*TheDudeAbides

My Final Finals

Last nightI had my first last final exam. I finished in about an hour, thanked the professor for his hard work, and went home. It is weird how so much work and time goes into a semester, into doing all of the readings and attending all of the lectures, and then it is over in what seems like a millisecond. It is both a very gratifying feeling and an anticlimactic feeling: obviously gratifying because my hard work paid off and I am very confident that I did well, but also anticlimactic because it is over so quickly. Honestly, I just wanted to finish my exam, stand up on my chair, and yell at the top of my lungs because I had finished...after my last question was answered I was one step closer to completing my master's degree, and I just wanted to let all of the stress and anxiety out in one burst of excitement. Instead, I quietly removed myself from the classroom as the other people worked on the test.

So I have two more exams this week, and then I turn the page on this chapter of my life. This has been such a challenging and peculiar semester, and it really does seem like a fitting end to these past 15 months. I have learned so much, expanded my interest in and curiosities of the tax world, and probably worked harder at my studies and my classes than I have since starting the MST program. It truly has been 3 months of great personal growth and great academic growth: I started the job-search process and successfully landed myself a great job that I am excited about, and I learned something new every week in every class.

I left my final last night, excited and relieved, and thought about my life. I have been doing a lot of retrospection these past couple of weeks, as well as a lot of thinking about my future and where my life is headed. But I really have not given much thought about where I am now...until I walked out of the Sawyer Business School last night. And I came to one definitive conclusion: my life is really falling into place. I am on the verge of accomplishing something I will be very proud of and I will be starting my career in a couple months. I have gained invaluable knowledge, met some amazing classmates and truly inspiring professors, and set myself up to be able to succeed and thrive in the world of taxation. I have grown closer with my family and many friends, and after devoting myself so entirely to school and being so busy with all of the work I have really grown to appreciate the little things that make me smile or make me laugh. It is hard to describe everything that happened since the semester started in September, and the things that I have learned and that have changed me, but I think I can look back and say that it was all for the best. Somehow this semester is almost over. In a little over 48 hours I will be done with everything. Time to buckle down and finish strong.

I probably only have one more post left, and I will give my closing thoughts on my program, on Suffolk, on blogging, on TheDude's future, etc... I know that I could probably write an entire book on what the past 15 months have meant to me, the experiences I have had and who I have become. But hopefully I can get it done in a single blog post. So until that time, The Dude Abides...

And Down the Stretch They Come!

So the bittersweet reality is that in 4 days, I will have finished my graduate studies. All that stands in the way of my successful graduation are 3 final exams...which, quite honestly, should not be too difficult or challenging. Tonight (Monday) I have my most challenging of the three, so it is pretty much smooth sailing when the clock strikes 10pm. Tuesday will be a relatively relaxing and stress-free day, and Wednesday and Thursday will be the final push until the end.

So here is my plan for the blogging world: I hope to blog twice more (not counting this posting). I would really like to expand on my finals and my courses this semester, because I know I have been slacking the past couple months. As I mentioned countless times, the workload for my classes was brutal this fall, so hopefully I can bring everyone up to speed one final time. For my final post, I would like to tie everything up with a nice bow and really reflect back on what the past 15 months have meant to me. I know I have already started doing that in previous posts, but I definitely have things to share with the masses.

So I must conquer my last accounting final exam in a couple hours, and will hopefully get another post out tomorrow.

TheDude Abides

TheDude's Days Are Numbered

 Can somebody explain to me how it is already December? Where did January-November go? I feel like this has been the quickest year of my life, and certainly the quickest semester I could ever imagine. In only 2 weeks I will have my last graduate exam, and around 10pm on Thursday December 16th I will have completed my taxation program. I do not think the reality of my situation has hit me yet- I still cannot believe it is almost all done, and that I will be moving on to the next phase of my life. So I guess that means that I only have a couple more blog posts for the masses, so I should make each and every one of them count.

