FOCUS THE OSCPA TRAILBLAZER AND PATHFINDER AWARDS
DOROTHY CARSON, CPA
SENIOR MANAGER, HOGANTAYLOR
DOROTHY CARSON, CPA, has spent her entire career in public accounting, and the impact she has left on the profession shows. Carson has been incredibly active in her community, her profession and with the OSCPA. We are honored to bestow upon her the title of Pathfinder. Carson shares her advice for new CPAs, recounts her path to becoming a CPA and shares her hopes for the future of the profession.
OSCPA: What advice would you give to new CPAs?
DC: I’ve spent my entire career working in public accounting. I’ve found it to be a very challenging and rewarding career for the intellectually curious, but it is not without stress. I have learned the hard way that stress can really wreak havoc on your physical health, even if it doesn’t seem like it is making any negative difference at the time, it can build up and affect you in the future. My advice is to pay attention to self-care during stressful times from the start of your career. Tat way it becomes part of your habits.
OSCPA: Tell us about your path to becoming a CPA.
DC: I always loved math, and I picked accounting as a career when I was in eighth grade. I went to college right after high school and majored in accounting. I sat for the Exam in my last semester of college in Arkansas and passed three out of five parts; then passed the fourth and fifth parts the next two times I could sit. Te most unusual thing that happened was when I applied for reciprocal certificates in Oklahoma and Texas, I found out that I needed
12 CPAFOCUS
another one-hour accounting credit to get the reciprocal certificates. I called up a professor at the University of Texas in the Permian Basin. Te professor had me pick a book and write a paper on it. I picked a book about mergers and acquisitions and by the time I finished the book, I realized the rules outlined were no longer in effect due to the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Te professor did not want me to change topics, so I wrote a paper over defunct rules. As someone who is persnickety with the details, I had a really hard time turning in that paper!
DC: What are your hopes for and expectations of the future of the accounting profession?
DC: I have enjoyed watching the profession change with technology. I expect that it will continue to change and the role of CPA will move even more toward being the all-around business consultant to help clients with whatever their needs may be. As one of my mentors says, we need to ask the question, “What keeps you up at night?” and then be prepared to provide suggestions to relieve that stress.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS OSCPA Contributions:
Taxation Committee Tulsa Chapter President Public Relations Committee
Educational Foundation Committee Chair Accounting Careers Committee
Professional Organizations: AICPA
Community Involvement:
Camp Fire of Green Country - Treasurer and Board Member Kiwanis of Owasso - President City of Owasso Audit Committee
First United Methodist Church of Owasso - Finance Committee
July/August 2023
OSCP
OSCPA PATHF NDE
ATHFIINDER
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