From Bushman to Accountant 

Making the decision to move towards a goal is the hardest part of the process. That was what I experienced when I decided to give up a rural outdoor lifestyle of wood stoves, snowy driveways, survival camping and skunks hanging around our front porch.

I used to live in the “boonies”, championing a granola lifestyle. I loved the outdoors, nature and the romantic view of living off the land. It was a good life – peaceful and fun. But I wanted something more – something that I felt was beyond me.

Four years later, I now live in downtown Calgary working as a professional accountant with Deloitte. I visit large public and private companies on a daily basis, while working with CFOs and firm partners almost every day. The change from bushman to public accountant was significant! I moved from living thirty minutes down a dirt road and an hour from the nearest town, to what?!

Taking simple steps

How does you manage a change of this calibre? How do you overcome the challenges that can keep you away from your goals? The truth is, it’s not that complicated.

Most of us know how to put a solid amount of effort into reaching a goal when the goal matters enough to us. Achieving a goal is a simple process of applying effort into the tasks and steps that, at least for accounting, are clearly laid out or you. That is not to say becoming a successful accountant is easy to accomplish (far from it), but it is attainable.

The hard part is all in your head

I found that the most challenging part of beginning a career in the city was facing fears such as having to change to fit in, or operating outside my comfort zone and not staying centered through it all. Fears like these are completely normal, no matter your background. Since I started working with Deloitte, I have met people with very different and diverse backgrounds. Everyone has their own story to tell and had fears they had to overcome to get to where they are today.

My worry about losing myself through the process was, like so many fears, unfounded. I have felt more at home here than I thought possible and have found people who I can relate to on a deeper level. I am proud to be a part of Deloitte. It is a firm that truly values diverse viewpoints and perspectives. Having a background like mine is not a detriment at all, it is an advantage.

If you ever feel that Deloitte is beyond you or that you would not fit in, take it from me, a former bushman and full-time outdoor adventurer: working at Deloitte is most certainly attainable and there are opportunities for people with lots of different backgrounds.

Jordan is a graduate of Okanagan College majoring in Accounting. He is currently a Staff Accountant in our Calgary practice.