Like many of ALPFA's members, my mom came to this country with no higher education, but despite that had the industriousness and entrepreneurial spirit to start two successful businesses. Growing up I was always encouraged to attend college, but encouragement was the extent of educational help that was provided by my parents since my parents were not able to help me with homework or understand the need for expenses like SAT preparation classes.
I enrolled in junior college and then transferred as a junior into SDSU's accounting program. Back then I was unaware, how important it was to secure an internship if I wanted to work for one of the big accounting firms and had the difficult task of recruiting for full time employment as a senior. I joined the American Association of Hispanic CPAs (AAHCPA), which was the predecessor to ALPFA, to network with professionals, in the hopes of increasing my chances of getting a job after graduation.
The AAHCPA 2001 Annual convention proved to be very important for my career. Enron happened earlier in the summer and 9/11 occurred just days before the convention started, so I was not sure how much I could do for my career at that time. But then I met someone from a Big 4 firm who advised me that it would be particularly difficult to get a job at a large firm considering the economic conditions and without having had an internship. However, he also shared with me that he did not start with a Big 4 accounting firm, but instead started with a local firm. He advised me to pass the CPA exam right away and learn as much as possible at a local firm because when an opportunity presented itself, I would be ready for it. That proved to be career changing advice for me, as I did not get hired at a Big 4 firm out of college, but instead started with a local firm and was later hired by PwC. Had I not received that advice, I may not have been focused on possible opportunities with the Big 4.
I regret that after I graduated, I did not maintain my membership with ALPFA. It wasn't until I recently rejoined ALPFA that I realized how much I missed, both personally and professionally, by not continuing my involvement. 2008 was my first year back to the annual convention and ironically I spoke to many students with similar stories as mine, who were going through recruiting in a toughening economy. I was able to provide advice similar to what I received 7 years ago and it felt great to give something back. I owe a lot to ALPFA and look forward to staying involved in the future.
Ed Cavallin
PricewaterhouseCoopers
