William Tillman ('15, '15 M.S.) says faculty advisors, coursework and internships made the transition from student to accounting associate at PwC easy. Formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC is ranked No. 1 among the "big four" accounting firms, and Tillman uses the skills he learned at UNT to test client accounting policies and functions according to regulatory standards, calculations and discussions with client's management.

On campus Tillman connected with mentors like Harvey Zimmerman, director of UNT's Institute for Petroleum Accounting.

"He gave me a lot of industry insight, and it helped me to display industry knowledge that exceeded expectations of someone at an entry level," remembers Tillman, who transferred from Richland College.

Tillman says Teresa Conover, Paden Neeley Professor, provided him with insights into how an accounting career can branch into areas like corporate management or entrepreneurship and encouraged him to participate in student organizations.

"The accounting student organizations are like continual job fairs that offer students many opportunities to develop professionalism and to network," says Tillman, who served as president of the UNT chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants and as treasurer of the Beta Alpha Psi accounting honor society's campus chapter.

Conferences offered by student organizations were key, too. After Tillman participated in a mock interview at a conference, PwC offered him an internship and, months later, a job. He worked with high-profile petroleum clients on core assurance including financial auditing and internal controls testing.

"I feel that a background in accounting will allow me to be a better business professional," Tillman says, "because I have a better understanding of the underlying financial consequences of business decisions."