Last week, UAF’s Accounting Week, an annual event, allowed UAF students in the accounting department to look for possible careers in their field.

A few of the accounting firms that came to campus were Mikunda, Cottrell & Co. and KPMG. Both of these companies held socials in the UAF Alumni Lounge in Constitution Hall, with Mikunda, Cottrell & Co. on Wednesday and KPMG on Thursday.

David Porter, an accounting consultant for Mikunda, gave a presentation of the company and everything that Mikunda has to offer. Mikunda is Alaska’s largest locally-owned Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm, with over 44 auditors and over 25 tax accountants. It is a one-third profit, one-third non-profit, one-third governmental work organization.

"We believe that no company that switches to our auditing firm from a national firm should ever want to switch back,” said Porter, during his presentation for Mikunda.

The company training for new hires includes on-the-job training, as well as a mentoring program, while the auditing side includes control documentation and test work. On top of this exposure to the firm, employees also have the opportunity to travel on the company’s expense, averaging out to about 10 to 20 weeks per year of travel time.

At KPMG, juniors and seniors at UAF are eligible to become interns within the firm, and in the future move higher up. After two years, they are considered a senior associate; after five years, a manager, and after seven years they are seen as senior managers. It takes 10 to 15 years in order to reach partner status.

Overall, Accounting Week provides plenty of opportunities for UAF students to expand their future careers by investing into one of these public accounting firms. Ryan Nathan, a junior at UAF, and Danuelle Wooten, a senior, both are accounting majors who look forward to broadening their horizons during this time of opportunity.

“I love it. This school has so much to offer compared to my old university [DePaul University in Chicago],” Nathan said.

“[Accounting week] helps you learn about all the different companies and firms and see what kind of opportunities you have,” said Wooten.