My Professional Edge - Jason Firak

Jason Firak
Staff Accountant, Alex Gountanis and Co. CPAs
Keller degree: Master in Accounting and Financial Management (MAFM)

My career

As a staff accountant, I am responsible for the monthly, quarterly and annual payroll accounting for over 40 small business clients of a public accounting firm. I also provide monthly sales tax accounting for another 10 clients and general bookkeeping for 40 small businesses.

During the past two tax seasons, I have prepared over 200 tax returns for clients each year, while also supervising part time staff and performing quality control functions by double checking all returns before they are sent out to clients. I am also responsible for drafting response letters to IRS notices that clients receive, and then following up with the IRS to make sure all issues have been resolved.

Changing gears

Before beginning my Keller master's degree program, I was in a different career, so at the same time I was working on my master's degree, I was also beginning a new career in accounting. The completion of my master's degree program at Keller was the culmination of this busy career change and opened up doors to more opportunities than I have ever had before. The completion of my master's degree program also allows me to take the CPA exam. My Keller master's degree has allowed me to achieve my dreams of a new accounting career, and has opened doors to opportunities that I only dreamed of before beginning the degree program at Keller.

Why Keller?

I considered many other degree programs along with Keller. However I felt the Accounting and Financial Management Degree Program at Keller would best prepare me for my future in accounting. While considering different degree programs, I kept coming back to the courses that made up the Keller Accounting and Financial Management Degree Program and found that I was excited about the courses that made up the program. I couldn't wait to take many of the required courses.

Keller also offered a very flexible program compared to many other institutions. This was important since I continued to work full time while completing my master's degree program. Once I started the coursework, it was apparent I had made the correct choice as I enjoyed all of the courses and the professors. And I was immediately able to apply much of what I learned to my job as a Staff Accountant. I have never regretted the decision I made selecting Keller and feel that the degree program has prepared me well.

Key takeaways

One of the key learning experiences I had at Keller was the interaction with the professors in my courses. I completed all of my courses online and did not get to meet any of my professors face to face, so I had to find new ways to interact and get to know each professor. In today's world of increasing electronic communications, this was a very valuable skill to learn and one of the key takeaways from my Keller learning experience.

Taking all of my classes online helped me to learn to interact with students who were all over the country, yet there were many times we would need to work on projects in a group. The experience of coordinating this through electronic media was another asset resulting from the Keller degree program.

Another noteworthy Keller benefit was how thoroughly the coursework prepared me for the CPA exam and my career in accounting. The exam prep courses that were part of my degree were also a key part of my learning experience.

The payoff

The degree represented the culmination of two years of sacrifice and major changes in our household. The degree has allowed me so many opportunities that I did not have before which will benefit both me and my family. Without a doubt, my most significant accomplishment to date has been the completion of my master's degree program.