Zachary Cohen traveled a different route than most students to get to DePaul University. While many students were selecting which college to attend after high school, Cohen was working two 40-hour-a-week jobs. 
Years later, with a 9-year-old daughter at home and 10 years’ experience working in an unfulfilling career, Cohen decided to head back to school. After earning his associate degree at Harold Washington College, Cohen transferred to DePaul in the fall of 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy on his horizon.
How was your transition from community college to DePaul University?
When I first came to DePaul, I found it really welcoming. I attended a transfer student orientation workshop before school started. The information Professor Margaret Tower covered was extremely helpful and included everything from preparing for DePaul’s quarter system to putting together a professional resume and learning how much time goes into preparing for job interviews. The orientation also helped prepare me for the recruiting season. My transition into a university setting was not easy at first, but every professor I had worked in the industry or for the firms and brought real world experiences to class. I was able to learn what accounting has to do with business, and get a better understanding of the world in general.
How is being a transfer student different from being a traditional student?
There is definitely a difference. As a transfer student, I look at each day as if everything were an interview. I don’t take for granted where I am. I often stay after class to study until they turn off the lights. My life is 100 percent focused on studying and absorbing what I learn in class. I learned that my non-traditional background is a strength. DePaul has instilled in me the ability to work in a dynamic environment. They have shown me how to push myself to
go the extra step. Being a non-traditional student has helped me more than anything else. Once you overcome that hurdle of being in a new surrounding with new people in a new environment, the sky is the limit. After coming to DePaul and experiencing the accounting career firsthand, I now know what I do want—a career in the accounting field. Being a transfer student gave me an advantage and the motivation to keep going.
How has DePaul prepared you for your future career?
DePaul has many career events throughout the year to meet recruiters from each of the firms. As a student who is a little older and with a different educational background, I struggled with how I can stand out from traditional students. DePaul gives you every resource to be successful, so that there is no reason you are not prepared for your future career. You just have to take advantage of the resources. I was able to use my background as a strength and landed an internship in one of the top firms in Chicago. I am even on track to graduate early and get a jump-start on my new career.