Fowler College Class of 2020 Career Spotlight: Allison Kuykendall
Aspiring CPA Grows Skills and Confidence with Student Honor Society
Changing majors is common practice among a large majority of college students. Allison Kuykendall shifted from kinesiology to accountancy during her junior year at San Diego State University and didn’t look back. She credits her experience outside of the classroom and her professors’ encouragement as keys to success as both an accountancy student and professional.
Allyson Kuykendall
Kuykendall gained the confidence and experience needed to secure a position with a top accounting firm by immersing herself into Beta Alpha Psi, an international honor society for accounting, finance, and information systems students. She looks forward to completing her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exams and beginning her career with KPMG this Fall!
Q: Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to pursue Accountancy as an area of study?
Deciding to pursue accountancy as my major was not an easy decision. It wasn’t until after two years of working toward a kinesiology degree when I began exploring post-graduation job opportunities and realized that I wanted to keep my passion for health and fitness separate from my career. I began my junior year as a general business major and took my first accounting course. I remember laughing at the idea of someone wanting to spend their lives crunching numbers doing taxes. After excelling in my accounting courses and receiving encouragement by my professors to explore the career path, I learned that the career opportunities in accounting were vast and highly lucrative. More importantly, I could find a firm to work for with a positive work environment.
Q: Describe the position you will begin?
In October, I will start working as an Audit Associate at KPMG, LLP. During my summer internship I got to experience what it will be like when I begin working as an associate. Most of my time was spent interacting with clients, working with my team, and learning how to operate the audit software. I will be onboarding virtually and working from home until the office and client offices open back up. Thankfully, the firm will be providing materials for me to work comfortably at home until we can get back in the office.
Q: When did you receive your official job offer and what was your reaction when you received the offer?
I received my initial job offer to intern for KPMG about 3 months after I decided to declare my major in accountancy. I applied to about 10 different firms, and honestly when I sent my applications to the “Big-4” accounting firms, I thought I was way in over my head and didn’t expect to get an interview. After going through a month of on-campus and in-person interviews and receiving positive feedback from the firms, I knew it was attainable, but I felt taking on a job working for the big 4 was daunting. I decided to go through the interviews and see what offers I got. After my first in-office visit at KPMG, I knew that was the firm I would choose if I had the opportunity. On offer day, I received offers from 2 other firms and was waiting for the call from KPMG. I was so happy I burst into tears when I got a call from the recruiting partner.
Beta Alpha Psi Meeting, Fall 2019.
Q: How did you get connected with this company and position?
Beta Alpha Psi is the main organization that connected me to KPMG. Through Beta Alpha Psi, I was exposed to firms on a weekly basis which allowed me to connect with the professionals and prepare before it was time to submit applications for the summer internship. Additionally, the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA) holds “Meet the Firms” at SDSU where students from Student Accounting Society and Beta Alpha Psi are permitted to go without charge. At Meet the Firms, there are over 20 accounting firms with representatives who are looking to hire students for internships and fulltime positions. Initial interviews were held on campus, making it feasible to get interviews done between classes!
Q: Did you use any other campus resources to help you acquire this position? If so, describe the support.
Career services at SDSU was a great resource for anyone who is looking to land a job post-graduation. They have workshops to help students with writing resumes, effectively networking, interviewing and more. Additionally, SDSU has an online portal for students where they can be matched with positions open in their field of study that they qualify for and then apply online through the school.
Q: Are there specific skills you learned at SDSU (in class or otherwise) that helped you with the role’s qualifications?
The most valuable learning I did at SDSU was less in the classroom, but more in getting comfortable speaking professionally to individuals and groups. At weekly Beta Alpha Psi meetings, representatives from different public accounting firms came in and worked with members to prepare them for interviews and how to land a job with them. Additionally, serving as the President-Elect of Beta Alpha Psi gave me the opportunity to lead these meetings which helped me gain experience leading teams and speaking in front of large audiences.
Q: What advice do you have for fellow students, regardless of their field, looking to jumpstart their career and land their first job post-graduation?
When reflecting on the things that made an impact on my success coming out of SDSU, the two most important pieces of advice I have are do not be afraid to speak up and do not put off thinking about your future because of discomfort or uncertainty. During your sophomore and junior year, nobody is talking about how they are going to secure a job post-graduation. By second-semester senior year, everyone was panicking because they don’t have anything lined up. There were many times in college where I felt silly going to interviews and being dressed up in business attire for Beta Alpha Psi meetings. I wondered if my desire to secure a job was premature and if I should focus more on having fun and sliding by in class. Once I graduated, I never once regretted putting the time in early and having a job lined up. Sometimes showing up is not as hard as looking back and wishing your time was spent in more productive ways. However, merely showing up is not enough. It is important to make yourself known in organizations on campus, make good connections with your directors and professors, and find avenues to career-success within your major.
Q: What is it that you are most looking forward to as you kick start this next chapter?
First, I am most looking forward to this pandemic coming to an end and being able to work in the office with my co-workers. Additionally, I passed one of my four CPA exams and will be taking the next one in August. I am looking forward to passing all four of them by the end of the year and working toward advancing in my career as a CPA!
Q: What experience at SDSU has changed your life the most?
Honestly, Beta Alpha Psi has probably changed my life the most career-wise. I was always a good student and worked hard at my part-time jobs but had a lot of doubt about my abilities to work at the next level. Being surrounded with like-minded individuals who were also trying to advance their careers and taking advantage of Beta-Alpha Psi’s mentorship program made the biggest impact on my interpersonal and academic capabilities.
Q: What is the best advice you have received during your time at SDSU?
“If you graduate college without your peers and professors knowing who you are, you have failed.”
