CQU alumna's determination aided her in securing dream job

When Tania Houwing was just two years old' she and her parents fled a dictatorship in Chile to start their new life in Australia.

Today' Tania is a CQUniversity alumna and working for one of the leading global providers in consultancy and advisory services' Deloitte.

"I moved from Cairns to Brisbane at the end of 2018. I applied and got the position as a Summer Vacationer with Deloitte in November 2019 and shortly after I received an offer to be a Graduate in 2021'" Tania said.

"My role involves completing external audit activities and occasionally might also do 'easy work' such as auditing property' plant and equipment (PPE)' or cash or trade payables. This usually involves documenting the testing we undertake and the evidence we find for those accounts in excel spreadsheets. And I get to drink a lot of coffee in the process."

Tania graduated with a Master of Professional Accounting in 2020. She said she needed a university that was flexible to fit her lifestyle.

"I needed a university that would allow me to do accounting via distance. I had a young family' and I was working as a sleep scientist in Cairns. I worked 12-hour shifts one week on and one week off' so I needed something flexible.

"The Master of Professional Accounting was appealing to me' and I also needed a degree that was Chartered Accountant (CA) accredited."

While Tania said she encountered issues studying online' she was incredibly thankful that CQUni responded the way it did to COVID-19.

"COVID-19 actually made for really good quality lectures for all students'" Tania explained.

"We were taught by lecturers who were and still are in the industry. They provided a lot of very useful information and glimpses into what it is like to work in the industry."

Before deciding to move to Brisbane' Tania applied for positions at two major accounting firms in Cairns over multiple years.

"I got knocked back all the time and each time I was devastated. I knew I wanted to work for a big accounting firm' but my dream firm was always Deloitte'" she said.

"Now' I look at the two accounting firms in Cairns and I can see that being rejected was a blessing. I would not have been a good cultural fit for their firm' and I do believe I have found a good culture at my current firm.

"I am really enjoying living in Brisbane. I feel that it combines the metropolitan-ness of Melbourne with the friendliness of Cairns."

The driven and ambitious mum is currently studying Charted Accounting part-time while she prepares to welcome her second child in March.