The rural advantage
Alberta's small communities can offer big opportunities for CPAs
Like many people, Kristy Jackson CPA, CA found her career path after trial and error. Initially enrolled in education at the University of Alberta, she realized teaching wasn’t for her after about a year of study, and began instead pursuing an interest in business and economics. After taking some accounting classes, Kristy realized she was onto something and signed up for the co-op program to get work experience in the accounting field.
It was during her first co-op placement—at the Edmonton branch of MNP—that Kristy decided to pursue her professional designation. “They basically throw you into the work as if you’re an articling student, which was awesome,” she says. “After those four months, I just knew that was the path I wanted to take.”
In 2013, she earned the designation, but her career path became uncertain once again when she fell in love with a farmer who lived two-and-a-half hours southeast of Edmonton. “He definitely threw me a curveball with my future plans,” she says. Raised in the city of St. Albert, minutes from Edmonton, Kristy had always lived in the city and figured she’d build her career in the city, too. She wondered if she could find the same career opportunities in smaller communities.
Armed with her CPA designation, Kristy began job hunting and was pleasantly surprised—there were far more job postings than she’d anticipated. “There’s a lot of business growth and opportunity once you start looking,” she says. Kristy first landed a job at a coal power plant in Forestburg, a village with about 800 residents. As the station accountant, she oversaw the finance and accounting department—a position she doubts she would’ve found in the city so early in her career. In small towns, there may be less competition from other jobseekers: “For a new professional, being rural can open doors,” advises Kristy.
It’s been nearly four years since Kristy left Edmonton and she currently works in Sedgewick as an economic development officer for Flagstaff County. Kristy’s job involves supporting entrepreneurs and attracting business opportunities in the region. Although the work is very different than the traditional accounting she’d been doing, Kristy continues to rely on her business background and CPA training: “The training prepares you for many different career paths,” she says. “It’s comprehensive, thorough, and builds a strong work ethic.
“This new role was a bit of a career shift, but it’s very rewarding. I like being really connected to this community because it’s my home now, and I want to see Flagstaff County thrive,” adds Kristy.
For Renée Senko CPA, CA, living and working in a small community was an obvious choice from the start. That’s because she grew up in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, a small community with about 5,600 residents. Renée loved her high school accounting classes, but after earning her degree in accounting in 1991, she realized there weren’t a lot of jobs in Saskatchewan and began looking for opportunities in B.C. and Alberta. Renée zeroed in on the small-town opportunities and ended up landing a job with Wilde & Company Chartered Professional Accountants in the town of Vegreville, about one hour east of Edmonton.
“I knew what a small town meant and that was a comfortable thing for me,” she says. “Even though I was a young professional, I knew Vegreville would be a great spot. So, I thought I’d give it a try and see what happened.”
Renée immediately felt at home at Wilde & Company. The working environment was open and welcoming, with a “family atmosphere,” recalls Renée. There was a strong sense of camaraderie with her peers, but also a wealth of knowledge from senior staff.
However, she wasn’t sure if she’d stay at the firm after getting her professional designation, knowing that having a designation would open up many different career options elsewhere for her. “A designation gives you an excellent base of knowledge, strategic thinking, planning—all of this at your fingertips so you’re ready for whatever next step you take,” she says.
Renée earned her designation in 1995 and ultimately decided to stay with Wilde & Company. “The doors that opened were here,” she says. “I never really looked for other opportunities as I didn’t have a desire to leave. I had interesting and challenging work.”
One of the best perks of being a CPA is the opportunity to work for yourself and build a business where other people love to work, which Renée can attest to. She went on to become one of the firm’s partners nearly a decade after getting her designation, and continues to build her career at the firm.
Vegreville has also been a good place to raise a family, says Renée: “The location of this community is really great, so you get the flexibility of smaller town living—no traffic, lower cost of living, and sense of family—but also access to a city less than an hour away for other needs you might have.”
Since starting with the company as a new grad, Renée has seen it nearly double in size (there are now 34 people working at Wilde & Company). New graduates are attracted to the firm’s friendly culture and end up sticking around to build their careers. Some of these new hires grew up in small communities, others from big cities, but all see the opportunities for career advancement at a small-town firm: “There are lots of opportunities for growth and advancement that they might not have guessed,” says Renée.
A look back in the archives! This article originally appeared in the Spring 2017 print issue of Capitalize.