Category Archives: Jonathan

Jonathan Grabert’s blog posts.

Academics, Jonathan

MPAs and MBAs: Two Sides of a Coin

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As MPAs, we have some room in our courses for electives. I’ve been lucky to have a little more space in my schedule due to some previous coursework, which I’ve used to take several classes that are predominantly taken by MBAs.

It’s been a really nice experience. There are some classes that are in both of our plans, but to be in a class where one is the only MPA can really illuminate the cultural difference between the two programs and the students in the programs.

As accountants, we’re pretty attenuated to a certain kind of work. Auditing and tax, after all, are about bearing down on the data and mining out the information we need. Even managerial accounting is largely about financial data analysis. As a result, we often hear from guest speakers, presentations, or career services that our “soft” social skills need to be nurtured so they don’t get lost developing technical expertise.

introvert extrovert
MPAs are more introverted, MBAs are more extroverted

The nice thing about taking MBA classes is that these students are all about these skills. It was a real test of my comfort zones walking into an MBA class, New Venture Creation, last semester, and even this semester, I still have some adjustment when I enter into either of my entrepreneurship classes this semester. There’s a different energy in those classes. In our accounting classes, we are all working towards a single solution, but that solution doesn’t necessarily exist in an MBA class where we’re analyzing a business plan. Students in these classes are more willing to speak out, and lectures are frequently more of a dialog than a lesson.

It’s a nice opportunity at McCombs to have access to these great courses. An MPA can leave UT with a fantastic knowledge of accounting, but UT also has a top ranked MBA program, too. I love being able to make use of those classes while I’m here, and think that they’re a great way to leave as a more well rounded student.

Why is it so hard to audit the books of a textile manufacturer?

Because everything is material.

 

Jonathan, Student Life

Festivals for the Rest of Y’alls!

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Flooding at ACLAustin is a vibrant city with a diverse population containing a myriad of interests.  As something of a cultural center of the country, we have a lot of interest for folks that don’t live here.  This has taken the form of the many, many, many festivals that occur during the year.

Of course, this post is inspired by the Austin City Limits Music Festival, having just wrapped up a waterlogged second weekend.  A lot of my classmates went to at least one of the weekends, but being something of a homebody that gets anxious in crowds, I tend to avoid big events like this.  But there are plenty of other festivals and events around Austin for which I do make time.  ACL and SXSW are great, but there’s so much more!

One of my favorite events is the annual Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook Off.  As I mentioned before, I do like my vegetarian food, and the veggie chili cook off is a great way to try something new.  There are plenty of types that will satisfy even a meat eater, and the variety of chilis there is really something cool.  It’s on Sunday, November 10th this year, and I’m looking to take some of my fellow MPAs with me when I go.

Here’s one I generally don’t get to attend, but wish I could:  the Austin Food and Wine Festival.  It brings in some all-star chefs with some great opportunities to try some delicious food.  Tickets are a bit pricey, but if you can go, I think you’ll be happy.  (You did know that Austin is home to a Top Chef, right?)  April 25-27, 2014.

I suppose you could say that I like word play, and Austin is home to the O.Henry Pun-Off each year.  For thirty-five years, the puns have been slung naming the best punner in Austin.  Expected in May, 2014.

The famous Sixth Street used to be called Pecan Street, and each year in early May, vendors and booths are set up for the Old Pecan Street Festival.  It’s a nice way to spend the afternoon checking out some fun crafts, and you get to see Sixth Street in the bright light of day for a change.  May 3-4, 2014.

This may be a bit self-aggrandizing, but I have to mention Austin’s biggest board game convention, Board Game Bash.  Organized by yours truly, it’s a fun weekend of games where you can meet the fantastic Austin gaming community.  August 1-3, 2014.

Our local alt-weekly, the Austin Chronicle, puts on the Austin Hot Sauce Festival each year in August.  It’s tough eating spicy salsas in the August heat, but it’s a pretty good time.  If you don’t love and appreciate salsa by the time you finish at UT, then you definitely didn’t get out enough.  Hit this one up to try a bunch at once.  August 24, 2014.

That’s a pretty good start.  It’s a bit food-heavy, I guess, but that’s what I like!  I didn’t mention other great events like FunFunFun Fest, FANtastic Fest, Trail of Lights, Eeyore’s Birthday Party, or any number of other things.  It’s well worth the research to look outside of campus and discover Austin at large.
In the interest of more puns, here’s another fiduciary funny:
What was the ice cream manufacturer’s primary financial concern?
Liquidity.
Austin, Jonathan

Austin Eats Without Meats

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My fellow blogger Brooks is giving the rundown on the good barbecue spots.  If you’re new to Texas, then by all means, avail yourself of the amazing barbecue that’s around here.  But Austin is home to some other amazing places that you should also check out.  Namely, our wonderful vegetarian cuisine.

Hey, meat eaters!  Don’t leave!  I assure you, the places I’m about to mention are really, really good, and you’ll do yourself a disservice if you don’t check them out.  I know terms like “textured vegetable protein” can seem off-putting, but there’s some great stuff out there.

While I was a full vegetarian for many years, I’m currently a pescatarian, meaning the only meat I eat is seafood.  I gave up meat for health reasons, and though I’m not a healthy eater by far (I could easily write another post all about bakeries), I eat way better than I used to.  One of the unexpected benefits of this is I have tried food I never would have eaten prior to changing diets.

