The Power of Choice

When I joined HORNE, I had no idea what I had signed up for. I was just excited for a fresh start and the beginning of a new journey. I was suffering from burnout from my last firm and didn’t feel like I belonged. I just wanted to try something new. So, I joined HORNE in 2016.

Since then, I have had so many new experiences and opportunities that I believe molded me to be the person that I am today. HORNE is a firm that believes in attracting and retaining top talent. They take the time out to invest in their team members. They believe in making you be the best YOU that you could possibly be. They don’t say ‘hey, be like your neighbor.’ They understand that everyone is different and that there are, in fact, different strokes for different folks. That’s what made me fall in love with the firm. I was never pressured to be anyone other than myself.

At one point, I believed that there were only a handful of opportunities in the public accounting world. That you either did tax or audit. At least that’s what I was taught in school. HORNE changed that perspective. What made HORNE so unique was the fact that they focused on finding the best fit for their team members. There was so much more to the accounting world besides tax and audit.

We have tax, audit, consulting, compliance, valuation, data analytics, and business advisory services, among others. Furthermore, HORNE breaks down its practices into focus areas. I had never heard of such a thing. Coming from a tax background, I knew that there were certain types of returns for certain industries. And, that I preferred certain ones over others. However, as a third-year team member, I didn’t feel comfortable going to my manager saying, “I really don’t like construction tax returns, but I love healthcare ones, can you give me more healthcare-related returns?”

In a sense, HORNE allowed you to do that. I had the opportunity to focus on what I liked. If construction is your thing, you could focus on that. The same could be said for financial institutions, healthcare and many other focus areas. By focusing on one type of industry, the firm allows you to zero in on your strengths and grow in that area.

After having served in the same area for a while, in 2017, I was asked to assist the government services practice group. I had no clue where this would take me but I was excited. After helping for about six months, I was extended an offer to formally join government services. I was so excited to officially begin a new journey. So far, I’ve enjoyed doing government services work, but I know one thing, if I ever had to get off the government services bus at the next stop, I could always give it a shot in another focus area if I choose.

I’m sharing my experience in hopes that you see a bigger picture of opportunities for yourself and know that you don’t have to settle.

About the Author

Jalen Taylor has a whole new outlook on the accounting profession and she is passionate about sharing that experience with others. She is one of many on the journey of building the Wise Firm.