I had two majors and a minor in college.  That happened in four years because I brought AP Credits from high school, did an internship, did some travel summer trips for credit, etc.  Less wasn’t more for me, and most people, at college.  It was busy busy busy.  Then… I went to work a couple days after graduating, traveled abroad to Spain to start my Masters a couple weeks after that – you get the idea.

I became a Spanish teacher immediately after graduating.  I had double-majored in accounting and Spanish, and had gone on mission trips to Ecuador and really felt like Spanish was where my talents were.  I wasn’t super drawn to the accounting firms – I didn’t want the long hours and I knew that I could get a job there if I needed one, but it wasn’t what I wanted.  I was still finding myself, so-to-speak.

During the years that I taught Spanish, my grandfather (dad’s dad) kept asking me – like, all the time – “what about accounting?”  He really thought that I shouldn’t close the door there.  He thought that I should take advantage of my degree and sit for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam.  Here he is [seated in the middle] with my grandmother and parents [and I am on the left]:

His parents immigrated to the United States from Italy.  His father owned a textile company in Manhattan.  Most of his siblings and he owned their own businesses.  He learned first hand the importance of a good CPA.   My grandfather had a small business and now I help small businesses.  I like having small business clients.  For me they are the heart and soul of our country.  For me this all reminds me of my grandfather.

Everyone’s story is different.  My career hasn’t been a straight path but I feel like I’ve learned a lot along the way, and I wouldn’t change anything – no regrets.  I’m thankful for my grandfather.  Seven years after graduating college I finally became a CPA, and I was thankful that he was alive (in his 90s) when I did.

One person can make a difference.