I first became interested in accounting when I worked for a small home-based company, Accounting Magic. As I entered payment, credit and debit data, I was intrigued by the organization of everything. It reminded me, strangely, of parsing phrases in Latin or Greek, and it fascinated me. When I moved to a full-time position at EIS, where I have worked for the past two years, I was happy to find that I could continue with the accounting tasks. I spend a lot of time reconciling branch payment discrepancies and find the research involved to be as rewarding as translating the letters of Julius Caesar or the texts of Xenophon. This enjoyment led me to take courses at CPCC for the last two semesters and that was where the idea that I wanted to pursue a degree in accounting was cemented. While taking courses at CPCC I realized that instead of earning a bachelor's or associate's degree I should have spent my time earning a master's degree instead. I would spend almost the same amount of calendar time doing any of the three, but a master's degree is your best bet because I believe it provides a higher level of education thus offering better opportunities. I was happy when I discovered the MACC program at UNCC. The program is perfect for me because not only is it designed for people without a business degree, but the campus is only ten minutes from my office and the class schedule fits around mine. Additionally, I know that attending an institution like UNCC will provide me with the skills I need to pursue my goals, as well as allow me to learn more about business by being in a learning environment with other working professionals. Professionally my plan after completing my master's degree is to advance my career by getting a higher level account...... middle of paper......, which is the most valuable thing to me. I have two young children, aged four and six, and with a full-time job I already miss a lot of what they do; but this sacrifice of time and energy will be worth it. My family and I know how much work awaits us in this type of program, both academically and personally. I look forward to the challenge and at the same time I have no illusions about the complexity; It won't be the easiest undertaking, but it should prove to be one of the most rewarding. This graduation is the first step on a path to bigger and better things for all of us. Not only will I advance my career, but I will be able to help my husband build a family business that our children can be a part of. All the hard work I put into earning my degree will pay off a hundredfold in opportunities for me and my family, which is totally worth it.