Wendy Waack is our newest Partner and in this article Wendy outlines her career journey – and like many females, it is not straight forward.
I served my accounting apprenticeship at KPMG, which was fantastic. I literally had one foot on a plane for an overseas secondment (having just topped my KPMG year for the CA program) when I discovered I was pregnant with my first child. This quickly changed my direction in life and tempered my career ambitions.
Having 2 children, I stepped out of “working life” for a while and juggled family life whilst assisting in a family business. I had ambition but this was balanced with the needs of my family. I became involved in community and sporting groups which taught me about managing people and different expectations of people which developed my skills in different ways.
My goal for myself was to keep on learning and not to give up my accounting career. I bided my time. I have worked at two accounting firms prior to TAG Financial Services and all those experiences have contributed to the building blocks that make up who I am today and what I can contribute. Every experience whether at work or not, contributes to the person you are.
At 50, I was asked to be a Partner of TAG Financial Services. For me, this was icing on the cake as I already loved working at TAG. TAG has a culture that many other firms should be envious of, so yes, it is a great place to be. For some, the title of Partner may be the most impressive aspect but for me it is the opportunity to learn, contribute, mentor others and be part of something that makes a difference.
So, whatever stage of your career journey you are at, nothing is unachievable. Work out what suits you, stop being everything to everyone and enjoy yourself.