As a UVU student, you’ve probably heard the term “Engaged Learning” about one or two— million times. The engaged theme not only applies to the classroom, but also businesses in the local, national, and global community. KPMG Spark, an online all-in-one tax accounting service for small and midsized businesses, is a huge supporter of UVU’s engaged-learning mission, and a proud employer of our accounting students. KPMG Spark provides a platform designed to help founders, CEOs, and leadership teams establish a tax accounting foundation that scales as their business grows. Three KPMG Spark employees—two of which are current UVU students— Michael Birch, Shayler Stagg, and soon-to-be UVU student Josh Ames, shared their insights on working fulltime while in school.

“I’ve been with KPMG Spark since January 2019,” said Michael Birch, a senior in accounting. “Before KPMG Spark, I was working at RC Willey as a salesperson. I definitely recommend working somewhere in your career field because you can actually apply the stuff you’re learning. I learned more in two months working here than I have in any classroom. The best part about UVU is that they offer a ton of night courses, so I’m able to take a full class load and work fulltime.”

“I started at UVU in 2018, taking mostly generals and accounting-specific stuff,” said Shayler Stagg. “I've been working at KPMG Spark since 2017. I started as a bookkeeper and moved to sales about a year ago. My interests changed so wildly, and it helped me see that maybe accounting wasn’t the career path I wanted to take. Getting a job here helped me see that early, so I was able to make a switch in my education before I got in too deep. I love working at KPMG Spark because I work with 500 companies a month. If you work at one company, then that's all you get to see, but working with 500 lets me see the inner workings of all those companies. I’m able to learn from all of their successes and failures.”

“Everyone's life is their own life, but I think taking less credit hours to get that working experience is completely different. It's one thing to get an A on a project, but at a company, you’re dealing with people’s livelihoods. It comes with a certain amount of pressure, but also a certain amount of success. Get some work experience however you can. Do something in the business world so you can get a taste, and you’ll have that extra level of experience to know if you need to make a change in your educational pursuits.”

“I’m an accountant at KPMG Spark,” said Josh Ames, who will be transferring to UVU in the fall. “I go in and verify transactions for companies and keep them up-to-date. I also run reports for financials and owners of businesses. I actually switched to sales, so now I take a million phone calls and give clients a demo of the software. Taking accounting courses has helped me in my sales calls, especially since I work at an accounting firm. In fact, my payroll and tax classes helped a lot because the knowledge helped me answer some more challenging questions and proved to the client that we’re an experienced and reliable company. Working and going to school at the same time can be a little stressful. You sacrifice a social life and sleep. My wife and I go to school together and help each other out, and it’s definitely nice to not worry about dating anymore. Going to school and working at the same time really helps me retain what I’m learning.”

“Originally I wanted to go to BYU, however, as I looked into my options, I realized that a broke college kid can afford UVU, and it will allow me to have a job and do school at the same time. The junior core classes at BYU equal up to 25 hours a week, and that’s standard for every junior in the accounting program there. That removes the option for me to work full-time. UVU does a lot of night classes, and the Master’s program does night classes. I’m able to go to UVU and afford it, still work full-time, and I’m already working for a Big Four.”

KPMG Spark is currently hiring part-time and fulltime accountants and bookkeepers. They’re looking for students with their associates or bachelor’s in accounting, or those pursuing their master’s. KPMG Spark allows for flexible schedules to allow employees to pursue their education. As a Big Four accounting firm, they’re a fantastic option as you look to begin or further your career. For more information, contact Chad Dalton, director at KPMG Spark, at [email protected].