Her Story
About Catherine
I graduated college with a degree in business administration, but I had a really hard time getting into the business world and accounting world right away. So I had to pivot and get a few mortgage licenses. I went to a job fair for a mortgage company, and they took me on. I got a few licenses and certifications, took a lot of classes, and did that for about 10 years. When the market crashed, I had to figure out what to do next, so I went back to my roots, where I went to school for business and accounting. Now I'm back into what I went to school for. Currently, I work as a senior accountant for a not-for-profit, the Arc of Space Coast. My day-to-day involves making sure the month end is closed, making sure my journal entries are signed off, and paying bills. I also help out a lot with the clients and with fundraisers. We do fundraiser bingo and other events, and I help with budgeting for any fundraiser or event my company holds. I'm great with numbers and have always been the numbers person. I put my heart and soul into this work because it's one thing to be an accountant, but it's another thing to account for a company that takes care of your loved ones. A lot of people have loved ones with special needs, and once the family dies, these people have nowhere to go. That's what my not-for-profit deals with - anybody with special needs after their family dies.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Catherine
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, I have to say, my dad. My father was handicapped growing up, and I always had to kind of fill in the gap to be my dad for my mom a little bit. I feel like because of that, it shaped me.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The best thing to do is log into any career office and see what the need is. Everywhere in the state has resources that tell you what the need is. Think about it - you go to a job fair, you go to a career source. If you could make yourself become the person that fills the need, you will always have a job. I feel like my mortgage license, when I had it, opened doors for me. I'm not going to discourage women from college - college is great - but I feel like getting a license in something opens the doors for you because it kind of hits all avenues. You can go to college, but getting a license requires FBI fingerprinting, so that means you're a good person, you're moral. It gave me education in a specified field. The license opened more doors for me than any college degree did. I recommend anybody struggling for a career to go to your local business regulation office where they do licensing and pick a license.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I'll be honest, there are not enough people that know how to do math in this world. There is a shortage of accountants and anything math-related - mortgage, accountants. Everybody wants to go to college, and they want to be an HR person or this and that, but right now, there's a shortage of people that know how to do math. There's a shortage of people who are mathematical and analytical. It's a great career field. Anything - a math teacher is always a shortage out of high school. It's the number one job that is always needed.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I'm always a family first. I treat everybody as a family member. That's just who I am. That's the way I operate. I don't want anybody left out.
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