As promised, I have an update on my job search. After interviewing with a bunch of companies since the beginning of October, I have weighed the job offers extended to me and have accepted a tax accountant position at a large CPA firm in Boston (not a Big 4 firm). I sent my official letter of acceptance last week, and the process is now complete. I start January 5, and am very eager and anxious to see what the working world has to offer me. So, what did I think of the whole process? How did I manage it? Well, my initial reaction is that it was pretty easy. Suffolk (and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs) provides so many opportunities for students to meet with representatives and to network. I cannot count how many business cards that I now have, and how many different companies I have informational packages from. Aside from the long lines I waited in to meet with company reps, the networking events were beneficial and very worthwhile. My second reaction is that I am happy with how I presented myself, and I am proud of how I approached each interview and each company. I think the reason I received multiple job offers is because I was able to convey my passion and enthusiasm for taxation, and my genuine interest and desire to work as a tax accountant. It obviously helps that I have done well in my classes and have some good experience, but I think most of the employers were looking for someone with the right attitude to succeed and the mindset of making a career out of the study of taxation. It goes back to what I have said in many of my previous posts: find something that truly interests you, something that you are passionate about and dive into it. I quit my job and started at Suffolk because I knew taxes were right for me and I knew that I would be committed and devoted to its study for the rest of my life. These are the things that I wanted to show during my interviews, and I truly believe my passion and enthusiasm for taxes got me my job offers. My last reaction is that I am glad it is over. The thought of finding a job was stressful, and I am happy I accomplished my goal of accepting a job offer before Thanksgiving. It is wild to think that school is ending so soon, but I am so happy to have a job to start at when January comes along.

Aside from the job, life remains pretty normal. Schoolwork is winding down and everyone is revving up for finals. I am trying my hardest to stay away from the “senior-itis” that plagues so many people, and I am trying to stay focused on what I still need to accomplish and finish. I think this part of the program, the very end, is more about mental toughness than the actual workload. I am used to being busy and having a million different things to do, but I am not used to having the end right in front of me. I need to remember that it is not over yet, and that I have worked so hard for 14 months for a reason. It would be a shame for me to blow off the last couple weeks of my classes because I now have a job. So, TheDude needs to stay focused. Life is moving pretty fast, but I have been fortunate enough to be able to stop and take a look around once in a while. My good friend Ferris Bueller would be proud.

The Finish Line Is In Sight!

Today, I officially have less than a month left of grad school. It is November 18th, and my last final is December 17th...wow! It is a wild to think that this will be done very soon; that I will soon have passed in my last assignment, taken my last test, done my last presentation. Where did the time go?

Anyways, I have no doubt I will have a couple more blog posts devoted to my time at Suffolk and I will most certainly reflect on what I have accomplished and what I soon would like to accomplish. But let's catch everyone up on the happenings of TheDude. The job search is still in full swing, although I just received an offer that I am very seriously considering. I would like to have my final decision made by Thanksgiving, so I have a week from today to decide if it is truly the right fit for me, and if I truly see myself succeeding and excelling in the company. As I mentioned last post, it is nice to have the confidence to walk into an interview and know that Suffolk has given me the skills and knowledge to impress the employers. It is a great feeling explaining why I am so sure I want to work in the tax field, and why I specifically want to work in the public sector rather than the private sector. I am forever grateful for all of the information my professors taught me, but I think the most valuable thing is that I found out that this is what I am passionate about. I know this is the right career path for me, and I am excited to officially accept one of my job offers.

I have also successfully completed the last midterms of my life. Times were definitely hectic and I was quite stressed for a couple weeks straight, but I pushed through and now only have to worry about finals in a couple weeks. Unfortunately, the line of work I am going into requires me to pass the CPA exams, so I have plenty more tests to look forward to in my life. But, at least they will be part of my career progression and not part of my academic studies...so I have that going for me, which is nice. And now is essentially the waiting game of the semester: students know that there is not much going on until finals, and the professors are trying to cram as much information into our heads for the last test of the semester. And to be honest, it is becoming more and more difficult to stay focused on school and doing all of the work. My mind is focused now on my future and my career and my goals beyond graduate school, that I may be losing focus on the present a little bit. The past 15 months I have been so focused on school and only school that I did not even give myself a chance to get ahead of myself and carried away with hypotheticals. But now everything is becoming so real, and I see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

I guess I somehow managed to come full-circle in this blog post. My first post ever talked about Ferris Bueller and a particular quote from the movie (something about life moving pretty fast so you should stop and look around or you will miss it). So I guess I should find the balance between the here and now, and my impending future. I know I am ready for the next step, but maybe I should make sure I do not lose focus and appreciation for what I am currently involved in. I still need to embrace the things I am doing and the people that I am fortunate enough to learn from and learn amongst. TheDude has the rest of his life to think about the future, but he only has a single month left in graduate school.

TheDude Abides.

The Dude Lives!

