William Tieu is a Student of the Profession
While William Tieu has successfully completed September 2023 Common Final Exam (CFE), he hasn’t stopped being a student of the profession--and the opportunities the designation provides to learn critical new skills and make an impact in a wide array of sectors.
William's interest in becoming a CPA was sparked by the business case studies he analyzed in his grade 11 and 12 financial accounting courses.
“Learning how businesses use different strategies and frameworks to make decisions, and applying those practical theories to real-life examples in class really appealed to me,” he says.
But it was at a dinner with his older sister and her university friends—all pursuing the same designation, but looking to work in industry, public accounting, academia, or the public sector—that he realized how diverse the profession is and how many doors a CPA can open.
William pursued a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business & Economics, followed by a Graduate Diploma in Accounting.
Laurier’s business co-op program widened his exposure to public accounting practice through work terms at KPMG and Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and he met other like-minded aspiring CPAs with equally diverse ambitions by joining the accounting students’ association.
As William completed his BBA and was thinking about moving into industry—preferably working in-house for a company where he could develop his FP&A and management accounting skills—he discovered TELUS’s three-year Pre-approved CPA Program.
At TELUS, William could work towards completing his Professional Education Program (PEP) modules and develop core accounting competencies by rotating through a range of practical experiences, while the Program covered PEP costs and paired him with a senior finance team member as a mentor.
During the program, William proactively sought guidance from his mentor and networked with other CPAs he met in his rotations to understand the skills required for different finance and accounting functions, and how he should navigate his CPA journey following his CFE writing.
“By offering Industry experiences best suited for my chosen pathway and making a long-term investment in my CPA journey, TELUS demonstrated how much they value the designation,” William says.
Getting into Game Mode
When it came time for William to write the September 2023 CFE alongside thousands of other aspiring CPAs at the Toronto Congress Centre, he showed up early and tuned out the large crowds and high-pressure environment with a Spotify playlist that helped him “get into game mode.”
He even made full use of the earplugs distributed by the proctors, removing them only after he drove away from the exam centre to avoid overhearing or comparing notes others’ responses or experiences.
William learned he was successful before he had the chance to search for his own results, after his sister, by now a CPA, eagerly messaged him on Facebook with the news. It wasn’t long before his program managers at TELUS were calling to congratulate him on achieving the most significant milestone on a CPA student's journey.
Once a CPA, Always a Student
In the months before completing his rotational program and receiving the designation, William will continue as Professor Leslie Berger’s teaching and research assistant at the Lazaridis School.
With Prof. Berger having encouraged William academically and professionally while he was her student, he’s grateful for the opportunity to return to Laurier and support her teaching and research on issues including whistleblowing and the impact of rewards programs on employee satisfaction.
As a dedicated, experienced and now successful student of the profession, William’s advice to other aspiring CPAs preparing to write the CFE is: “Be sure to schedule your focus periods and relaxation times to help strike a balance between PEP, daily work and life commitments, and always seek feedback on your written cases from other CPAs and apply it as best you can.”
And, as William reflects on his journey as a student, his rotational experience and future opportunities, and what he’s heard from other CPAs as he considers what industry pathways are right for him, he adds: “The right playlist doesn’t hurt either.”