The Vancouver Accounting Experience. The Accounting Career Podcast.

I recently met some college students through their university's local accounting club and mentorship program. I'm always excited to chat with students because they're extremely excited about their future careers and always receptive to the advice I have. I've made plenty of mistakes in the past and had to change who I was to become successful in life. In addition, I changed careers in my mid-thirties and began my accounting career in the Big 4. So, as a result, I have plenty of advice to give! Listen to the podcast to hear my top 3 pieces of advice to students.

3 weeks ago I ran a poll on LinkedIn asking what accounting students and aspiring CPAs were worried about entering the fall season. To my surprise, most were worried about passing the CFE/CPA exams. Should you be worried about the CFE exam right now? Absolutely not! You should be worried about getting an accounting job and honing your soft skills (interpersonal, communications and presentations skills) that will help you get that job interview. 

In this podcast episode, I speak to a career changer who is wondering if changing careers to pursue his CPA means giving up his past experience and starting from scratch. If you change careers to pursue your CPA will you be taking a step back? You could be, but not necessarily. One person's pursuit might be another person's folly. But, that should not stop you from pursuing your career dreams regardless of how old you are, your job, or your education. What you need is the right research and information to make a more informed decision. Listen in to find out how!

Vivian is an aspiring CPA who reached out to me on LinkedIn to ask my advice on the best timing to complete his 10 prerequisite courses in order to qualify and enter into the PEP program and officially begin his CPA journey. Timing is important, yes, but I don't think it's crucial. It's best to have a good work-life balance and ready to go once his public practice job begins. Then you need to be mentally and physically ready to crush it in public practice and get the most out of the unique experience. I share lots more advice on the podcast so be sure to tune in. I really wish Vivian all the best in his pursuits and I hope you all get some value from this podcast.

Are you an accounting student or aspiring CPA worried about how you can or will find the right job for you? According to my LinkedIn poll, this was one of the top worries for accounting students and people looking to kick start their accounting careers. What job will be a good fit? What if it's the wrong job? Will the job add to my career progression or hold me back? Well, on this podcast, I give you my thoughts on how you can go about finding the right job for you: 1) Do your research; 2) Network and ask questions, and 3) Go for it! Listen now to find out more.

My guest Manson Ng - Senior Tax Manager at a Vancouver public accounting firm - joins me on the podcast to talk just about everything and anything: working from home during the pandemic, making mistakes, learning from them, empathy, compassion, resiliency... whether or not there's a perfect career path?! and whether you should even go for public practice!? but most importantly... Happiness! Because isn't that what life is all about? If you're an accounting student or aspiring CPA, I think there's a ton of value here on the podcast - think of it as food for thought - for you, as you begin your exciting journey to joining the profession. Enjoy!

Accounting students and aspiring CPAs: If pursuing a career in tax has ever crossed your mind, then this podcast episode for you! Steven Flynn, partner at Andersen Tax, LLP (www.andersentax.ca) joins me on the podcast to talk about tax careers, why he loves it, what makes a good tax accountant, and much more. If you're the type of person who loves a challenge and applying a blend of analytical, logical and strategic thinking, then a career in tax might be the perfect fit for you... listen to find out!

In this episode of the Vancouver Accounting Experience podcast, I have a chat with Mohit, who is in the middle of a career change and wants to know if not having a business degree in accounting or finance will be a disadvantage. Will the lack of a business degree set you back? The simple answer is no! In fact, I think it's an advantage. Listen to find out why.

Why did I change careers? Why did I choose accounting? How did I know it was the right choice for me? How did I make the decision? Was it the right decision?.. Believe it or not, I get these questions all the time. So if you're thinking about them - it's completely normal - I'm here to help. In this podcast, I chat with my guest, Echo, about the career choices I made that brought me into the accounting profession. I hope that in sharing my experiences, I can help Echo to come to her own career decisions. I think there's value here for lots of people out there thinking about getting their careers started, or re-started.

Are you an accountant or CPA looking for a specialization? The Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation could be for you! Steve Wilson, President of the Vancouver Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, joins me on the podcast to discuss the CFE credentials. Who is the designation for? What does it take to succeed? What makes a good fraud examiner? What is the profession like? Whether you're an accountant looking to gain an edge in your career or looking to begin a new career, I think there's a lot of great insights from Steve on what a career as a fraud examiner is like. 

Billie-Ann Woo, President of the Rodde House Museum joins the Vancouver Accounting Experience to talk about the benefits and challenges of serving on a board of an NPO. And there's even an open position (as of recording) on the board of directors at the Roedde House as the position of Treasurer - perfect for a CPA - is available. Serving on an NPO board is a commitment that is as challenging as it is rewarding. There are many opportunities to gain experience in a variety of skills from governance to leadership, budgeting to communication and interpersonal skills. Billie-Ann discusses what one can expect from volunteering at the Roedde House and much more.

A bright, young man and SFU student, named Gurinder, reached out to me on LinkedIn and asked if I had any tips on the Big 4. I invited him to chat on the "Vancouver Accounting Experience" podcast. Why? Because that's what we do here. He took the initiative to reach out, ask and I answered. For all you accounting students and aspiring CPAs, I hope you get a lot of value out of this one. Enjoy!