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This month in our Career Spotlight Series we feature Ryan Vu, a CPA who is also an approved digital advisor for the Canada Digital Adoption Program. The Career Spotlight Series is a chance for Alberta CPAs to share their insights, knowledge, and expertise on career progression, growth, and personal development.
I began my CPA journey in 2015 as a CPA student working in public practice and earned my CPA designation in 2019. After that, I evaluated where I wanted to take my career. In 2020, I decided to adopt a financial tech focus and two years later I became an approved digital advisor for the Canada Digital Adoption Program hosted by the federal government.
1. What career stage are you in?
Ryan Vu CPA
Currently, I’m a senior client manager at a small public practice accounting firm. I’m at a crossroads in my life, regarding blending finance and technology in order to become a specialist consultant.
2. What inspired you to enter the profession?
I wanted to be involved in a company and be part of the decision-making process. I did my research and found that accounting is the backbone of a business. I believe that it is important to understand the basic fundamentals of a business in order to make informed decisions.
3. What is your guiding philosophy?
My guiding philosophy is to never stop learning, to seek opportunities, and to always plan where you will ‘sail’ next. I believe you should imagine where you want to be at the end of your career and plan backwards from there. I also believe that while solutions are important, it is prudent to understand other perspectives and viewpoints before arriving at an answer. Finally, It’s also important to find joy in the things that you do.
4. What are your most significant achievements?
I am proud of my achievements to date, including:
- designing a technology stack to replace a traditional ERP that ended up saving an organization over $100,000 in annual software costs,
- fully transitioning a public accounting practice from paper to paperless, which enabled it to have no significant business impacts during the pandemic, and
- organizing and raising over $66,000 through a crowdfunding campaign for a charity.
5. Have you had to overcome any career obstacles? If so, tell us about these, and how you overcame them.
Firstly, as a CPA student I was impacted by my employer undergoing major layoffs. I felt like I was up against a large wall and it took me six months to find employment again. I found that the most important thing to do during this phase was to reach out to my past connections and network to find my next opportunity.
Secondly, having to juggle additional tasks such as volunteering for charities while being an audit lead on very tight deadlines was a challenge. To avoid burnout, I planned my days to ensure I was taking regular breaks. The trick I found was to complete tasks that would need time to complete first, such as bank confirmations or requests for more information, so it would feel like I was “putting clothes in the laundry machine.” This allowed me to prioritize tasks in a way that was manageable.
6. How has CPA Alberta aided your career?
CPA Alberta gave me the tools to take my critical thinking to the next level, to look at not only pros/cons, quantitative facts, and qualitative facts but also the overall picture and how these elements interact with each other. For example, small adjustments to GST can lead to a large cumulative impact if not addressed.
7. What advice would you give to someone just joining the profession?
Be hungry for knowledge. The more you learn, the more you understand what you enjoy learning about and how you can use that to contribute not only to your self growth but to the community as a whole. Get involved in events related to the profession—you never know what opportunities/possibilities they could lead to.
8. What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy folding origami in my off-time, as it is incredibly rewarding to use many small steps (‘folds’) to create something inspiring. Also, dragon boat racing is a hobby of mine, as I enjoy being part of a team and driving towards something.
Do you want to share your experience?
If you’re interested in being featured in our Career Spotlight series, please submit a 200-word description of your personal career journey to careerservices@cpaalberta.ca. Your submission should include:
- Your career summary
- Details of your guiding philosophy
- Your major achievements
- A professional-looking headshot (not a selfie)
- A professional picture of you on the job/at your workstation (optional)
Career Spotlight submissions will be featured in Daily Dividends and on CPA Alberta’s Job Board to help build a strong community of career-driven CPAs who can support and empower each other.