I’ve been at Kforce since 2008, so almost 13 years, all in the accounting space.

As the accounting manager, I oversee a team that works together to gather, interpret and report information about Kforce’s finances. We analyze the numbers, make sure we’re capturing all the earnings and costs, and then report all that information to different levels of the business. The work we do helps Kforce make decisions about how to operate, so it’s really important.

It’s the sensation of unraveling puzzles or trying to find a needle in a haystack. Studying the numbers makes me feel like I’m solving a mystery. Our whole team thrives on that feeling. I also really enjoy being a manager and mentoring my team. It’s rewarding to teach them new things and to see their joy when they figure out the solution to a challenge. Those interpersonal moments are more important in STEM professions than people realize.

I’ve always loved math, and when I took an accounting course my junior year of high school, I fell in love with it. Then, as a college freshman in business school, I started taking accounting courses and that solidified that it was the career for me.

If there’s a subject you’re interested in, try and learn as much as you can about it to make sure it’s the right fit. Sometimes, that means you also need to learn what you don’t want to do. I knew I wanted to be an accountant, and when I took different courses in school it confirmed that I wanted to pursue it. My advice is to really explore what’s out there in order to find your passion.