[Editor’s Note: Join us this week as we celebrate the Women of PwC. Today’s article is the first in a series of five.]
When Barbra Bukovac first took an individual tax class in college, she wasn’t sure tax was the right fit for her. (Raise your hand if you’ve sat in a class and ever felt that way. Full disclosure: We have!) However, an internship at the University of Illinois accounting department led her to a job as an auditor at PwC.
It was in this role that—shocker!—Barbra made her way into the world of tax, working in the international tax group during the firm’s busy season. “At that time, U.S. companies were beginning to expand internationally and it was a growth area for our firm,” she said. “We covered all services pertaining to those companies—from individual tax compliance for officers or those sent overseas on assignment, to corporate tax reporting and planning.”
She loved the work, and the people on her team so much, and PwC offered her the opportunity to stay in the group. She did, and eventually she made partner in international tax. Now, 25 years later, she serves as the U.S. Tax Sectors Leader for PwC. Prior to this role, she served as the firm’s tax leader for the U.S. Retail and Consumer Products Industry, where she was responsible for facilitating relationships with clients.
And as a passionate mentor within the company, Barbra recently wrote an article on Medium called, “Take It From Me, Don’t Assume: Why I Left PwC and Why I Came Back.” Intriguing? We thought so too, and at I Want Her Job we’re huge fans of her ideology to work with a company to make a job work better for you. (Once you’re strongly established, of course.) Read on to hear more about Barbra’s take on this concept, how she did it and her advice to you for building inner courage, too.