Career Path Of A SOX Manager At Stripe
Allison's career path began with an accounting major at the University of Arizona, fueled by a passion discovered through the accounting club and solidified by a master's degree. After an internship at Ernst & Young and passing the CPA exams, a six-year stint in public accounting at Ernst & Young and Deloitte led to their current role as a SOX manager at Stripe, a transition reflecting "a desire to specialize in SOX," a field focused on internal financial controls.
Career Exploration, Networking, Career Development, Public Accounting, SOX Compliance
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Allison Minarcik
SOX Specialist
Stripe
University of Arizona, 2016
University of Arizona Masters of Accounting, 2017
Accounting
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Allison's career path highlights a strong foundation in accounting, starting with her undergraduate degree and continued pursuit of a master's degree. She emphasizes the importance of networking, evident in her involvement with the accounting club and subsequent internships.
2. Her experience in public accounting at Ernst & Young and Deloitte provided valuable auditing experience and CPA exam preparation, showcasing the benefits of gaining practical experience alongside education.
3. Allison's career progression demonstrates a strategic approach to specialization, moving from general auditing to a focused role as a SOX Manager at Stripe. This transition highlights the possibility of career growth within the accounting field by specializing in areas like internal controls and SOX compliance
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
I started my career search at the University of Arizona for my undergraduate degree. I knew I wanted to go into business, but I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do. At the University of Arizona, you're labeled a pre-business major, which gives you time to figure that out.
I realized I was really good at accounting, and not only was I good at it, I liked it. A friend at the time convinced me to join the accounting club at the university. So, pretty much since my sophomore year of college, I was networking with different accountants to figure out my career path.
I ended up majoring in accounting junior and senior year. From there, I decided I wanted to become a CPA, a certified public accountant. To do that, you need 150 units, and when you graduate college, you have about 120.
I decided to stay for a fifth year and pursue my Master's of Accounting. I stayed at the University of Arizona and got my Master's of Accounting, graduating in 2017.
Between undergraduate graduation and starting my master's, I did an internship with Ernst & Young as an auditor for the summer. I gained some great experience there. While summer can be slower for audit, I still got really good experience before entering the master's program.
In the master's program, I took two CPA exams while doing the program. After graduation, I finished the last two CPA exams right as I started my career at Ernst & Young in Phoenix.
From there, I decided life was taking me to Seattle, Washington. When I moved to Seattle, I moved to Deloitte after one year of work. I was still doing audit, just in Seattle with Deloitte as a second-year.
I was in public accounting as an auditor for about six years. That includes one year at Ernst & Young in Phoenix and five years at Deloitte in Seattle. Within the last two months, I decided I wanted to specialize in SOX, which is accounting jargon for internal controls of financial reporting. I recently got a new job at a company called Stripe in Seattle as a SOX manager.