‘Account’ for Something

School and career mean more to Black Hills State University graduate than just numbers Josh Vaith

SPEARFISH, S.D. • Joshua Vaith has exemplified what it means to be a standout student, someone who not only excelled at academics but who aims to make a difference in his chosen career and in South Dakota’s workforce.

As other students head back to class this fall, the Black Hills State University graduate instead is shaping his career at an office where he works as an accountant. His successes started long before he came on board at ELO CPAs and Advisors in Yankton, S.D., and, likely, long before he started attending BHSU.

Vaith, who graduated from the university in May, said his ambition to attend college was to make a change.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I knew no one and grow as a person, as well as in my education,” he said. “Because of these reasons, I was looking at going to school out-of-state.”

His mindset changed in the spring of his senior year in high school, when he received a Dakota Corps scholarship, which, as he describes it, “gives South Dakota kids funding to attend school in the state and major in high-demand career fields.”

He found that attending BHSU, besides giving him a good education, also provided him the change he was seeking.

“After receiving this, I turned my sights in-state for college,” Vaith said. “I had never been to Spearfish before my on-campus visit and I really felt like it would be the right place for me. … I knew no one, and it is situated in the Black Hills, offering many outdoor activities to do in your free time.”

That still didn’t mean he knew exactly what he wanted to do, though he decided it’d likely be something business-related. When he received the Dakota Corps scholarship, accounting was one of the high-demand career fields and, since he always liked working with numbers, he looked into it further and said there were at least a couple of things that attracted his attention.

“The first thing is the technology side of the profession,” he said. “I have always enjoyed working with technology and worked for our technology department on campus for the last three years of college. I am excited to see what changes technology may bring to the accounting field in the future and want to try to continue to figure some ways to incorporate accounting software into technology developments for businesses. This way, many small businesses may be able to concentrate more on the things that are important to them, instead of stressing over keeping the books up-to-date, all for a reasonable price.

“A second item that excites me about a future in the accounting field is the growth opportunities that I feel are out there. I grew up in rural southeastern South Dakota on a farm. When most people think of accountants, they think white-collar. I believe that my agricultural background will allow me to connect with more of the blue-collared workforce in the state. I believe that working with people from the same background will be a great opportunity and could be a great success in this state and surrounding area.”

Vaith was already on the path to success after completing internships his freshman year at Liberty Tax Service in Belle Fourche, S.D., an experience he said “was a good start to my future career and helped me get started into understanding what the tax and accounting profession entails.”

The summer between his junior and senior year he interned in the corporate tax department of Black Hills Corp., a utility company based in Rapid City that operates in eight states.

“This was a great internship where I learned a lot,” he said. “The primary focus of my internship was doing the tax returns for the year for all 40ish subsidiaries that are represented under the Black Hills Corporation name.” continued on page 44 continued From page 42

Vaith held leadership positions in school, which also prepared him for his career, noting that through them he “learned compassion, to be culturally-aware and immerse myself in things that make me uncomfortable.”

He continued: “I have learned to ‘live in the stretch.’ If you constantly stay in one place where you are comfortable, you are never going to grow as a person. I have learned how to be a leader. I have learned how to work with faculty and administration when I need help or to help resolve issues.

“BHSU has taught me that we all have the ability to change the world with every individual we interact with directly or indirectly. These are great attributes that will follow me to my professional life, but the greatest thing that I have learned from serving in these positions is that you can have all of the titles in the world, but if your priorities are not in the right place, you will just be viewed as busy and stressed, not passionate and as a leader.”

Believe it or not, he said, communication is a big component in accounting, saying he has learned how to conduct himself in meetings and conference calls, and how to approach someone with a different point of view than his own.

Of course, he is happy to share his own viewpoint with others. For those considering a career in accounting, or who have already started the journey or will be starting this fall semester, he offers this piece of advice: “Be curious. Always be open to learning new things. The profession changes very rapidly so it’s important to stay adaptable and open to change. Learn your strengths and dive into that area, while also building up your weak areas at the same time. The more areas you are proficient in, the brighter your future will be.

“Accounting is confusing, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are confused at the beginning of the semester, you’ll be confused for the rest of the semester. Everything builds off everything learned previously.”