Shannon Zulauf

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

Yes—many of the most valuable skills I use today came from experiences outside the classroom. I was an accounting major, so I started with a traditional internship in an accounting department during a time when SOX compliance was a major focus. While that work gave me a strong technical foundation, what truly shaped my career was an unexpected moment: a fraud issue surfaced at the company, and I stepped in to help investigate. Working through the details, piecing information together, and asking questions showed me that I was far more interested in how things went wrong than simply checking a box—and that experience is what ultimately led me to forensic accounting. Outside of internships, I took on roles that strengthened skills school alone doesn’t always teach. I tutored information systems and accounting, which pushed me to explain complex concepts clearly and build confidence working with people. I served on the student events board and chaired a large-scale event with a significant budget, managing multiple workstreams and contracts. I was also a resident assistant, which taught me leadership, accountability, and how to navigate difficult conversations. Looking back, not everything I did was perfectly aligned at the time—but every experience built skills I still rely on today: problem-solving, communication, organization, and judgment. Those experiences mattered just as much as my coursework in shaping my career.

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

You’re not in competition with the people around you. When you focus on learning, collaborating, and using everyone’s strengths—not just proving yourself—you grow faster and go further. And remember, very few careers follow a straight line. The detours are often where you learn the most.

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

I didn’t know all along—and I still don’t think most people truly do. When I was younger, I made decisions based on what I knew about myself at the time. I was good at math, I enjoyed structured problem-solving, and I had exposure to accounting through family members who worked in the profession. Accounting felt like a logical choice, not because I had a clear end goal, but because it aligned with my strengths. As I moved through my coursework, I began to notice patterns in what I enjoyed most. Classes like cost accounting stood out—not because they were easy, but because they involved detailed analysis, reconciling information, and understanding why numbers looked the way they did. At the time, I didn’t realize those preferences were pointing me toward investigative work. That clarity came later, during an internship where a fraud occurred. Forensic accounting wasn’t even on my radar then—it wasn’t a formal major, and I didn’t know it was a distinct career path. But I loved the process of investigating, tracing activity, and understanding how the issue happened. Looking back, it connected directly to the skills I had been drawn to all along. Even then, my path wasn’t direct. I knew I wanted a strong foundation, so I started in audit before transitioning into investigations. Once in forensics, I learned something else I hadn’t expected—that the field is much broader than the high-profile investigations people often imagine. I found myself working in a specialized area, learned a great deal, and later made another career shift based on family priorities and what worked best for my life at that moment. What this taught me is that careers aren’t always chosen—they’re often discovered through experience. You make the best decision you can with the information you have, stay open to learning what you like (and don’t), and adjust as you go. I don’t know exactly where my career will lead next—and I’m comfortable with that. Being adaptable has been just as important as being technically strong.

What is the most useful piece of career advice you got as a student, and who gave it to you?

This may be a bit unconventional—and arguably not advice at all—but it was the motivation I needed at the time. I’ve never been a great test taker. I knew the material and studied hard, but when it came to exams, I would freeze. One of my accounting professors told me that based on my grades, I would never work for a Big 4 firm. When I later told him I had received multiple offers from Big 4 firms, his response was simply that I needed to graduate. My grades weren’t perfect, but they also weren’t terrible—I may have had one C. That interaction became the motivation I needed not only to work for a Big 4 firm, but to succeed in one.

How did you start building your network?

Building my network actually started long before I realized I needed one. To me, networking is really about communication and connection. Early on, that meant finding common ground, asking questions, and building genuine relationships. Over time, I’ve continued to build on those same skills. While networking has become more formal as my career has progressed, I still rely on those underlying human skills every day. Today, that includes networking at conferences, with clients, within the office, and even intentionally reaching out to more senior people at my firm. I often ask questions to better understand their career paths—especially questions they may not get asked often, like What was a hard decision that shaped your career? or What would you do differently if you were starting again? Those conversations have been incredibly valuable and reinforcing. They’ve helped me gain perspective, learn from others’ experiences, and build authentic connections rooted in curiosity and respect—rather than formality alone.

What is it like when your job gets tough?

When my job feels tough, it’s usually because I’ve taken on too many things that all overlap at the same time. Everything starts to feel urgent, and I notice myself jumping between tasks instead of fully finishing one. Often, those moments also line up with life outside of work feeling hectic, which makes it harder to catch my breath. What helps me most in those situations is stepping back and getting organized. I rely heavily on lists and prioritization—even though it can feel strange to “prioritize priorities.” Writing everything out allows me to see what’s actually on my plate, what truly needs attention first, and what can wait. Once it’s on paper, things feel more manageable. I can focus on one task at a time instead of carrying everything in my head, which reduces the overwhelm and helps me regain momentum.