Career Roadmap
Denecia's work combines: Travel, Entrepreneurship, and Problem Solving
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Graduate Degree
Accounting
Michigan State University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be an Accountants and Auditors:
Bachelor's Degree: Accounting
Graduate Degree: Accounting
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Completed my undergraduate in accounting at NC A&T (including 6 month study abroad in Australia). My career goals were to travel as much as possible and earn my PhD in accounting.
2.
I applied for an international accounting internship working oversees. I was denied. I interned with a Big 4 Accounting firm locally in NC.
3.
Started my graduate program at MSU. I was recommended for a prestigious position with the FASB staff in CT. I was not going to apply, but a mentor encouraged me to seize the opportunity.
4.
I graduated from MSU with my MS in accounting. I was accepted as member of the FASB Staff and moved to CT. That experience reshaped my career goals and lead me to join EY.
5.
I joined EY in 2014, within our technical accounting advisory services group. Prior to my time in CT, I did not even know this role existed at the big 4 firms.
6.
I was promoted to Manager in 2016. In 2017, I was offered the opportunity to work for 24 months in our London capital markets group. In my role I worked in Milan, Budapest, Germany, and England!
7.
I retuned to US in 2019 and was promoted to my current role as a Senior Manager.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Accountants only deal with numbers, not real business issues.
How I responded:
To be an advisor you have to understand how the business operates internally and how the industry is changing. This involves more than just "the numbers." You have to be able to communicate the story the numbers are telling such that the your clients can make key decisions, and communicate to their stake holders in a timely manner. It's a very rewarding job that allows you to problem solve and advise various clients through their business changes.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
It was critical for me to have good mentors in undergraduate. One was a professor that I could speak with regarding my aspirations. I found her advise to purse my CPA license to be invaluable in my career journey!