Ep. 89 - Tax Senior/Accountant - EY - Zach Wehrle

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This is the place to learn about careers from the people who are actually doing the work every day. I’m your host, Brian Bratt, and this week’s guest is 2013 Van Buren graduate Zach Wehrle, a Tax Senior (Accountant) for EY. In this episode, Zach shares how a typical day looks in his position, why he moved into accounting from a criminal justice career, how accounting could make him more likely to get a position with the FBI, and much more. Whether you are interested in a career as an accountant or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Zach shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show! 1:11 - How a typical day looks for a Tax Senior/Accountant at EY 2:33 - What an audit is, and how the audits Zach completes compare to IRS audits 3:58 - Accountants are not “the bad guys.” 4:53 - More about EY and the travel Zach has to do in his position 6:48 - When he was in high school, Zach planned to have a career in criminal justice with the federal government, but it hasn’t played out that way. 8:00 - All of Zach’s internships and experiences were valuable because they helped him make decisions about his career journey. 9:55 - The potential lack of career growth led Zach to find a way to make himself more attractive to the federal government. 13:50 - Does Zach regret not pursuing an accounting degree from the start? 14:58 - Zach is still using what he learned while working in criminal justice in his accounting career. 15:45 - It was difficult to head back to school two years after earning a bachelor’s degree. 16:23 - Preparing for the CPA exam 17:00 - Doors earning the CPA will open 18:13 - Crunching numbers on a computer screen by himself is NOT what Zach experiences every day. 19:00 - From January through May, the hours are longer since that is tax season. 20:09 - Advice to students considering criminal justice or accounting careers 21:48 - It is never too late to pursue a career path. Questions? Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]). Connect with Zach on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/zachary-wehrle-91331b15b/) or by e-mail ([email protected]).