Rose McGovern

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

I was active in a sorority in college. That experience taught me how to work with a variety of personalities, plan events and manage projects, create and follow a budget, run meetings, speak confidently in public, present myself professionally, and network. I use all of these skills in my career.

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

I've never had a Big Break. My career has grown through a series of small opportunities to expand the scope or difficulty of my work. All of my promotions have happened after I demonstrated success working at a level above my current job.

What is the one piece of career advice you wish someone gave you when you were younger?

Don't stay at one company for more than 3-5 years, or in one position more than 2-3 years. If you're not developing, you're regressing, and your compensation will reflect that.

How did you start building your network?

When I graduated from college, my networking was lacking, consisting mostly of people my age from my area. As I got older, I was able to connect with people in different functions, industries, and generations. As social media grew, I was able to connect with people in different geographical areas. </p> <p>LinkedIn makes building your network so easy now. Whenever I attend a professional or social association event, I bring business cards and exchange them with as many people as possible. As soon as I get home, I request to add these people to my professional network on LinkedIn, with a personal message mentioning what we discussed at the event or something that I found interesting on their profile. I have also used my school's alumni database to find people who work at companies or in functions I am targeting. I reach out to those people for an informational interview. The response rate is low, but those who do respond are usually very helpful.

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I always wanted to be an accountant, but I didn't know what that meant. It turns out there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of different kinds of accounting jobs. I took accounting classes in high school, junior college, and university, went to work in the field, earned an MBA in the subject, and got licensed as a CPA when I was 32. It was more of a personal goal than a professional requirement for the type of work I do. </p> <p>When I was ten, I thought I had locked myself into a specific job for the rest of my life. Now I understand that there are many, many possibilities in my future.

What is the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get to where you are now professionally? How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I've ever overcome was becoming a CPA. My employer paid for a great review course, and I spent about six months going to classes every Saturday and studying every single night after working full time, even overtime. This was after four years of going to business school while working a demanding job, so my "study muscle" was in great shape. I was fully prepared for each of the four exams, which each take several hours. </p> <p>There is no way I could have accomplished this without the help of my husband. He kept the house in order, fed me, and reminded me to take breaks for physical activity.