After a longer absence than expected, TheDude is back to relay his hectic life these past couple weeks. We will start with the school part: I just got finished with midterms last night and I could not be happier. The past couple weeks I have devoted myself to reading my textbooks, organizing my notes, and preparing for some seriously difficult exams. There were a number of days that I studied for 6 or 7 hours straight, and to be honest it was starting to wear on me. I was stressed, I was bored and annoyed, and I was anxious to get the exams over with. The drawback of my classes meeting at night is that the day of the exam, after I have done all of my studying and preparing, I have to wait the entire day to take the test. It is a very frustrating period of waiting. Anyways, the exams are now behind me and I find myself in the uncommon situation of having some time to relax and take a break from schoolwork. That doesn't mean that I do not have any work to do the rest of this week. I actually have to finish writing my 30-page tax policy paper that has dominated my life for the past month. But it is almost finished, and once I submit it the rest of the semester seems like it will be a walk in the proverbial park.

My life, for the past couple weeks, has also been filled with interviews. I graduate in a little over a month so I am furiously trying to find a position in the tax field that will start in January 2011. I have been on countless interviews, have sent a ton of follow-up emails, and have thankfully received a couple job offers so far. It is very gratifying to have something to show for all the hard work I have put in since last September when I started the MST program- I devoted myself entirely to taxes, to my classes, and to truly appreciating and loving the field of taxation and I have been fortunate enough to have offers that would allow me to start my career doing something I would enjoy. These interviews are interesting to me: they are really the first interviews that I have had where I knew I was "in it" for the long-term...when an interviewer asks me where I see myself in 5 years, I do not have to lie and make something up that sounds good. I truly see myself doing taxes and accounting (hopefully international tax accounting/planning), and it is something I am excited to talk about with these companies. I know what I am passionate about, I know what I areas I want to learn more and more about, and I know what direction I want to take my professional career. As much as these interviews exhaust me (4 hours of talking about myself gets to be a bit much) and utilize precious hours that could be spent on schoolwork, it is fun to talk with people who are in the industry I am going to soon find myself a part of. These opinions/experiences are incredibly helpful and I always come away with new things to think about and consider when I interview.

So I guess that sums up my life recently, and explains why I have been so busy. The semester is certainly winding down, and I cannot believe that I am almost done with my masters program. It seems like yesterday when I was introducing myself through this blog and explaining how I ended up at Suffolk. I guess time truly does fly when you are doing something you enjoy (yes I have enjoyed the MST program immensely). So I will keep the blogging world updated on my future interviews and my eventual job acceptance, and until then...TheDude Abides.

A Full Plate

So this will unfortunately be a short post. My life is beyond crazy right now, and I wish there was at least 10 extra hours in each day so I could get everything done on my daily to-do lists.

My life can be summed up right now with the following simple math equation:

30 page tax policy paper + 2 upcoming midterms + 4-hour long interviews 4 days a week =a busy Dude

 

So that is basically what I am devoting my waking hours to at the moment. Hopefully I have a chance to write something with real substance soon.

An Outsider's Perspective

So TheDude is swamped again. The wedding weekend was (alliteration much?) a blast but now I am struggling to get things done. Yes, I did all my work for this week but my next week is filled with tons of interviews, a career fair, an unusual Friday class so I am just trying to keep my head above water.

And instead of being repetitive and boring, I got an outsider to "guest blog" this week to give their insight on the possibility of going back to school and making such a huge life decision. I know that I have gone on about how I came to Suffolk and how big a decision it was for me, and you will see that the same is true for my guest blogger. So without further ado:

 

Celebrity Blog Post: To Go. Or, not to go! That is the question…

Well hello Suffolk University! TheDude and I have decided to switch things up a bit this week and try a “celebrity” post. Terribly exciting, I know. I’ve done some research to see what TheDude has written and I’ve decided to just start from the beginning and see where it leads.

 I was born November 7^th, 1986 in Austin, TX. I have one sister. Yada yada yada.

