Assiniboine grads are attractive to us

When Stacey Stott graduated from high school in Swan Lake, she wasn’t certain what her career choice would be, but she knew it would be something in business or finance. She entered the business administration program at Assiniboine in 2000, and it was during that time that she realized she really enjoyed accounting.

“I had taken accounting in high school,” she says, “but I still wasn’t sure if a bank or accounting was what I wanted to do. It was while I was at the college that I figured that out.”

Asked why she chose to attend Assiniboine, Stacey mentioned “the fact that it was two years, and if I didn’t love what I was taking, I wasn’t committed to a four-year program.” She added that “I quite enjoyed it. For me, going to a big university from a very small school was daunting. I liked the small class sizes, that you were in most of your classes with the same people. You got to know your peers really well, participated in intramural sports, which seemed similar to high school. It was an overall really fun experience.”

Stacey graduated from Assiniboine’s Business Administration program in 2002, then earned a general studies degree from Brandon University in 2005. She joined the Portage la Prairie office of MNP that year, and now she’s a partner, CPA and business advisor in MNP’s Brandon office. She and her husband also farm outside of Brandon, which she regards as an asset in advising many of her clients.

“I focus primarily in the agriculture niche,” she said, “working with farmers, other primary producers and some ag input dealers. At certain times of year, during harvest, I’m out helping. I think because I live and breathe the agricultural world, it fits. It works because my clients are in the same boat and they get it. They’re calling me from a tractor too—nobody’s ever frustrated by that.”

Regarding the relationship between Assiniboine and MNP, Stacey says that “We’ve had a great experience with the Assiniboine grads that we’re hired. We have grads that have done their two year diploma at the college and then come over to work for us. Some grads have been with us for quite a long time, and they are great team members for us. And then we also have grads who did similar to myself – were at the college, went over to university to get their degree because that is the requirement to enter the CPA program. The practical experience that they’ve obtained through the college is definitely an asset when they come on board with us.”

In terms of the skills that graduates from Assiniboine’s Business Administration program offer, she said “Assiniboine grads are attractive to us. You don’t have to want to be a CPA to come work for us. We have a large part of our team that doesn’t desire to further their post-secondary and become a CPA. And those people are crucial to our business.”

For Assiniboine students who are considering an accounting career, and possibly a career at MNP, Stacey has some advice: “It’s not as much about experience, and more about willingness to learn. That is the key to success. Your education doesn’t stop when you leave the institution’s doors. There is constant learning on the job that happens in this industry.”

Thinking back, she says that “If you would have told me when I was in the college that I would be a partner in a national firm, I wouldn’t have believed you. The sky is the limit if you are willing to work hard.”