MEET AMANDA! A UNT alumnus (December 2019) of the M.S. in Taxation program who is currently working at BDO as their STS-SALT Associate.
We asked Amanda some questions about her plans for graduation, advice for current students, and how UNT helped her to succeed and SOAR BEYOND!
- When you started at UNT, what were your plans after graduation? How have these plans changed (if at all)? When I started at UNT I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do. My only inclination was to do something in the Healthcare industry, but then I realized that needles and diseases aren’t my thing. I narrowed down what my skills were versus what interested me and I decided to do something in business, still not really committing to a major. After taking a few business core classes I either wanted to do finance or accounting and so I did both.
- What advice do you have for prospective or current students as they decide what they want their next steps to be (internships/careers/etc.)? The only wrong decision is not making one. Go with your gut and if your gut is wrong, know that you have it in yourself to do the next best thing.
- How did your program at UNT help you to feel prepared for this role? The knowledge I gained from my classes definitely played a crucial role. But the problem-solving skills and soft skills I learned from organizations like the Professional Leadership Program (PLP) and group projects in my master’s classes, helped the most. Specifically, I remember sitting in Christine Ellis’ office unsure If I had what it took to get a CPA and she inspired me to pursue it and believed in me when I surely did not.
- How did you find your current role (website, email, word of mouth, etc)? My friend interned with BDO and knew they were hiring so he referred me to the position.
- What was the toughest interview question they asked you? I got asked a question about Excel that really made me sweat, but I think they just wanted to see my thought process behind my answer and how well I can think on the spot.
- How did the Career Center help you? I took advantage of the free business cards and resume workshops while I was in my undergraduate classes. Also, mock interviews were helpful to get specific feedback from the person across the table.
