Paula Rincon Otero
Audit Senior Associate
KPMG LLP
Minneapolis, MN USA
“This job is challenging and I learn something new every day, and as such, it is a very good career-starter job.”
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I took my first year of college back home in Madrid, Spain.
I decided to come to the U.S. to play Division I College Tennis and complete college here.
I first had to major in Economics because when I enrolled at the University of Minnesota, the applications for the Carlson Business School of Management were closed.
During my first year, I applied to get into Carlson and originally got rejected because of the English scores I had before coming to the U.S. I fought it and ended up being admitted.
Being an international student-athlete wasn't easy, as I had to juggle studying in a second language and my busy tennis schedule (practices, traveling, etc.)
I never though of majoring in Accounting until I met with KPMG in a career fair. I always thought I would work in Finance.
I double-majored in Finance and Accounting and took an internship with KPMG after my Junior year. After the internship, they offered me a full-time job for when I graduated.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Audit Senior Associate
I audit the financial statements of public and private companies.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Numbers
Learning / Being Challenged
Day to Day
We obtain financial information from the clients and perform test work to ensure that their books and records are accurate. Most of the days, we have meetings or calls between the different members of the team to make sure we are all on the same page regarding what we are doing. We often communicate with the client to understand their processes and how they came up to their different accounting records.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Get your CPA license as soon as possible.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"You shouldn't work in Public Accounting, they make you work too much and it doesn't pay well."
