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Dawn Whitt

Tax Manager
AICPA (that's us)
Durham, NC

 

In order to finish high school, Dawn Whitt needed to take two more electives. Thinking they would be easy classes, she decided on accounting and chorus. Little did she know one would lead to her future career. Can you guess which one?

Even though she still enjoys singing for fun, Dawn never made it to American Idol. Instead, she decided to pursue accounting in college. “During college, I worked a couple of summers in a very small public accounting firm where I prepared basic tax returns and financial statements,” Dawn says. “After college, I went to work at a Big Four accounting firm in their tax group where I worked for 13 years.”

While she was there, Dawn “spent a lot of time working directly with my clients, reviewing tax returns, and mentoring internal tax staff.” Despite the long hours and hard work during tax season, “we always found ways to make it fun,” she says. “When you work with other professionals so closely and in long hours, you develop very good friendships.”

Now that she’s with the American Institute of CPAs, Dawn says her day consists of “doing a lot of research of tax law, which constantly changes.” But Dawn enjoys the ever-changing environment and likes being kept on her toes.

So although Dawn may not have a career in singing, she certainly sings the praise of the CPA profession. “For a challenging career and a career where there are many job opportunities, choose accounting.”

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