Elaine is a new NINJA CPA Blogger.

GREETINGS!

Hi! My name is Elaine and I am 22 years old. Friends call me E-dawg, E-lame, E-money, A-lane…. but I will stick with “Elaine.”

I am a part-time student and part-time financial assistant at a TV production company. I am originally from South Korea (although my grandparents are from the North…) and moved here 9 years ago.

I never graduated middle school since I skipped 8th grade (good thing we don’t put middle school stuff on resumes), started high school, and went to a university in San Diego. My heart still belongs to the beautiful city, but Los Angeles has been growing on me over this past year.

I started digging accounting near the end of college. I graduated with an Economics degree in 2011, and took accounting classes at UCLA Extensions for a year. It’s a pretty good program that gears you up for the CPA exams.

Then I got an accounting internship, followed by my current part-time position. I have also been going through the recruiting process for public accounting firms since I would like to become an auditor, and it has been a handful.

Especially since I am not an undergrad and have been out of college for a year, it is really tough to meet the recruiters in person and leave them an impression (which is crucial to get an interview!).

University recruiting events only allow their students in; some recruiters don’t reply to emails or call me back. Luckily I was able to walk into some on-campus events and got several interviews. I am actually waiting for a mid-tier firm to get back to me!

As a 22 year old stepping into the real world trying to set up my career, I do run into doubts, fears, confusion about my future, and all that good stuff. At the same time I am excited and eager to figure things out, and feel like good things will come my way.

I’m studying for my first test, Financial Accounting, which I will take next month. Besides working and studying, I enjoy going live music shows, playing music, dancing, drawing, bumming at the beach, etc.

I also plan to go sky diving after my first test. Hmmm what else? Feel free to ask about me, I don’t bite! Aaaand that’d be all for my first post. Good luck with studying, everyone!