 OK, let’s just skip all of this shall we and just flash forward to May 7^th, 2010. This was the day I graduated from Northeastern University with my B.S.B.A in Marketing and Management. I was sitting in the 17^th row in my black cap and gown, quietly listening to our President speak. We had just accepted our diplomas and he started out with a warm congratulatory message. But, my face kind of skewed when he told us that our diplomas were “passports to life”. I thought to myself, “What the ‘h – e – double hockey sticks’ does that mean?” To be honest, I thought that this little piece of paper with the shiny sticker was our receipt for the exuberant amount of money that we had all just spent! But I continued to listen and he started speaking of the accomplishments that we had achieved as a class and as individuals. And, how many of us were graduating with jobs already secured for our future (myself included)! This was quite unheard of, given the current economic state we live in…

 So this leads me to the present moment, where I find myself at somewhat of a crossroads! I’m newly graduated and sitting in my cubicle as the Marketing Program Coordinatorat “Company T”. And, so far it has been pretty good. It’s in Jersey City. It’s a young work environment. We have a great coffee and tea selection in the kitchen. And, we get to wear jeans on Fridays (woohoo)! Though even with all those perks, I’m starting to find myself getting bored. I’m just aching to go back to school and also, get my “gluteus maximus” back to Boston.

 I’m pretty sure this crossroads deserves one of my all-time favorite decision making tools. And, no I don’t mean a magic 8 ball! I need to create my list of pros and cons!

 PROS (Reason TO go back now):

-          Always wanted to get my MBA

-          Flexible period in my life; not tied down by a family or financial burdens

-          I’m still young

-          There are better job potentials after having my MBA

-          Still in “student mode” and won’t have a difficult transition into classroom life

-          Boston. Boston. Boston. (I wouldn’t go anywhere else!)

 

CONS (Reason NOT TO go back (just yet)):

-          Just graduated from undergrad

-          Potentially not having enough “real world” experience in comparison to my future classmates

-          Poor economy. A job is a job, and I should stay with it for a while.

-          Tests. Papers. Grades. Oh my!

-          I just moved and started a new job.

 So clearly my list is only in the beginning stages and I need to seriously sit down and start thinking this through more thoroughly— because this “Celebrity” needs to figure out where her “passport to life” is going to take her… sooner rather than later!

 

P.S. And as per usual, TheDude continuously abides.

P.P.S Thanks Dude – for sharing the spotlight!

A Whilrwind Weekend

TheDude's quick thoughts/updates:

1) As a follow-up to last week's post, my job search is really picking up and going well. I have a number of interviews lined up in the next two weeks (including a follow-up interview from my interview last Friday) and I am genuinely excited for each of them. I cannot stress how important it is for any accounting/taxation students to attend the Meet the Firms Night that was held in late September. All of the firms I am interviewing with where at the career fair, and I had the opportunity to them there and sell myself before any formal interview.

2) Along the same lines as #1, I am pleased with the breadth of companies that Suffolk connects with and has a working relationship with. The CPA firms I will be interviewing with, and the companies at the MTF Night, vary in size, expertise, corporate culture, and industry. I am interviewing with firms that vary from very large to relatively small, from inside Boston to the suburbs. My options are numerous and since the companies are so different I feel like I will be able to find the perfect fit for myself.

3) Work is still crazy. My to-do list has been beyond helpful, and I do not think I would have any sanity at the moment if I did not schedule my days so effectively. I have a list of what I want to accomplish throughout the week, which is then broken-down to what I want to accomplish each day of the week, which is then numbered so I know what order I want to tackle each assignment. Sometimes things change (I do things in a different sequence than planned, or I simply don't have time to get everything done in one day) but just having an outline makes everything seem more manageable. And yet......I still feel like I have more work than possible.

4) My wonderful sister is getting married this weekend, which means I will totally and completely shut myself off from schoolwork/taxation/accounting/job seeking/teaching assisting starting tomorrow morning when I make the drive up to New Hampshire. I know it seems like I routinely blog about how much work I have, how I have little free time, etc..., and maybe that shutting myself off from it all for an entire weekend is not the best idea. But sometimes school takes a backseat and this is obviously one of those times. It feels good, and I feel somewhat normal, being able to turn my "school-mode" off when necessary and I cannot be more excited to celebrate with my family this weekend. I know that I will have to make up for it the next couple weeks, but it is worth it. Sometimes I have to remember that my life does not always revolve around school, and this is a perfect way for me to remember that.

So that it is for TheDude. Again, I will keep updating on the job search and everything on that front. But for now, it is time to get ready to party for a couple days straight. TheDude Abides.

Job Time

I officially have my first two interviews in the next couple days. Hopefully all of my hard work, focus, and potential will not go unnoticed and I will writing about my impending job in the next couple of blog posts. Until then, though, my anxiousness for finding a job that will turn into a career grows. I really hope to love the jobs, love the people who interview me and the companies that they represent, and I hope to successfully show these people what I am capable of doing and accomplishing.

