At 16 years old, Shaun Williams had no clue what he wanted to do with his life. Now, thanks to the support of some teachers, a stroke of luck and a whole lot of hard work, he is a Partner/Director at Murray Bridge accounting firm We All Count.
Shaun is the perfect example of how a local lad, committed to his future, can make an incredible career in his beloved home-town.
Shaun graduated from UniSA before starting his first job with the firm back in 2005 (then known as Appleyard and Associates). He always hoped he’d land an accounting career back in Murray Bridge, so when his (then) girlfriend tipped off the directors of the firm that she knew someone who was about to graduate as a qualified accountant, he jumped at the opportunity.
Initially missing out on his original dream to study Commerce at Adelaide Uni (by a devastating 3 points), Shaun took a quick career pivot – and resolved to study at UniSA. During his uni years, he would stay with his grandma in Adelaide – but would’ve loved the opportunity to study online via the model now being offered through the Murray River Study Hub.
Fast forward 15 years, and Shaun is now raising his family and forging an incredibly successful career in the region.
“No matter the economy, people always need accountants, so there’s great job security and always development pathways. Even after you graduate, there’s always more opportunities to study – and in fact, we’ve been recommending that local students in our industry consider studying at the local hub to save the travel to the city.”
“There are some people who come into this field without a uni degree, but there are limitations to that. When you have a degree, you can demand a certain pay level, and your potential earnings are far higher.”
Shaun believes that the need for qualified accountants, and in fact all university-qualified roles in the region, will only grow in the future.
“There’s a lot of growth happening here. Farms are getting bigger, small businesses are growing and with Thomas Foods back next year there will be thousands of extra people to help continue growing the economy.
“The launch of the new study hub is a great initiative to support this growth, and I would certainly support people to enrol through it to save the hassles of the city. The current technology available to us, means that just because we’re working or studying here, we can still stay in touch with the world, and find success in almost whatever career we want.”
If the accounting industry is something that interests you, why not enrol in a course through the Murray River Study Hub and get started today!
