DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Carl Allocca

 

            Accounting has always intrigued me since I was very young; however, there seems to be a stigma attached with the job that it is terribly boring. To further my knowledge about the intricacies of accounting and to get a better understanding of what an accountant actually does, I chose to interview Carl Allocca, who is a CPA for the last 32 years. The first thing which I wanted to get a better understanding of was what an accountant did in an average day. I was given a rundown of his daily operating procedure when he goes into his practice. First it is about looking at the clients he will see that particular day and recognizing the issues that need to be investigated in their particular cases. Next there is a fair amount of research on those clients’ problems and then afterwards going to meet with the clients to discuss these issues. Accountants analyze these accounts and make recommendations and critiques of the operation performance of a company. I found this to be more exciting than my preexisting beliefs of what an accountant does.

            Since I had learned more about the job I wished to know more about its pros and cons. According to Allocca, the best part of the job is meeting with clients and the interaction with different levels of management, also meeting clients for Dinner or events is interesting. On the other hand the long hours sometimes do not match up with the salary, and it also puts undue stress on family life. He is most proud of his kids, considering them the “only thing I did right.” An important factor in considering a career as an accountant was the salary; he initially wanted to be an English teacher until someone mentioned to him that they make no money. In order to succeed at this job, and others, he believes that Interpersonal and Communication skills are necessary qualities. Also he says there is and will always be a high demand for accountants.

            From this interview I learned that accounting is different from what I thought it was. It is a lucrative career with high demand, but the long hours place stress on family life, something which I will have to consider if I choose this as a career path.

 

 

Colleen McKean

 

            Out of this interview I hoped to gain some insight into what a career in marketing might look like, as it has always been an interest of mine. I choose to interview Colleen McKean, who is a faculty member with experience in the world of marketing having worked at various companies, most notably USA Today. She interned with USA Today for three summers in advertising sales. Starting with the company as marketing accounting manager she quickly rose to regional marketing director and education foundation administrator. Staff reported to her and she met with people frequently, reporting back to the national office indirectly making sure there was consistency. According to her there were many similar meetings, just with different people.

            The best part about the job was meeting new people, networking, and coming up with ideas or being creative. This is intriguing to me as I love meeting new people and the idea generation seems exciting. The downside to the job was them amount of people reporting to her, long hours, not much time for home life, not overly rewarding ad very time consuming. She is most proud of her kids, a common theme among interviewees. Her work affected her personal life and as a result she occasionally didn’t get to spend the time with her family that she would have liked.

            Money was not a driving factor in her job choice. She actually knew nothing of the pay scale; she just did what she found interesting as that was the most important thing for her. According to her skills which are important to have include following up on things, delivering on what you say you are going to do, and being dependable and honest even admitting to mistakes when you are wrong. The demand for jobs in the marketing field is improving, but it is not linked directly to the economy, there are many other factors that determine the demand. It is a large field and there are many ways to enter into it, which is advantageous.

            From this I gathered that marketing is not just about the creative and developmental process. There is much in the way of meeting and reporting that I did not consider. However, I still think that this would be an interesting field to work in.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.