I’ll start by putting vegetarians at ease.  It’s reasonable to think that moving to a meaty state like Texas will limit your options, but that couldn’t be further from the truth here.  Austin is a very veg-friendly town, and I’ve yet to go to a restaurant (even BBQ joints) that don’t have some kind of vegetarian food.  So don’t fret!  You’ll eat very well.

Veggie Heaven
Veggie Heaven, right on the Drag

More good news:  some of the best vegetarian restaurants are right by UT.  My favorite is Veggie Heaven, which is right on the Drag just across from Dobie Mall.  Be forewarned that the service isn’t great, but for me, that’s turned into part of its charm.  The dishes have fun names, and the star dish is definitely the Protein 2000.  Deliciously fried vegetable protein bits covered in a flavorful brown sauce, it’s a dish that anyone will love.  The steamed Curry Bun makes a great appetizer, and the honey lemonade is delicious.

A little further north in the Hyde Park area is Mother’s Cafe and Garden.  Well worth trying is the BBQ Tofu, but don’t pass on the Bueno Burger (which I think is the best veggie burger in town).  Served with an incredible super-course mustard, add the wheat roast (trust me) for a good bit of flavor.  Do the side salad, because you have to try their cashew tamari dressing, which is so good I could eat it on its own.  Even nicer is that right across the street is one of Austin’s best bakeries, Quack’s, and Austin’s best cheese shop, Antonelli’s.

If you don’t mind a bit of a drive, check out Swad up on North Lamar just past Rundberg.  The decor may be dated, but the food is great.  They call the dosa an appetizer, but it can easily feed two.  Same with the thali, which really gives a great sampling of a bunch of different tastes.  I think it’s time for me to head back up there…

Quality Seafood
Quality Seafood

Those three are great to get you started, but I’ll leave you with one more suggestion.  As a pescatarian, I feel like I should recommend something involving seafood.  There are some great high-end seafood places that you should try and some fantastic sushi places, but the hungry college student should head up to Quality Seafood on Airport just before 2222.  What’s great is that this place started as just a seafood market, bringing stuff right off the boat to sell to restaurants.  They still operate the market where you can grab some very reasonably priced seafood for home, but also have a restaurant where you can get some of the freshest seafood in Austin for a fantastic price.

For a city our size, Austin has a really awesome selection of places to eat.  It’s easy to hit up Jester or the SAC given their convenience, but don’t miss out on what the city has to offer off campus.

This week’s accounting joke:

How does the Lipton company manage their money?

Using tea charts.

Employment, Jonathan, Recruiting

Here comes recruiting!

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When I came to MPA, it was with the knowledge that our Career Services team was top notch, and that employers actively sought students from the program.  The fact that the program makes us so much more employable and desirable to employers was a big selling point for me.

What I was surprised by, however, was how quickly that process started.  Before orientation, I met with Vinh in Career Services to go over my resume and get some guidance.  At orientation, we jumped right in with a great networking event (in particular, the employer “speed dating” was really cool) followed by an MPA career fair.  The MPA program uses a fairly robust system for connecting students to employers, including resume submission and interview scheduling.

Less than two weeks after the start of the semester I saw resume deadlines for some employers.  The Big 4 recruiting process is particularly involved, so it pays to be on the ball with the recruiting system.  I’m in the middle of the recruiting process now, and it does take some effort to stay up to date.  At orientation, it stuck in my mind that we should think of recruiting as another 3-hour course.  That seemed like an exaggeration, but it’s not.  Between writing cover letters, attending information sessions, meeting with employers, interviewing, office visits, and the various other aspects, it’s really true.  On one hand, it can be pretty overwhelming to balance classes, extracurriculars and recruiting, but on the other hand, it’s worth the time because this is the job I’ll have after graduation.

I’ve had a couple restless nights thinking about recruiting, but I’ll sleep easy once that work pays off and those offers start coming in.

I can’t guarantee a joke every post, but I do have another one:

Did you hear about the chairman who hated meetings?

He was bored of Directors.

Jonathan, MPA Council, MPAC

Getting Involved: MPA Council

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I worked for a few years prior to returning to school in the MPA program.  I was a bit of a wallflower as an undergraduate, and I wanted to do the complete opposite here.  I’m doing everything I can to be as active as possible, and one of the great things about UT and the MPA program is that you can be as deeply involved as you desire.  As a traditional MPA, I’m only going to be here for just over a year, so I have to jump in feet first.

To that end, I was very interested in the MPA Council.  A couple weeks ago, they hosted an information session to kick off the fall semester.  I loved that one of their goals is to build the community of the MPA program, and that includes not only students, but alumni, faculty, staff, and employers.  I was elected to an officer position as Vice President and I’m massively excited to help roll the year out.  Ethics Week and Faculty Appreciation Week are both under my office, and I’m currently talking with potential committee chairs who will run those events.  I love building communities, and I want these events to really help weave that MPA tapestry.

Opportunities like these are why I came to UT, and are the kind of experience that you just don’t get other places.  We’re the top accounting program in the country at one of the largest universities in the country.  That combination gives us resources and access that are invaluable.

I’ll close out my first post here with my best accounting joke:

Why are so many students afraid to major in accounting?
They hear that it’s accrual experience.