Building a Career with an Accounting/A&IS Background Panel Discussion
The Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE) hosted its fourth annual Corporate Careers with an Accounting/A&IS Background Panel Discussion, virtually, on October 27, 2020. Jack Lazar (’87), Board Member and Advisor, moderated a panel of four SCU alumni featuring:
- Veronica Bass (’11) – Technical Revenue Manager (Juniper Networks)
- Austin Boehrer (’13) – Sr. Strategic Analyst, Supply Chain Ops (Intuitive Surgical)
- Rachel Flanagan (’13) – Tech Consulting Manager (Accenture)
- Juho Parkkinen (’09) – Sr. Director of Revenue/Asst. Controller (Mongo DB)
Over 130 students attended the event, with 90% of attendees being first year and sophomore students, and 52% of attendees undecided about their major. The panelists shared their perspectives on majoring in accounting or accounting and information systems (A&IS), essential skill sets, work/life balance, and the most important learnings they have had while on the job. The panel discussion was followed by Q&A and smaller breakout sessions where students could pose questions to individual panelists. The discussions were especially informative given Lazar’s career in startups and the diverse paths each of the panelists are taking with their careers. Though the accounting/A&IS major can be academically challenging, the panelists emphasized that most students will receive full-time job offers before entering their senior year and that their initial work experience will provide a strong foundation for a variety of professional opportunities.
Our special thanks to Jack Lazar and the panelists for openly sharing their experiences with SCU students. We especially appreciate Rachel Flanagan’s willingness to join the panel from Chicago (the panel discussion began at 9:00 pm in her time zone). Their honesty provided students a realistic glimpse into the many career paths available to those with an accounting/A&IS background. Once again, this successful event continues to showcase the success of the accounting program graduates and the strong SCU community that continues to grow after graduation.