NAME: Lesley Field

SCHOOL: Undergrad at Western

COMPANY: Finance analyst at TD Bank

AGE: 22

DESIGNATION: CMA candidate

Why did you choose this designation?

I chose the CMA designation for a couple of different reasons. One of them being I was already working for TD. The thing I liked about the CMA designation was that I could work for any company I wanted as long as it was in a finance role. That meant I could stay at TD since I really liked the culture and the company. Secondly, I really liked CMA's focus on all the different aspects of business-- you focus on strategy and management. It isn't all about accounting and the numbers. It's about what the numbers mean, interpreting what your financial statements mean, coming up with process improvements, and doing different types of problem solving.

What initially inspired you to take this path?

I would probably say my university career. I always knew I wanted to go into business, and I was really sure what area of business I wanted to get into. When you're young and naïve you're like, Oh I want to be an investment banker. They make a lot of money! I wasn't necessarily up for the lifestyle. I just really liked my accounting classes and I liked my accounting professors at Western. They were all very knowledgeable and very helpful, and that just motivated me to move into accounting because it quickly became an interest of mine.

What did you do to set yourself apart from your peers to get to where you are?

I worked with this group that hired me on as a summer student a year before, so I had already gotten to know some of the people in the group. I'd say what set me apart was the experience I previously had in the group, the connections I had, writing a really good resume, and being very involved with the vice-president of the area by following up with him. I think the thing I was best at was definitely being proactive. 

If you could give one piece of advice to an undergrad wanting to go into accounting, what would that be?

I would say research the designations because there're three different kinds, and figure out which one is tailored to what you'd like to start your career as or where you'd like it to go. I like the management aspects and the strategic learning the CMA provided, as well being able to work for the company that I wanted to work for. So I'd recommend any graduating student to definitely research companies you think you'd like to work for and tailor your designation to that. 

I'm curious to know why you decided to work at TD.

Again, I already knew the culture of the company, and had experience meeting some of the finance professionals here. To be honest I really liked accounting in university but I just wasn't interested in public auditing. The funny thing is that I didn't take an audit class until my last year of university. And I did not like that class. So I figured that I'm going to be applying to TD Bank  and get my CMA.

Do you have friends who work at firms and talk about your experiences or what your days are like?

Yeah, all the time. Friends of mine who work at Deloitte or KPMG talk about classes and everything. Most of my friends in the CA right now are off at accountancy at York, so we talk about the CKE exam vs. the CMA exams, which are very similar. And we also talk about any opportunities we have to move up to our next career goal.