Tim Tait

Quick Facts

Program: B.S. in Accounting
Graduation Year: 2012
Current Job Title: Assurance Senior Associate at BDO USA, LLP
Hometown: Moreno Valley, CA
Current City: Irvine, CA

Life at CBU

Why did you choose your major? What interested you in this particular field of study?
I originally began as a business administration major as it was not yet clear to me what I wanted to do.  After taking Principles of Accounting during my sophomore year, I began meeting and speaking with Professor Christopher during his office hours. This is the time where it all changed for me. He told me I would get a lot more out of my career as an accounting major, because with a degree in accounting I could always fall back on business, but if I had a degree in business administration then I could never fall back on accounting. This alone was enough to persuade me, as I have never been able to sell myself short with anything I do in life.

What did you like about being in this program at CBU?
Being in this program was good for a number of things whether I realized it at the time or not. A couple things I did not realize at the time was that I would be making lifelong connections with faculty. I loved being able to have one-on-one time with professors during office hours to reach out for help or simply a good conversation. My professors were personable, prepared and professional. I always felt comfortable approaching them whenever I had an issue or a scheduling conflict, since I was a student-athlete. This flexible dynamic contributed tremendously toward my success at BDO.

Did you complete an internship?
I completed an internship with BDO in winter 2015, which led directly to my hire of a full-time position immediately following. The internship was extremely tough, as I was 3 years out of college when I decided to go back into the accounting/auditing world. I was prepared conceptually, but the transition into practice and learning job-specific software functionality was the toughest part of the transition. All in all, near the end of the internship it was able to click and it turned out to be good enough.  

Did you participate in anything at CBU?
I was a student-athlete and the golf team captain during my junior and senior years. Needless to say, I had a busy schedule, which was mitigated by my flexible professors.

How did you grow (spiritually, socially, educationally) while in this program at CBU?
Being in this program gave me confidence to push myself and come out with a feeling of accomplishment time and time again. I was able to grow as a person in the sense that my confidence in my future career was established. However, I would not necessarily say that my major helped me figure out my purpose in life, because it is a daily, ongoing search that will probably never end. On the contrary, my major helped me establish a solid base to fall back on while I continue to search for my purpose.

Life after CBU

What have you done since graduating?
To make a long story short, I did not go straight into a career in accounting immediately following college. I first became an assistant professional at a golf course and began teaching golf and playing golf competitively. After injuries limited my ability to play golf, I had to make a life-altering decision to fall back on my back-up plan and pursue a career in accounting.

Is there anything you learned at CBU that you still use in your professional life today?
Being a student-athlete while taking on the task of being an accounting major was a challenge.  Ultimately, this proved to myself that I am capable of being organized to manage my time wisely in order to get the most of every day. This is currently true and something that I can look back on every time I doubt being able to meet deadlines and such. If I had to point to anything in particular that I learned at CBU that I still use in my professional career I would point to my time-management skills. Again, from learning how to manage focusing on my degree and a full-time job as a student-athlete it forced me to figure something out.

How are you making a difference in the world? How are you living your purpose?
I would never say that I am making a difference in this world unless someone else believed that of me.  My goal every day is to make an attempt at creating fairness and equality in life situations and to uphold my integrity. 

Would you recommend CBU to others?
I would recommend CBU to others, but we all know competition is tight with other great schools.  However, I would not recommend it if they would not be able to afford it. Accordingly, I would first recommend everyone strive for good scholarship support and/or financial aid, as this could be an opportunity that should not be missed.