Anthony Sedlak
LLOG Exploration
New Orleans, LA USA
"Take it one day at a time—take responsibility, do what you have to do in that day, and then let tomorrow deal with itself."
Career Roadmap
Anthony's work combines: Business, Numbers, and Accomplishing Goals
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
If you are interested in finance, you'll get in easier via accounting. You'll also have a solid base understanding of the underlying data you are analyzing and making decisions from. Strongly recommend a Big 4 CPA Firm for your first job. The doors that it will open for your career are crucial. Audit path recommended, although tax can also open doors.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
Business/Commerce, General
Kishwaukee College
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
Loyola University New Orleans
Certification
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I was born in the suburbs outside of Chicago as an only child, so my mother was able to homeschool me—but home life was often rough because she suffered from schizophrenia.
2.
After pushing hard through my courses so that I could graduate early, I finished high school at 15 years old and went straight to college full time.
3.
Financially, community college was the only option available for me—we were in the middle of a financial crisis and I had to provide for my mentally ill mother while going to school.
4.
After completing my associate’s degree at Kishwaukee College, I transferred to Loyola University New Orleans as an international business major with a minor in accounting.
5.
Under the guidance of one of my professors, I switched my major to accounting, which aligned better with the route I wanted to take to be able to better provide for my family.
6.
After graduation, I got a job at Ernst & Young as a CPA—I grew a specific interest in my oil and gas clients, but knew I didn’t want to stay in the “Big Four” atmosphere.
7.
After three years at EY, a headhunter reached out to bring me onboard with LLOG Exploration Company—it’s the largest private oil producer in the United States.
8.
In addition to my position with LLOG Exploration, I also own property and work as a landlord.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
It's too hard to succeed if you start out with nothing.
How I responded:
Push through and take it one day at a time. If you want something bad enough and financially are constrained, you'll take that minimum wage job at McDonald's and put the work in to be able to make it happen.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
My mother suffered from a mental illness and my parents were divorced, so I had to put my mom in an institution and support her when I was a teenager.
I wasn't sure about accounting at first but knew I needed to find a route that would allow me to financially provide for my family.