Amy Ainsworth.

• Position: Finalentry

cpa@yahoo.com

Amy Ainsworth is a rising young and emerging professional. For her, Yahoo! is more than a free e-mail account, it's where she works on mergers and acquisitions for the high-profile company.

After five years of public accounting, Ainsworth realized making partner wasn't her goal, so she decided to move to a company with a great reputation: Yahoo!.

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Why Yahoo!?

The real clincher for taking the job was the immediate groups I would be working with. They really sold me on the job. Everybody who I work with is focused on either external reporting or M&A accounting. Like me, many have Big Four backgrounds.

Describe the culture at Yahoo!?

On a broad scale, it's fun, diverse and accepting. But, just like any large organization, I work within a tight-knit group. We like each other and even hang out when we're not working. That makes it a fun work environment.

There's a work hard, play hard mentality, and after filing or project deadlines we know how to celebrate.

What keeps you coming back everyday?

The reasons aren't really tangible. It's the team effort and mentality. You don't want to leave your teammates hanging. And I love my boss. He makes or breaks my day.

Does being a CPA give you an advantage in corporate finance?

I wouldn't hesitate to say yes, but I really don't know specifies as to why. I do know that we, as CPAs, are really sought after and that it makes a difference when being considered for a position or promotion.

What advice do you have for aspiring CPAs?

Be the best at what you do and be prepared so when the right place and the right time come up, you're all over it...