John O’Connor (top left) with Ledger & Quill leadership and SOAMIS faculty
Like many alumni, John O’Connor’s (BUS ’86) DePaul story is one of reconnection and return.
“After I graduated, I lost contact with DePaul a little bit,” he says. “I came back when Plante Moran stepped up our new hire recruiting from DePaul.”
These days, John is a partner at Plante Moran, where he spearheads the firm’s recruiting efforts at DePaul. He’s also a frequent visitor to career-focused accounting classes and a longtime participant in the Executive-in-Residence program at the School of Accountancy & MIS (SOAMIS).
“Margaret Tower, Hui Lin, Brian Maj — all the faculty I’ve met here have gotten me so much more energized about being involved at DePaul,” he said.
Recently — and in part based on his conversations with DePaul faculty — O’Connor contributed a generous gift to SOAMIS’s Office of Student Success and Engagement.
“I wanted to direct today’s dollars into today’s students,” he said. “I wanted to give in a way that would be available immediately.”
John’s gift will support a wide range of programming that sets up students to compete in today’s ever-changing marketplace. The office’s programming ranges from workshops on the latest technology to networking opportunities with accounting professionals.
O’Connor spoke with SOAMIS to reflect on his connection with DePaul, on his own career path, and on what keeps him coming back to the DePaul community.
O’Connor speaks to new students about accounting
On the value of mentorship
I think DePaul does a great job of creating opportunities for students to learn what they can do with their accounting degree post-grad.
I often speak in Margaret Tower and Kent Klaus’s Accounting 250 courses, which cover career management in accounting. That’s really given me a window into what it’s like to be a student today.
On his own path into the field
In a lot of ways, I think I fit the typical student profile at DePaul. I was born and raised in Chicago. I’m a first-generation college student. I chose accounting. but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do when I was in college. And I think that’s common among accounting students.
On what students might not realize about the accounting field
A lot of students get into accounting because of math. And that’s perfectly fine! But what you eventually realize is that the quantitative aspect of what we do isn’t as significant as the personal relationship piece of what we do.
Numbers are the basis of our work. But the next step is relaying those numbers to the people you work with, both in and out of the firm. Getting to work with people — getting to have an influence on what they do — that’s the best part of my job.
On the advice he gives to today’s accounting students
I think students face a little bit of unnecessary pressure to decide what career paths to follow with their accounting degree. Do you go private or public? Big firm or small firm?
The students who graduate from DePaul are going to be offered a lot of opportunity and flexibility throughout their careers. You can do so much with a business degree. And if you go down a path that maybe doesn’t work for you, you can always retrace your steps. You’re not locked into anything long-term.
On the DePaul alumni network and what makes it special
There are about 600 of us who work for Plante Moran here in Chicago. About 70 or so DePaul alums.
We’re an established network in the firm, which is great. And we’re all excited about developing the next generation of DePaul grads.
When we get offered to speak in a class, we always say yes. If a club reaches out and wants to visit our offices, we always say yes.
DePaul is such a great partner. And we’re all working towards the same thing, and that’s finding ways for students to leverage their education and succeed.
–Meredith Carroll