From Classroom to Career: Ahron Goldberg Finds His Path in Public Accounting

Ahron Goldberg’s journey to a public accounting job was shaped by years of education, a love of numbers, and a timely connection made through a career webinar hosted by Excelsior University’s Career Readiness team.

Goldberg earned his Bachelor of Science in Business in December 2024, and after graduating, he stayed engaged with Excelsior and paid close attention to the career resources available to alumni. When he started actively thinking about pursuing an accounting career, he found himself unsure where to start. With so many possible paths to follow, the process felt overwhelming—until an email from Excelsior in August 2025 about an upcoming Career Café caught his attention.

Career Cafés are live, interactive webinars that connect students and alumni to employers and career experts while showcasing the resources available through the Career Readiness team. This particular Career Café featured a recruiter from Pease Bell CPAs. Goldberg decided to attend. “It felt like a great opportunity to learn more and connect with potential employers,” he says. That decision set everything in motion.

During the webinar, Goldberg connected with the recruiter, which quickly led to an interview the following week. Then came a second interview. Not long after, he was offered a full-time position, and he started his new job in November 2025. “It just all clicked,” he says.

Building a Foundation

Before pursuing accounting, Goldberg, of Lakewood, New Jersey, spent his early 20s immersed in education. He attended a Jewish school for much of his adult academic life and continued working at the school even after leaving, tutoring students who needed extra support. Helping others gave him a strong foundation in communication and organization—skills that would later prove important in a math-based field.

As Goldberg began thinking more seriously about his career goals, accounting stood out. “I always liked numbers,” he says. “When numbers make sense and they connect, everything else just makes sense. It’s very logical.” With accounting, he explains, the rules make sense and “everything fits in.” Strong math skills had been one of his strengths since childhood, and the structure and problem-solving nature of accounting felt like a natural fit.

Finding the right university was Goldberg’s next step. He was referred to Excelsior University through Testing and Training International, an organization that partners with the University to help Orthodox Jewish students transfer credits and complete their degrees. Excelsior stood out for its willingness to evaluate prior learning and help him apply a significant number of credits toward his degree.

“[Excelsior] kind of walked me through the steps and showed me what would be accepted, what wouldn’t be accepted,” Goldberg recalls. “And every specific degree has a different number of credits that you could transfer in. … So, [Excelsior] kind of helped me through that, but I was able to get a nice chunk of credits transferred in.”

At Excelsior, Goldberg completed courses that brought together both technical accounting knowledge and a broader understanding of how businesses operate. His capstone project—running a simulated bicycle shop—required collaboration with fellow students, strategic thinking, and real-world problem-solving. “The communication aspect of it is major; it becomes part of your everyday, and then you really transfer that to your everyday life,” Goldberg says. “Then, there’s obviously the technical aspect of it, the actual business knowledge that you learn, the accounting knowledge that you learn. … Just having that overall knowledge kind of brings everything together.”

Thriving in a Firm

Now working in public accounting, Goldberg is enjoying both the work and the environment. “The firm’s culture is exceptional, fostering a supportive environment that encourages professional growth,” he says. “They ensure that you learn and understand everything as you grow in your role.”

In his day-to-day work, Goldberg organizes client financial information, communicates directly with clients, and prepares tax returns, bringing together the technical skills he learned at Excelsior with the communication skills he developed early in his career. For him, satisfaction comes when the numbers click and everything falls into place. He says the busy season is just around the corner, though, and he’s excited for what’s to come.

Looking ahead, Goldberg is focused on completing his CPA exam within the next year and a half, as well as balancing his work, study, and personal time. It’s a demanding goal, but he feels well prepared.

Reflecting on his journey, Goldberg credits Excelsior for not only the education he received but also the support that extended beyond graduation. The Career Café webinar wasn’t just an information session; it was a bridge between his degree and his career. For students wondering how to take the next step after graduation, Goldberg’s experience offers this message: Stay connected and be ready when opportunity presents itself.