I have been pushing myself and devoting myself so entirely to my studies and to the taxation field that I need to find a job that allows me to truly learn the intricacies of the profession and that allows me flourish. It would be so deflating to spend so much time on school and then not get a job or get a job that does not make me happy. Regardless, I cannot wait to go into that first interview and prove to the company that I can contribute immediately, that I can learn quickly, and that I have learned how to apply the rules and principles of taxation in the real world.

So let's get back to the actual interviews: what should I do to prepare? I really have not had a legitimate interview in a couple years, but my experience at the Career Services sponsored Meet the Firms Night helped me with my initial interactions with recruiters and helped me ease back into the networking mindset. I obviously need to research the companies and the specific positions that I am applying for, and I think I should brush up on the "typical" interview questions that are generally asked. Obviously I am taking these opportunities very seriously, and my final couple months in grad school would be so much easier and less stressful if I had a job lined up for when I graduate. I certainly would not stop immersing myself in my classwork and my assignments, but it would be one less thing weighing heavily on my mind. Please someone offer me a job!

So I find myself realizing more and more that my time at Suffolk is almost over. The commencing of interviews really shows me that my hard work has paid off, and that my time here has gone much quicker than I had expected. So hopefully within the next couple posts I will have good news to report, but until then TheDude continues to abide.

Taking a Step Back

It is not often that I take a step back from my current life, and think about the "big" picture. I am a very focused person and sometimes I get caught up in taking everything one day at a time instead of looking down the road and planning for the future.

Yesterday (September 30) I turned 27 years old. Certainly not an earth-shattering occasion, but it was an occasion nonetheless. Normally I do not think much of my birthday and really do not feel like it is a big deal that I turn a year older. I do not feel any different now that I am 27, and although I am creeping closer to the dreaded 30 I do not find myself anxious/nervous/bummed. What was different about yesterday and about celebrating another birthday is that for the first time I truly took stock of what I have accomplished in the past year and what I hope to accomplish in this next year before i turn 28. Let me elaborate:

1) In the past year, I have done all the things necessary to graduate with my masters degree. Though I still have 3 more months until I graduate (and 4 incredibly rigorous and difficult classes stand in my way) I am proud of the fact that I have devoted myself so entirely to my education and eventual career path. I have positioned myself to finish my Suffolk experience with a wealth of knowledge, a great GPA, and some lasting connections with professors/classmates.

2)In the past year I have gained valuable footholds into the taxation and accounting fields through networking events and personal contact. I know exactly what I want to do when I graduate and I have been very conscious of talking to the appropriate people to discuss how I can meet my goals.

3)And briefly (and non-Suffolk related), I have grown closer to my brothers and sister, taken an interest in a number of unique and exciting hobbies that I hope to further pursue when I have more free time, met some amazing new friends, and gained a true appreciate for the people that have shaped my life. I know this is a bit sappy, but it ties in with my experiences at Suffolk this past year. The amount of time I have devoted to school- to my readings and exams and papers- has given me a new perspective on the free time I have and the time I can spend by myself and with others. When I have the opportunity to do something non-tax related or to interact with people that are not my professors or classmates, it is very much a breath of fresh air and honestly helps keep my sanity at times.

1) Within the next year I obviously want to have a job that I enjoy. There are a number of CPA firms that I would love to work for, and hopefully I am fortunate enough to get hired and love what I do.

2) I also plan to have progressed steadily through the CPA Exam. I do not know if it would be possible to do all 4 tests within the next 12 months, but I would like to have 2 or 3 of the tests completed.

3) I would like to start taking Italian classes. I absolutely love the country and the language, and would be thrilled if I can find the time in the next year to start taking language classes. My time at Suffolk has really proved to me that I love being a student and learning new things each day, so hopefully I can supplement my constant learning at my new job with Italian classes.

4) I want to travel within the US. I was lucky enough to backpack through Europe a couple years ago, but I have not seen much of the United States. There are so many places that I want to visit (Chicago, California, Portland, Seattle) and hopefully I will find the time to do so.

So my introspection did not reveal anything life-altering but it definitely allowed me to look back and forward to see what I would like to do with myself in the next year. My time at Suffolk is winding down and I will soon have the time to integrate all sorts of different things into my life. To tell you the truth, it is a weird concept to think about because I have been so immersed in Suffolk and in taxation. But, all things must come to an end and for that, TheDude abides.