Scholarship to Success: Jeremy Wentworth

The Scholarship to Success series highlights the inspiring journeys of past recipients of The Educational Foundation scholarships, showcasing their growth, achievements, and reflections on their accounting journey.

What impact did this scholarship have on your accounting journey? 
As a two-time recipient of the OSCPA Educational Foundation Scholarship, the funds received helped offset a portion of my academic pursuits. However, the biggest impact was the opportunities to meet local professionals and the process of building a network, which was a huge advantage when going through the competitive recruiting and hiring process.

What were some of your early career goals, and how have they evolved since then? 
My early career goals have not evolved much over the years. It was always my intent to become a CPA with a focus on audit and attestation.  I wanted to gain as much experience, across as many industries as possible, so that I could transition out of public accounting and into a senior accounting position. I started my career at a large international accounting firm and then spent the next few years at a small local firm, where I earned the CPA designation. Currently I am the manager of acquisitions and accounting for a company that provides facilities management services where we employ over 13,000 people and have operations in 28 states.

What advice would you give someone considering a career in accounting?  
It is impossible to have success without clearly defined goals. So that is my #1 bit of advice: set your career goals early and don’t be deterred.

Also, it’s been my experience that the most successful accountants have a questioning mind and are always looking to expand their knowledge base. They trust their judgment and aren’t afraid to do the research necessary to support their positions. Additionally, they avoid falling into the traps of the professions. Specifically, 'doing it the same way it’s always been done'. Just because 'it’s always been done that way' doesn’t make it right!

As a new staff accountant, you will quickly find that the reality of working as an accountant is very different than it is in school and there isn’t always a clear right or wrong answer. At certain times of the year, you will work long hours, and you will be challenged in ways you cannot yet imagine; however, you will never find yourself bored, you will learn a lot and grow professionally, and along the way you will make lifelong friends. Accounting is a great profession with endless opportunities. Establishing clearly defined goals will set you up for a long and successful career in accounting.

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