Wrestling with a New Career: Weiss is in My Corner

Max Gomez is a staff accountant in Weiss’ tax department. He attended Oregon State University (OSU) on academic and wrestling scholarships and majored in accounting. He thought he might pursue law school but was instead inspired to become an accountant after working with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. He loved working with his ‘clients’ on their taxes and the sense of accomplishment he felt helping others.

During a college internship at an audiovisual engineering company, he automated the accounts receivables email collection process. Max said, “I’m proud that by completing the automation, I saved hours of time for the company, so much so that they were able to reassign two full-time employees to different jobs. I also decreased their outstanding account receivables from more than 50% to less than 5%.”

As Max entered his senior year, his wrestling commitments did not allow him to take an accounting internship during the academic year like many of his peers.

After graduation Max received a job offer from Weiss, which he happily accepted. Without a traditional accounting firm internship under his belt, his acclimation to the rhythm of a public accounting firm was a bit more challenging. But he quickly adapted thanks to Weiss’ supportive corporate culture.

“Weiss’ open-door policy made it comfortable for me to ask for help whenever I needed it. I’m also interested in both small business and real-estate investment, which is a perfect fit with Weiss’ tax practice,” he said.

“My boss and others I work with have encouraged me to pursue studying for the CPA exam. I have begun this process. I know I have a long way to go, but I feel fully supported here,” said Max.