
Anna Macsai
When Anna Macsai arrived in
the US, high school diploma in hand, she wasn’t sure what to do with her life. The
Hungarian native began working as a cook, but her drive and ambition led her to
quickly move up in her company’s operations department, where she met someone
who changed her life: a freelance bookkeeper who recognized her talent for
numbers. She taught Anna some of the basics, and brought her on as a staff
accountant. Not content to stop there, Anna soon became an accounting manager
at helicopter rental company Wings Air, despite having no formal accounting
education.
The same drive and ambition
brought Anna to Monroe. “I always wanted to earn my
Bachelor’s,” she says. “For any position where you can make good money, and
which has potential for growth and fun, you need a Bachelor’s.” She began
attending college full time in 2010, while also working full time at Wings Air.
It was hard work; she spent every night and weekend doing homework. But Anna
feels that Monroe made that load bearable for her as a working student. “I
always thought the academic requirements at Monroe were realistic and tailored
to working adults. It was hard at times, but not impossible, even when I was
working full time and learning full time.”
As she learned
more from her accounting classes, Anna gained more and more responsibility at
work. “I was able to earn a higher salary, but also I gained more responsibility
once I had more knowledge, more understanding of the theory behind running a
business.” Anna is now the Director of Finance and Marketing at Wings Air,
something she credits in part to her time at Monroe. “The reality of it is that
now I am able to make decisions without my boss being around. I get to
effectively run the company in his absence, based on the knowledge that I
gained at Monroe and from my experience in life.” Anna sees herself continuing
to grow in her role in the company in the future, gaining even more
responsibility. “I am happy with what we’ve accomplished, and where I am now,
but I’m always looking to remain competitive and creative.”
For students considering
whether or not to pursue a Bachelor’s, Anna has one piece of advice: “Just pull
through. A Bachelor’s degree is almost a given these days; you have to have it
if you want the kind of job where you grow over time. So don’t stop; get it
done.”