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Changing Career Path Leads to Ph.D. in Accounting for UNL Grad Student

Areewan Aimdilokwong had already come to the United States once to get her Master of Science in Accounting. She used that achievement to get a job in her home country of Thailand working as an internal auditor. It was a job she enjoyed for several years. Then a new experience set her on a whole new course.

“After a few years working as an internal auditor I kind of got into a routine,” said Aimdilokwong. “I would go to the same departments over and over again and although we would have some travel it stopped being challenging to me.”

That’s when Aimdilokwong was given an opportunity to try teaching her skills at a private university on the weekends.

“I started to get to know people in the academic field of accounting there. The Dean said that I seemed to want to teach and I had the qualifications. She said we always want more people to teach so why don’t you go and get your Ph.D. “

Even though the Dean changed universities the idea of pursuing a Ph.D. and beginning an academic career got stuck in Aimdilokwong’s head.

“I thought that was an interesting idea and teaching is fun for me so I started studying for the GMAT and applying at schools. The same week I was applying the Associate Dean of Nebraska came to Thailand for an Educational Fair. I got to talk to him and he told me that what it’s at Nebraska. I also talked to a UNL graduate who was currently working in Thailand University. Nebraska just seemed like the best option.“

Aimdilokwong had never been to Nebraska but enjoys the quiet Midwest lifestyle particularly with regard to focusing on her academics.

“It’s not as crazy as a lot of big cities like Chicago and New York. The faculty at UNL are really nice and helpful. They are really glad to help as long as you ask for it and it’s the same when I teach. If the students come and ask for help then I do that. It’s a very positive experience here academically.”

If things go as planned Aimdilokwong will receive her degree in the Spring of 2011 after revising her dissertation proposal and revising some of her data sets. She also has an interview soon that may well put her right back where she started in her home country of Thailand.

“I have a job interview planned in December with the University of Thailand. It’s the University I graduated from and four or five of the faculty there that were classmates. We graduated together so I know them already. It seems like a really good place to work in terms of relationships and it’s really good University.”

So although Aimdilokwong may soon be traveling back around the globe to fulfill her aspirations of teaching and researching at a major university in her homeland, a part of the University of Nebraska will return with her as the experiences she cultivated here at the UNL College of Business.

Published: November 17, 2010