Bronco Spotlight: Jacob Tyler
BBA in accounting, 2021
Staff Accountant at Hormel Foods
Currently I’m working in our grocery product division with a focus on our sales team incentives. It has been exciting to see how Hormel’s sales team earns their bonus quarterly, semi-annually and annually. I’m responsible for integrating these calculations into our new EPM system. Starting work with a Fortune 500 company right out of school has been an eye-opening experience and shows me how WMU prepared me for the working world.
If you had a campus job or internship, how did they impact your career development?
I was fortunate enough to intern the year previous with Hormel Foods during COVID. I had a great experience through the virtual internship and learned a tremendous amount. I understood the process on how we report quarterly to the SEC and our shareholders. I was able to be a part of the process and help improve processes and inefficiencies I found. I asked to stay on part time virtually throughout my senior year of school and now have been at Hormel Foods for almost a year and a half.
Which of your skills had the biggest impact on your success?
The biggest skill set I can contribute is my ability with Excel. I’m often relied upon to help use different formula ideas to help automate the system we use. Also, the professors at WMU were able to help me realize all the different parts of accounting and how they work together. It allowed me to help understand the bigger picture of things.
What experiences impacted the choice of your career path?
Most accounting students often go the “public” route when it comes to accounting. I decided to go on the private path for the work life balance, the ability to always have a new project and be involved in endless departments. I still plan on earning my CPA, to help diversify myself within the work place.
What advice do you have for others pursuing a career similar to yours?
For all students who are going into accounting I would say you chose a very useful degree. I’ve met people within the corporate world who are in sales, marketing, supply chain, and finance. The freedom to do what you please is out there with an accounting degree. I hope to one day transition into an analytical sales type role. Also, accounting is known to be the “language of business” and is a degree that is often overlooked or stereotyped.