Joe Dunleavy
Partner
PricewaterhouseCooper LLP
Houston, TX USA
“Having perspective about what lies ahead helps you to understand if you should pursue a career and for how long.”
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Paying for an undergraduate degree while balancing my work and social life.
Failing step one and having to re-prioritize my academic, work, and social lives. This allowed me to earn my undergraduate degree and get into graduate school.
Earning my MBA in Accounting while attending night classes and working two jobs. Experience professors who took an interest in me and helped me to achieve my academic goals.
Receiving my first several job offers and selecting PwC as the place where I would start my professional career. I have several options and chose the firm where I felt I would be most challenged.
Early in my career, I had the option to travel throughout the US and then realized that I wanted to go abroad. I embarked on a 3-year overseas assignment to Russia (this grew to 4.5 year assignment).
Life in Russia—New culture, new office (10 times the size of the office from which I came). New and diverse colleagues. I didn't speak the language and couldn't read the alphabet—What have I done?
Returning home to a new office in the US and then moving to two different offices after repatriating. Being mobile paid off in knowledge, skills, relationships, and admission to the Partnership.
The final phase on my career, the most complicated, challenging, and rewarding phase. The lessons, relationships, knowledge & skills gained to this point need to be leveraged to be successful & happy.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Plainview Old Bethpage High School
Plainview Old Bethpage High School
Career
Partner
I help solve complex public financial reporting and disclosure issues to assist clients with accessing capital markets.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Travel
Business
Learning / Being Challenged
Day to Day
I have a portfolio of public companies with whom I work. I review their public filings prior to them becoming public. This work includes reviewing required periodic filings (e.g. 10-Ks & 10-Qs) as well as transactional documents supporting acquisitions and divestitures, and debt and equity offerings. In addition to ensuring compliance with SEC rules and regulations, I ensure that my clients are aware of the options they have to ensure compliance with SEC rule & to achieve their corporate goals.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Talk to people already in the door. Do your best to talk to people at different phases of their careers. I thought that I would be at my first job for 3-5 years. That was 28 years ago. Having perspective about what lies ahead helps you to understand if you should pursue that career and for how long.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Teachers:
"You'll never be an accountant."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
