The 'M' in STEM: Gosha

There are people out there that know their whole lives who they want to be when they grow up and what they want to do with their lives. I knew I liked to read. I knew that I hated science classes and writing essays. I knew there was no way my parents weren’t going to make me go to college. But that’s where my idea of the future stopped. When I applied to college, I had no idea what major to pick. I opened up the packet they sent and the first major on the first page said “Accounting.” Having no idea what an accountant does, just that there didn’t seem to be a lot of science or essays involved, and not wanting to flip any further, I declared that my major. But what was in store for me?

My first semester of college was a torturous tornado of pain. Accounting and I seemed to be mortal enemies. It required me to be very neat, including my handwriting, which I had always struggled at. It took no creativity, which is one of my greatest assets. It appeared to demand only skills I didn’t have. I spent my entire freshman year miserable, working very hard, but to no avail when it came to my grades. I felt very defeated when I switched majors to finance. But I shouldn’t have. I had found my place. Despite the fact that I do not like taking classes and never been a fan of school, finance seemed to be very straightforward, and I was able to not only finish my degree quickly, but also proceed to get a master’s degree with equal facility.

Now, despite my arduous journey I work as a financial analyst and love my job. Every day, I get to take financial statements and use the important data to determine whether we should continue to provide credit card processing to our merchants. I love that my job is stable and I always know what I will be doing and that I have the skills I need to be successful at it. Despite my struggles with the educational process to get here, my job now is totally worth it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gosha Gershuny, 24, got his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Denver in Finance and a Masters of Finance at the University of Colorado in Denver. He now works at Elavon Inc in Denver Colorado. When he is not at work, Gosha loves to play badminton, go fishing, and travel.