Talat Mangla
PwC
Washington, DC USA
"You have something to learn from everyone you meet."
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Talat's work combines: Business, Technology, and Working with Others
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
There's an assumption that Big Four companies control your life and you have to be a workaholic in order to keep up with the workload. But I've always made an effort to communicate with my team that my family is my first priority. Of course there are times where we're busy and I need to work late, but it's definitely possible to keep other priorities outside of work as long as you communicate. If you want people to respect your priorities, you also need to be respectful of theirs.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
Western Michigan University
Bachelor's Degree
Political Science and Government, General
Western Michigan University
Certification
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I started off in college as a political science major at Western Michigan University.
2.
To placate my dad, a college finance professor, I took some business courses—I was blown away by how dynamic and engaging my accounting class was, so I added accounting as a second major.
3.
I took on multiple internships to gain ample exposure in different industries—I’ve had internships in finance, law, and government.
4.
After college, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into accounting or law, but I got offers from Big Four companies and realized that accounting was the right path for me.
5.
I got my license as a Certified Public Accountant from The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
6.
I was drawn to PwC by the people who worked there—they were all dynamic, engaging people that I wanted on my team.
7.
At PwC, I worked my way up from associate to senior manager.
8.
After my last maternity leave, PwC was launching a new initiative called tech-enabled audit, which really spoke to me and led to my current position as a director for our assurance practice.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You can't have a life if you work for a Big Four company.
How I responded:
There's an assumption that Big Four companies control your life and you have to be a workaholic in order to keep up with the workload. But I've always made an effort to communicate with my team that my family is my first priority. Of course there are times where we're busy and I need to work late, but it's definitely possible to keep other priorities outside of work as long as you communicate. If you want people to respect your priorities, you also need to be respectful of theirs.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I have young kids but a lot of responsibility at work in my position. It can get stressful, but I chose to always put my family first. I make sure to communicate at work and block my calendar if I can’t compromise on my family responsibilities.