Why did you choose the Masters of Science in Accounting & Taxation (MSAT) program at Barney School of Business?
The MSAT program at the Barney School has been uniquely designed that allows nontraditional accounting students to finish their coursework in a reasonable duration of time. I was a communications major and without any prior business/accounting coursework, I was able to complete my Master’s program within 16 months.
Moreover, I was very familiar with the success stories of Barney graduates. Barney School of Business Alumni are successful in getting jobs in good companies’ right after they graduate. For someone like me, who was looking for a career change, choosing MSAT was a guaranteed success in jumpstarting my career by getting a good job. Therefore, I wanted to safely invest my time, energy, and money. I was confident that I would get the return on my investment because I knew about the outstanding faculty and professors at the school.
Many professors at the Barney School of Business are either partners in accounting firms or they own an accounting firm. In the classroom, professors presented real world problems, examples, and shared their own experiences, and made the concepts very interesting, fun and easy to understand. In my academic journey, my professors played a huge role by mentoring me. They have guided me and supported me throughout my academic period.
How did that help you when searching for a job? And how did Barney help you to achieve your goals?
I was looking for a satisfying, rewarding and challenging career, and not just a job. Moreover, I was looking for a career change. I chose accounting as a profession because accountants are always in demand and opportunities in this area are abundant. Certainly, by getting a Master’s degree in Accounting and Taxation from Barney School of Business at University of Hartford has unlocked many doors for me. I am currently working as a Tax Associate at CohnReznick in Connecticut. It is a great company to work for. Recently, it has been ranked number 10 in Accounting Today’s 2014 Top 100 Firms in the US.
Most of all, I am thankful to my faculty members who encouraged me to attend various on campus events organized by the different honor societies. I am a member of the accounting honor society – Beta Alpha Psi which organizes various events on campus. I did not miss the opportunity to connect directly with the recruiters. I attended ‘Meet the Firms’ event on campus that helps students to talk one to one with their future potential employers. That’s how I got connected to CohnReznick in Connecticut. I started as an intern but very soon I was offered a full time job offer in their taxation department.
I took full advantage of what the Barney School had to offer. Indeed, it is a great feeling when you know that you don’t have to lose sleep in finding a job after you graduate. Barney School of Business has not only helped me to achieve my goal in stimulating my career by getting a good job, but has also improved my vision for my future goal to be a CPA.