“Challenges are optional, and the options are endless”
Michael Conan, 2019 Distinguished Graduate of the Last Decade
Remember this quote, folks, and take it to heart: “Regarding challenge, most challenges are optional, and the options are endless. I have always been one to seek out challenges, and have found the rewards in personal development and recognition to be well worth the struggles.”
On his LinkedIn profile, Michael Conan ’17, owner of the above quote, calls himself “motivated.” And we concur.
The honoree of the inaugural OSU College of Business Distinguished Graduate of the Last Decade – an award recognizing business alumni with less than 10 years of professional experience who have shown significant contributions to their community, their profession or the college through early career roles – earned his accolades just two years after heading out to the big, bright world.
Conan landed his position as an assurance associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers right after his 2017 graduation and just a year’s follow-up to his 2016 internship at PwC. They waited for him, let’s say, with good reason.
They waited for him to complete three Honors College Bachelor of Science degrees, magna cum laude, in Accounting, Finance, and International Business. They waited while he enjoyed the opportunity to study abroad, what he calls the one of the most incredible experiences of his life, and complete a requirement of his international business degree.
The two extra diplomas also positioned Conan with enough academic credits to sit for his certified public accountant exam. PwC waited from him to ace it. Conan passed the CPA Exam with top marks, earning the prestigious Elijah Watt Sells Award, awarded to just 58 of the nearly 96,000 candidates that sat for the exam in 2017.
Conan is just getting started, and thank goodness, he is still learning. “Public accounting is a demanding career – challenging to say the least,” he said. “The positive side is that learning is constant and happens at a rapid pace. I have particularly enjoyed engaging in PwC’s digital transformation focused on implementing data analytics and automation tools into our accounting and auditing engagements.”
Conan, like all of the trend spotters and industry and academic experts, sees the big picture and the big potential of Big Data. “I believe that the application of data technology to accounting and business processes will be the most significant disruption to the business world on the operational side in the coming years.”
His career goals are centered on the impact he can make, specifically by providing a perspective of disruption and continuous improvement, as well as supporting others through involvement in recruiting and mentoring.
True to that, Conan already is active as a member of the OSU Next council, the young professional’s networking group at OSU, and on the advisory committee for his fraternity, the Oregon State Sigma Chi chapter. Both in college and his current life, Conan says he gives most of his discretionary time to volunteering, involvement, or learning. He attends events in the Portland area for example, the Advancing Women in Leadership seminars and the Business Round Table discussions.
He also loves skiing, biking, and credits his parents for his success.
“The key motivational tools I have found to be effective include a clear vision of my future, concrete short-term goals, and high expectations of myself, which grew out of high expectations from my parents throughout my childhood,” he said.
While we are very proud to have him in the College of Business family, Conan, in turn, credits the diverse set of experiences he’s had at OSU and the formative experiences in student leadership for shaping his character. “The lessons I learned by working with different organizations and interacting with numerous people through leadership positions in Greek Life and College of Business clubs have been invaluable in my personal and professional life,” he said.
