Brittany,

Thanks for asking and I would be happy to help.  

What University or College did you attend?

I attended Illinois Central College for my Associates Degree in Business. I graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Accounting. I also graduated from the University of Illinois with my MBA.

What factors allowed you to chose to major in accounting?

At the age of 18 it is tough to make a career choice.
You want to make a career choice where you will enjoy
your work, have the traits to be successful and add
value.  I always liked business and did enough
research to understand there were many job
opportunities for accountants so that is where I
started.  Over the years as I learned more about
accounting it reinforced my decision.  That said, my
advice would be spend time understanding your career
choice, have extensive discussions with people in the
field and job shadow.  Also, if you firmly believe you
have made a bad decision on where you started your
education/career path do not be afraid to change
paths.  Your focus should be on the future, not the
past.

What was the hardest/easiest part of completing your
degree?

The hardest part is keeping the focus, work effort to
deliver high quality work when times are tough... and
we all have these.  Times may be difficult based on
the quantity of work, type of project, etc. and the
test of character is to not give in but to have the
proper planning and put in the hard work to put your
personal mark/brand on your work product.  These times
can be very rewarding.
The easiest part or a part I miss is the flexibility
of your schedule and free time.  Sleeping late,
playing basketball every day in the afternoon would be
great today.  However, I am not sure I could stay up
as late today to do the work.

After completing your degree, how did you find a job right for you?

Obviously this is an important decision.  Criteria for
the company included:
  -  Leader in the business
  -  Large enough to offer many opportunities
  -  Policy or evidence of promoting leaders from
within the company
  -  Strong values with a culture I would enjoy
working in
  -  Profitable
  -  Business I would like to learn

The interview process should work both ways.  The
company needs to learn about you but you also need to
learn as much as you can about the company and the fit
to the things that are important to you.  Do not be
afraid to ask many questions.

If you need anything else, please let me know.  I can
be reached at the e-mail below.

Best regards,
Brad Halverson
Corporate Controller, Caterpillar
e-mail:  Brad_Halverson@cat.com