by Paul Nabhan

Who am I?
My name is Paul, and I’m a 4th-year student in the MPA program, studying on the Audit track. I come from El Paso, which is 600 miles and a time zone away from Austin. Aside from accounting, I am also a finance minor, a violin student, and an ardent college football and basketball fan; other quirks include zealously watching the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee every year, trying to watch all of the AFI Top 100 Movies (I think I’m at 38 now…), and trying new foods.

What will this blog be like?
This blog will contain short headers with short answers most of the time. Those who actually know me are probably thrilled at this because my real life personality would have me talking for an hour or so.

So you promise not ramble on forever and ever?
No, not unless there is a topic about which I feel strongly.

What will you be talking about?
Since this is an MPA blog, I will be commenting on some of my experiences here in the program (why I’m glad I joined, what regrets I may have), student life on campus and in Austin, and possibly some of the processes involved with admissions, internships, etc.

Who is this blog for then?
This blog will be targeted mostly at current MPA students, prospective MPA students, and anyone else who has a general interest in the feel of the program. I’ll try to mix it up a bit, of course, but this isn’t really intended to be the forum to talk about whether LeBron made the right decision or not (although, I might sneak in a comment every now and then).

I’d like to sneak in a comment about you every now and then too…
I welcome comments and feedback. If there is any topic you would want me to delve into, if my writing style is just a plain drag to read, or if you have anything else you would like to add to what I have to say, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the page.

Enough with the generic, boring intro stuff…
Okay.

Why should I join the MPA program?
Since this column is getting kind of long (and since I’m still undecided on a possible “FAS of the Week” segment), I just want to give a short pitch to sophomores on why I joined the MPA program and what you will get out of it.

I joined the MPA program because this degree gives me the most options for the rest of my career (not because I “fell in love with accounting in my intro courses”). Accounting has been called the “language of business,” and after taking several courses in the program, it is easy to see why. As opposed to how we may have thought of running a company our senior year of high school (probably all cash flows), the framework that is set up and used by major companies is different, and attempts to reflect economic reality. An example would be why the guy who built your house recorded a bit of revenue each year even though he wasn’t paid until the last day.

The insight gained from accounting gives tangible and concrete intuition on how processes work, from interest on loans to burger sales. This understanding is invaluable, and that is probably the number one reason to know this subject matter. In my opinion, this newfound ability to think in this non-pedestrian way is what gives graduates from the MPA program so many options.

Regardless of whether you go into public accounting or consulting, industry, government, investment banking, or start up your own firm, the ability to discern what activities are truly occurring and which metrics are actually creating value puts you in a position to use your critical thinking skill and experiences, and it makes your opinions matter to others.

Although I thoroughly enjoy accounting, I realize this degree gives me freedom, since I’m not tied down to any one career. An MPA gives me the analytical skills and the mindset that can be applied to anything and anywhere; in my opinion, an MPA (and maybe only a handful of others) can provide this. No matter where I am or what I am doing in 50 years, the way I analyze a situation will probably stem from what I have learned the past year and a half. Therefore, aside from all of the other benefits and resources you will experience as part of the MPA program at Texas, the number one reason remains the actual quality and usefulness of the education.