Senior Associate, State and Local Tax – PwC
7:30 A.M.: Wake up. One of the perks of working from home has been that I can sleep in a little longer than I would if I were going into the office. I still get up and go through my morning routine but commuting to my kitchen table has been very convenient.
8 A.M.: Make a cup of coffee and sit down at my kitchen table to go through any emails I received. Lucky for me, PwC has always been flexible with working from home, so the sudden transition to being entirely remote was pretty easy for me. My laptop and external monitor are set up on my kitchen table, less than three feet away from my trusty coffee maker. Ironically, I purchased this table as a gift to myself after passing all four sections of the CPA Exam. It’s like I just knew both of these things (table and coffee maker) would come in handy for my future career!
9 A.M.: Virtual call with my team here in Indy. We have been having weekly check-in calls since our firm went remote in March 2020. It’s a time for us to make sure everything is going well both inside and outside of work. It’s also a time for us to catch up on anything exciting outside of work. PwC offices in larger cities are starting to reopen at limited capacity, but in Indy we are all still remote for the time being. I miss my coworkers, but for now weekly check-ins and virtual Happy Hours will have to suffice.
9:30 A.M.: Work through tasks that came out of my 9 a.m. call and begin reviewing the various things on my plate for the day. I work on a wide variety of clients and projects, so no two days are ever the same.
NOON: Virtual call with my team in the Bay Area. At the end of 2018, I rolled onto several clients based on the West Coast, so I am used to taking calls over my lunch break. We talk through our schedule for the week and anything urgent.
2 P.M.: After reviewing various projects, it’s time for a “Be Well Work Well” break. When we are in the office, my team likes to take a 15-minute walk in the afternoon to get some fresh air and refresh our brains. Since we’ve been in quarantine, I’ve been walking to the Starbucks a couple of blocks from my condo. The baristas know me by name! A quick break in the afternoon always resets my mind and helps me focus on the rest of the things I need to accomplish for the day.
5:00 P.M.: Time to head to CrossFit. Especially during busy season, I find the hour I spend working out and not thinking about work makes me much more productive when I am working.
6:30 P.M.: Call with one of my West Coast clients. Another nice thing about working remotely is having the flexibility to run an errand or work out in the middle of my day, and then come back to work. I have a couple of things to get through after this call, and I send them over to my client by 7:30 p.m.
8 P.M.: Heat up dinner and eat while working through the last few remaining emails and tasks for the day. Some people may think working this late is bothersome, but I don’t mind it, especially when I can accomplish other things during what would be normal work hours.
10 P.M.: Turn on the TV and watch the end of Thursday Night Football. I’m very thankful that sports are back on my TV. I continue working on one of the many hats I’ve been knitting for the Indiana Pacers’ Nothing But Knit project.
11 P.M.:
Call Mom and Dad to tell them about my day and catch up. Tonight’s topic of conversation is the Stanley Cup playoffs and how I cannot wait for hockey to grace my screen again soon. I may be a CPA like my mom, but I’m definitely a night owl like my dad.
11:30 P.M.: I’m currently working my way through the Lord of the Rings trilogy (again!) I grab my copy of “The Hobbit” and climb into bed. I read until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer.
About Me
NAME: Stephanie Ting
JOB TITLE: Senior Associate, State and Local Tax
COMPANY: PwC
COMPANY SIZE: 50,000 U.S. Firm (200,000 Worldwide)
JOB DESCRIPTION/MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO: I am a senior associate in the state and local tax practice. I focus on both income/franchise and indirect tax matters. My favorite thing about my job is the wide variety of projects I work on and clients I get to work with. I work on a lot of different compliance and consulting engagements and work with every sized company from Fortune 500s to family-owned businesses.
PREVIOUS POSITIONS: State and Local Tax Associate – PwC; Tax Intern – Andersen Tax; Finance Intern – OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
ALMA MATER: Baylor University (BBA in Accounting and German); Indiana University (Masters in Accounting)
INCPAS INVOLVEMENT: INCPAS Young Professional Leadership Academy (YPLA); INCPAS Convention project team; INCPAS Young Professionals events
When I'm Not at Work
FAMILY: I’m a 3
rd generation CPA after my mother and grandfather and come from a large family of hardworking 2
nd generation Americans on my father’s side.
PETS: I’m in the process of adopting a Eurasier puppy to be named Appa.
HOBBIES: CrossFit, running, knitting, cooking, being an Indianapolis foodie
OTHER MEMBERSHIPS/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Junior League of Indianapolis; Indy Zoo Council Young Professionals; Indy Book Club; Volunteer at various non-profits around Indy and through church
Advice for Students Considering the Profession
Do not be afraid to reach out and ask questions. When I was a student, I never reached out to professionals because I was afraid they would be too busy. Now as a public accounting professional, I love hearing from students who want to learn more about accounting (especially if they’re interested in working at PwC).
Best Advice You’ve Ever Received
The best advice I’ve ever received is, “Do not be afraid.” It is short and simple, but it has helped me in my professional and personal life. Any time I am presented with an opportunity to work on a new client or type of project, I take it.
Do you think a day in your life would make a good addition to our series? Contact Katie Kirkton at
kkirkton@incpas.org to find out how you can share your story.