Brian MonsenPhD students are a different breed. They are always here, always working and yet most find a way to have a life outside of school. Whether you are interested in how someone finds that work/life balance or intrigued by the doctoral program at the McCombs School of Business, we have found our PhD students to be a treasure trove of advice and information! We thought we’d interview our doctoral accounting students and find out exactly how they do it.

For our first profile, meet Brian Monsen. Brian started with the PhD program in August 2013 after almost 3 years working at EY in their Financial Accounting Advisory Services. Prior to joining EY, he earned a coveted Postgraduate Technical Assistant position at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). In addition, Brian is a Certified Public Accountant in New York. As if that’s not enough, Brian finds a way to balance his work life with his home life in order to spend time with his wife, two sons and a daughter.

First things first, we wanted to know what led Brian to pursue a PhD. With such a background, it seemed like an interesting path to take.

“So PhD programs are a little different in that they aren’t out recruiting undergrad or even master’s students in the field of accounting. I had some really meaningful discussions with my professors at Utah State as I was pursuing my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. The lifestyle they spoke of was and still is highly appealing to me. I knew when I took my positions with FASB and Ernst & Young (now EY) that pursuing a PhD would be part of my career path,” Brian shared.  “One nice thing about the PhD is that although the work is challenging, I can work early in the morning or late at night if I need to in order to spend time with my family. The flexibility in this path and lifestyle is more suited to my priorities in both the short-run and long run.”

We were curious about how his career had impacted his decision and his current doctoral studies. He explained “As a postgraduate technical assistant with the FASB I was very involved in the standard setting process. I was able to talk to those affected by the standards about their preferences, practices, and how changes in standards would then change incentives. Being able to speak with analysts, auditors, preparers, and users of financial information was insightful and has informed my PhD work.”

After FASB, Brian found more reasons to continue studying, “I joined Ernst & Young’s accounting advisory practice in New York. In my second year I was a Senior approaching the Manager level at an accelerated pace. I saw the partners working more than I was, and I didn’t want that to be my long-term lifestyle. I decided at this point, with two young children, that it was time to begin pursuing my PhD.”

When asked why he chose McCombs, it was a no-brainer. “I was looking for programs that already had talented professors, doing high quality research in areas that interested me. It showed that I would have support as I moved forward in my own work. Professors McInnis and Donelson co-authored a paper about rules vs. principles in a financial accounting context, and I was intrigued.”

The biggest challenge he’s faced so far? No big surprise, “The transition from working professional to student continues to present interesting challenges, in terms of both family life and time management.”

And for the big question we all wanted to know, how do you find work/life balance with a family and your doctoral studies? Brian admitted, “It doesn’t get easier as time passes, and I don’t have it all figured out. You have to prioritize, which gets easier as you have more things thrown at you. It changes your mindset. Also realize that not everyone will agree with how you prioritize things, but that’s ok.”

As always, we asked Brian if he had a favorite accounting joke. His response? “Accounting: it’s accrual world.”