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Chicago Professor Chooses Teaching Over Accounting And Legal Accomplishments

A math enthusiast who is looking for steady work may want to get comfortable in Chicago. According to Monster's LedgerLink, the Windy City just so happens to be one of the top 10 best places for careers in accounting.

"Any student that I have coming into my introductory classes, whether they're accounting majors or not, if they're really sharp I try to encourage them to be [an accountant]," said Linnae Bryant, an associate professor at Chicago State University. "The accounting degree is a degree with unlimited possibilities."

CFOs with a financial background, including accountants, can make over $109K annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And according to Bryant, an accounting and business background can come in handy in many careers.

"Accounting is a skill that will always be required. You can pick up the paper at any time and there are always positions available. If you get the certification on top of that then you've just made yourself like twenty times more marketable."

Bryant holds a bachelor's in accounting and finance from the University of Illinois and a Juris Doctor from DePaul College of Law. Initially she chose teaching as supplementary income while deciding whether she wanted to go into politics. Even though she has her own private practice, higher education caught her off-guard when she realized something new about herself.

"If I have to choose the profession that I enjoy most it's definitely education," she said. "I'm helping bridge the gap that some students have when they try to transition from high school to higher education. Staying in touch with the younger adults actually sort of keeps you younger. I like interacting with them and really feel like I'm doing a good deed."

Writing, critical thinking and philosophy classes are a few recommendations she has for students who are studying the legal, accounting and education fields. But Bryant believes there's something else teachers must have a natural knack for in order to succeed.

"Just because you're proficient in a particular subject matter or curriculum does not mean that you are going to be a good teacher. To be able to convey the information to the students in a way in which they can grasp and understand and appreciate it requires another level of talent."

Shamontiel L. Vaughn is a professional journalist who has work featured in AXS, Yahoo!, Chicago Defender and Chicago Tribune. She's been an Examiner since 2009 and currently writes about 10 categories on Examiner.com.

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