An accounting degree can prepare you for a wide range of roles, including internal auditor, public accountant, financial planner and business consultant. It can also mark the beginning of your journey to the C-suite.

If you dream of wielding your knowledge of numbers to run a business, Jason Deshayes, CPA/PFS, CFP, CKA, and CEO of wealth management firm Cook Wealth, has a trove of tips for you.

As part of our webinar series for aspiring CPAs, on March 26 Deshayes spoke with Hunter Richardson, an accounting and computer science student at Georgia Institute of Technology, to answer frequently asked questions about how a CPA can chart a path to CEO. Here are a few takeaways from their conversation.

Don’t be afraid to make a career pivot

Deshayes has held six different jobs over the course of 22 years, and each one has added a new facet to his expertise. After earning his accounting degree and becoming a CPA, he worked for large and medium accounting firms, became a partner at a small firm, served on the firm services team at AICPA, and developed financial planning expertise after coming to Cook Wealth as the director of tax planning.

He says that while it’s important to try to map out next steps, you shouldn’t be too rigid about your career.

“There are a lot of opportunities down the road that you could never predict, and it may not be a straight and narrow path to get there,” he said.

Deshayes urges accounting students not to stress too much about their first job, because it is likely just the start of a rich and varied career. Job-hopping might have been frowned on a couple decades ago, but today it is very common — it can even be an opportunity to reinvent yourself.

For example, while working at his first job after graduation, Deshayes was told by management that he was good with people but lacked intelligence. When he got a new job at a different firm, he took the opportunity to rebrand himself.

“I toned down certain things and emphasized other parts of myself, and I was able to change the narrative,” he said.

Be prepared to grab opportunities when they arise

Deshayes earned his position as CEO through a combination of drive and circumstance.

He started at Cook Wealth as a director of tax planning at a time when the firm’s senior partner was beginning to plan for succession.

Deshayes grew the tax practice’s annual revenues at Cook Wealth from $200,000 to $1.6 million. At the same time, he developed his financial planning skills, earning his certified financial planner (CFP) and personal financial specialist (PFS™) credentials.

As people transitioned out of the firm, Deshayes happily took on their clients and now he has one of the largest books in the practice.

He went from director of tax planning to chief tax officer, then COO and, finally, CEO. His ambition and hard work have been essential to his career success but so was being in the right place at the right time.

“It’s all about calling your shot when it comes up,” he said.

Connect with as many people as you can

Deshayes said his number one recommendation for career success is getting out and meeting people. Even if you’re not actively looking for a job, get to know the people at your state CPA society, attend career fairs, and get on people’s radar.

“If you put yourself out there early on, it's so much easier later in your career, because you're used to doing it,” he said.

Learning how to connect with all kinds of people is also an essential skill for a CEO, he added.

“As a CEO, you need good communication skills,” he said. “You need to be able to delegate. You need to be able to really sell the vision of what you're doing day in and day out, so the employees and customers understand why they're working with you.”

You can unlock additional career tips by joining the AICPA as a Student Affiliate Member, which is completely free.

Hear the full conversation between Deshayes and Richardson by watching the webinar playback on a day in the life of a CEO and PFS.