"Linking Your Liberal Arts Degree to the Real World" By Rocco Sabino, '84
When I attended SUNY Stony Brook, I majored in French
Literature and participated in Stony Brook’s first study abroad Philosophy
program at La Sorbonne University in Paris, France. It was one of the greatest
experiences of my life. So what did I end up doing in the real world? I became
a Certified Public Accountant working in various management roles throughout my
career, most recently as a Chief Financial Officer of a Long Island financial institution.
You are probably wondering how I went from being a French major to becoming an Accountant.
Many of my engineering, math, and science friends at Stony Brook would poke fun
at me asking what I was going to do with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French.
One thing I should mention is that I was also a Business
Administration minor, as I knew that I wanted to pursue a business career,
preferably in the international accounting and finance field. Yet at the time,
Stony Brook did not have an accounting program, and I was only able to take one
accounting class. When I graduated, I admittedly had a difficult time landing a
full time position in the corporate world because I was labeled a “liberal arts
person.” By networking, I was able to complete a summer internship at a major
Manhattan bank, but I was out-competed for full time accounting, finance, and
business positions from graduates who had more coursework in those disciplines.
Notice, I did not say they all necessarily majored in those disciplines. So the
first lesson I learned was you need to ensure you have, at a minimum, some
specific coursework in your academic experience that matches your employment
goals. For example, if you are looking to be a financial analyst, you should
demonstrate that you have taken some finance and or analytical classes and did
well. I was looking for banking and finance positions but did not have enough
specific coursework.
So after my summer internship ended, I decided to attend
graduate school and earn my MBA degree in Finance. It turned out to be a good
decision, as it made me more employable, and I was able to land my first job as
a Program Administrator for a major aerospace manufacturing firm. Suddenly, I
was viewed as a liberal arts guy with a technical background. I firmly believe
that business employers love liberal arts majors because they tend to be good
communicators, they can read and write well, and they are overall well rounded,
a must if you are to succeed in the business world. Employers just also need to
see that you have the capacity to learn and perform a technical function. I
later decided to become even more technically proficient by obtaining my CPA certification,
which included working at a public accounting firm for several years.
Once certified, I was really able to put it all together.
I worked at an international aerospace company where I was in charge of a
Turkish joint venture; I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey several times.
I later landed an international finance management position at American Express
in their New York City Headquarters. The combination of being a CPA/MBA and
demonstrating a love of foreign culture as a French major at Stony Brook helped
me land the position. After almost eight wonderful years working in Manhattan
and periodically traveling abroad, I decided to find work on Long Island in
order to help raise my family. Once again, proving that I could be a critical
thinker, flexible, and well rounded, I landed a senior finance position at a
major credit union on Long Island without having any prior banking experience.
I later became the Chief Financial Officer of a mid-size credit union on Long
Island.
The critical traits and skill sets I developed over time
started with majoring in French and studying abroad while attending Stony
Brook. Keep in mind, the liberal arts background I obtained at Stony Brook
provided me with a foundation I could not otherwise get later on in life. Learning
a language and studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don’t
have to be an Accounting major in college, get an MBA in accounting, and think
nothing but accounting to land quality senior financial jobs later in your
career. You can be a liberal arts major and combine it with some technical
coursework and experience to help you become a well rounded professional with a
capacity to do technical work. That’s what employers look for, and that’s what
I always look for when I hire financial professionals.
Professor
Sabino is a member of the Business Department here at Stony Brook, teaching ACC
596: Financial Accounting Theory and Analysis. He has over 25 years of domestic
and international accounting and financial management experience in the
manufacturing, financial services, and community banking industries. Sabino has
held the positions of Chief Financial Officer at several credit unions on Long
Island. In addition, he’s held various senior level finance positions at
American Express, which included Director of an international reporting and
analysis team responsible for 50 overseas markets, addressing local economic
and currency fluctuation issues. Previous to American Express, he was the
financial manager of a foreign joint venture of Loral Corporation, a global
aerospace manufacturer. He is a CPA and holds an MBA in Finance from Hofstra
University, and a BA from SUNY Stony Brook in Foreign Language and Business
Administration. He also earned a Post Masters certificate at NYU Stern School
of Business in Accounting with a focus on International Business. Professor
Sabino lives on Long Island with his wife, son, and daughter.
