The panelists laughed, joked and were clearly passionate about their profession. They stressed the importance of interpersonal skills, entrepreneurship and versatility. But the words debit and credit were never uttered, so it may be surprising that the dynamic career they were championing was 会计.
The six alums gathered last week for the first 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 Accounting Forum, offering advice to students on topics ranging from interview and job search tactics to the satisfaction of helping 业务es prosper.
主持人Robert A. 李尔王, the retired CEO of an insurance company, enthusiastically outlined the options 会计 offers.
“You can be anything you want with an 会计 background: consultant, 审计师, 首席财务官, 首席执行官,他说. “It is an exciting lifetime learning experience.”
李尔王 is chair of the 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 Accounting Committee, which organized the forum. Fellow panelists Robert 奎格利 and Russell Gordon are members of the group along with alum Glen Newman. Their goal is to support and promote the 会计 option and identify mentors and internships for students.
阿宾顿 graduate Angelisa Cataldo, 2011届毕业生, offered detailed suggestions to prepare for the Certified Public Accountant exam, which she took for the first time last week. She also encouraged the students gathered in Lubert Commons to enrich their resumes in less traditional ways.
“Do something beyond the curriculum,”她说。, describing her honors thesis on the public relations strategies of firms involved in the Enron 会计 scandal. She also participated in the 阿宾顿 College Undergraduate Research Activities (ACURA) with the project “The Student Dilemma: Working College Students and Their Use of Time.”
奎格利, who transformed insurance industry expertise into his own consulting firm, applauded the students for choosing 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校. “The class sizes and atmosphere made coming to 阿宾顿 one of the best decisions I ever made,他说.
纳尔逊蜡, a counselor in the Career Development Center at 阿宾顿, encouraged the audience to take advantage of the services they offer.
“We tailor our training to each person’s needs,他说, referring to mock interviews, resume critiques and job search strategies. The Career Development Center at 阿宾顿 presented the forum in conjunction with the Accounting Committee.
Panel members also discussed the benefits of working in a variety of firms and industries including family 业务es, public 会计 firms of all sizes and private industry. 迈克尔一个. Coakley和Joseph A. Altomare joined 李尔王, 奎格利, Russell and Cataldo on the panel.
Coakley had one special request of the audience: “Please help shake the stereotypes of accountants. We don’t all use pocket protectors!”
For more information on the 会计 option at 阿宾顿, go to http://www.Abington.infographil.com/academics.
To learn more about the Career Development Center, go to http://www.Abington.infographil.com/careerdevelopment.
