Jeff Walker '03
— Senior Manager, C.P.A.
“For someone just starting their career, having the right attitude means everything – demonstrating a willingness to learn and absorb everything you can, focusing on asking questions and communicating your thoughts and feelings. I encourage our people all the time to understand “WHY” and not just “HOW.”
Personal/Professional Journey
How did you find your way to where you are today? Share a little about your professional journey.
After graduating from Furman, I attended the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia to get my master’s of accountancy. It was there I first began exploring a number of accounting firms and decided I wanted to come back to Greenville to start my career.
Elliott Davis was the firm that really stood out to me. The opportunities and experience it seemed to offer reminded me so much of Furman. During the interview process, I was blown away by the culture and by the people who worked there. The firm was full of young, ambitious, hard-working professionals who were so passionate about their careers, but all seemed to have a great work-life balance.
I appreciated how closely the firm was connected to the community and to their people, but also recognized the significant opportunities for growth and expansion. I knew it was the place I wanted to be. Elliott Davis has grown into a top-30 firm nationally in size. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been with the firm for 12 years now. I currently serve on the firm-wide executive committee and strategic recruiting committee, and lead the audit and assurance group in our Greenville office.
What motivations fueled your career path?
Honestly, before I actually started my career I did not think public accounting was going to be a long-term fit. I thought working with a public firm would help initially set a good foundation of business knowledge and provide me with some experience I could use as I moved on to other opportunities down the road.
At the time, I did not realize public accounting would challenge me to use so many different skills, provide me such a high level of interaction with people, and afford me the opportunity to take on a number of leadership roles. I find now that I spend my time not only focused on consulting with my clients on their businesses, but also working hard to improve our business – through the recruitment and retention of top talent, strategic initiatives to improve our operations, innovating our processes, and generating new revenue opportunities. As a result, I feel challenged in so many different ways every single day – and that is extremely rewarding.
Within the field
When providing advice for professional development, what are some tools or resources one should consider?
Professional development often takes place simply by learning from those around you. For someone just starting their career, having the right attitude means everything – demonstrating a willingness to learn and absorb everything you can, focusing on asking questions and communicating your thoughts and feelings. I encourage our people all the time to understand "WHY" and not just "HOW."I truly believe you should approach every day with the mentality of always getting better and asking yourself, "What can I do today to add value to my company, my team, or my client?" Let people see you in action! When they see how valuable you can be, more opportunities will come your way.
For someone just getting started
What do you wish you would have known getting started in your field?
Looking back, I wish I knew how dynamic this profession could be. While the terms "CPA" and "dynamic" do not really go together naturally, public accounting has afforded me unlimited opportunities to become a better business person and continues to force me to get outside of my comfort zone every day. Had I known all of the opportunities that were ahead, I would have started applying for accounting internships during my years at Furman. Almost all of our new hires coming out of school have completed at least one public accounting internship program before starting full time and it can prove to be an invaluable experience to jumpstart your career.
What additional education or certification is required/recommended?
Public accounting firms are continuing to recruit top students earlier in their collegiate careers because of the increased demand for talent and competition among other firms. It is strongly recommended that sophomores and juniors begin applying for public accounting summer leadership conferences and internship programs. Also, most students decide to attend graduate school to receive a master's of accountancy prior to beginning their career to ensure that they have met the 150-hour class requirement to be CPA eligible. Most programs are only one year and have built in CPA exam preparation into their curriculum.
Furman University
How has your liberal arts background shaped your career path or supported your success?
My Furman background has proven to be extremely beneficial in my career. More and more public accounting firms are focused on attracting talented people who are not only technically sound with their accounting knowledge, but who are well rounded in many other ways. Firms are looking for people who are natural leaders, who desire to be involved in community organizations, and who can add value in a number of different ways to their clients and to the firm itself. Furman provided me the opportunity to be involved in so many different organizations and challenged me in a variety of ways that truly helped shape my career. I feel as though when faced with opportunities and challenges at work, I often look back and draw upon my experiences at Furman.
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