I hate to admit it- in fact, I am sure I will regret putting it down in writing: I am a USF Bulls fan. Don’t get me wrong, much love for my Alma Mater FSU.  I have the heart of a Seminole.  I appreciate the community I was and am privileged to be a part of (I did find my wife there after all), I appreciate the quality education FSU offered me,  and I appreciate where my degree has gotten me to today.  But (the USF football program aside- last weekend is a blur), the more time I spend with the students and faculty at USF the more I recognize what this educational institution has to offer: especially to accounting students with the same aspirations to join and excel in a career with a Big 4 accounting firm.

Among the highlights, students graduating USF’s accounting program boast one of the highest CPA exam passing rates in the country (currently around 15% nationally for first time test takers passing all four parts [caveat: me being one of them from FSU]).  USF also houses an internationally acclaimed Beta Alpha Psi accounting honors society program that my company (Ernst & Young) networks with on a regular basis as a key resource in identifying quality recruiting candidates.

I don’t see myself giving up the Garnet and Gold any time soon.  But don’t be surprised when you see me around with a bit of Green to show my support for the USF Bulls.

On a related note: The USF Career Fair kicks off tomorrow, October 1st at the Sun Dome from 10am – 3pm.  If you are an accounting student of any year at USF and would like more information on where a career in accounting can take you…and what opportunities beyond financial auditing and tax are available, chat me up at the Ernst & Young booth!

Just a quick recruiting message for career seeking accounting professionals to look out for me and the rest of the Tampa office Ernst & Young Advisory practice recruiting team on the Florida State University, University of Florida and University of South Florida campuses this semester.

In addition to our many opportunities across the globe, I am specifically looking to identify a number of individuals for our Media Research Assurance Services (MRAS) Media & Entertainment industry focused practice within our Tampa office.  Talk to me in person about this opportunity at the USF Career Fair on 1 October 2009.  Also, contact me at joe (dot) bailey (at) ey (dot) com for more information.

See for yourself why Ernst & Young has been consistently named one of the Top 3 “Best places to launch a career” by BusinessWeek magazine!