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 C’s on my exams.  I questioned my abilities, my motivation, my career path–why 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 I’m 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 I’m 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 don’t like to explore and to travel, and that once you’re in tax, you can never get out. I love people, I love to explore, and I like flexibility that’s 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 one’s research skills, he or she can help a client evaluate the tax consequences of the client’s 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 doesn’t 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?