Isolated cubicles and endless hours of routine number crunching – that’s the impression many people have of what working in tax entails. At the start of my 3B term, I had just finished my second co-op term at a large accounting firm as a tax analyst. Around the same time, I was going through an existential crisis, debating whether I truly belonged in tax and if I was limiting myself by accepting a return offer. I was curious to see what life in tax was like outside of public accounting but wanted the comfort of being able to return to my firm. That’s when applications for the Young Tax Professionals (YTP) program rolled around, and I decided to give it a shot.
What drew me to YTP was the chance to meet like-minded individuals and to build my network with faculty and professionals. Each session, we were exposed to a different path in tax such as industry, public sector, and tax law. We got to learn from speakers who were passionate about what they did and hear their stories firsthand. My favourite part, however, was after the sessions when we were able to casually network over cookies and refreshments.
Especially in their first year, SAF students are typically ingrained with the idea that public accounting is the only way to go. But through each YTP speaker, they each represented a unique perspective in the field, and we learned how the profession continues to evolve with emerging technology and changing laws. With such breadth, what became crystal clear to me was that the opportunities in tax are truly endless and are not one-size-fits-all.
Now, having graduated from YTP, I can confidently say that I have a newfound appreciation for tax and a better understanding of what opportunities are out there.
So, isolated cubicles and routine number crunching? Not even close.