Ph.D. student in the Accounting Information and Management program at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management

Q: What special advice do you offer Mercer Business students?

Blake Bowler:  My advice to Mercer students is to study what interests you, and seek out what drives you. Be grounded, but don't be afraid to branch out and discover those topics that have your interest. College offers a safe environment to test your limits and challenge your preconceptions. Push your comfort limits.

As a student, you want to be focused in a field of study that will make you employable, while at the same time exploring your interests. In those respects, Mercer Business paired perfectly for me, because the program allowed me to concentrate in an area of study, but also branch out into other disciplines that interested me. My studies focused in Accounting and Finance, but I also was able to major in Economics and minor in Math. I had the full support of faculty to take classes both across disciplines at Mercer Business, and outside the school in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Another area that I took advantage of was the opportunity to take one non-major class per semester outside Mercer Business as pass/fail. This allowed me to sit in on a class that interested me without the pressure of earning a certain letter grade. I could take in the material and think about it in a more relaxed circumstance. This encouraged me to take classes that I might otherwise have not taken if I was worried about the letter grade I would earn.

Q: What do you value from your Mercer experience?

Blake Bowler: The relationships and networks formed while at Mercer are what made my experience so valuable. With the vast resource of information available on the Internet, it's tempting to think that you can purchase textbooks and teach yourself the knowledge taught in a classroom. Mercer goes beyond the educational material and provides an experience. Mercer taught me how to learn, and also enriched me with professional relationships with professors that have lasted well beyond my four years as a student on campus. Further, the friendships I formed with fellow Mercer students are the ones that I can call on for advice and differing perspectives. Mercer fostered a network of friendships and professional relationships that can't be Googled or gained alone. Mercer gave me an experience, and an environment that allowed me to push my limits. 

Mercer absolutely academically prepared me as an undergraduate to be successful in competitive graduate programs, as well as in the workforce. But, what I remember most is the relationships that I formed. As valuable as the educational component is, I feel that the personal development and relationships are unique to Mercer. The community at Mercer allows students to understand and take place in conversation – the small class sizes, one-to-one time with faculty, and open environment to ask questions foster learning, not memorization.

Q: What has been your career path?

Blake Bowler: I knew I was interested in business when I entered as a freshman at Mercer. I hadn't decided on accounting or any one area yet. I knew I had a stronger math background, so I leaned towards accounting, finance, and economics. Even though I had these broad interests, I kept leaning towards accounting. I wanted to take all the finance and economics classes that I could, but by the end of my sophomore year, I knew accounting was my main interest. I graduated with a focus in Accounting and Finance, along with a major in Economics and minor in Math.

Following graduation, I attended the University of Notre Dame for my Masters of Science in Accounting; I majored in Financial Reporting and Assurance Services. Then, for three years, I worked in public accounting for Blackman Kallick, a middle market firm in Chicago, IL. My role was conducting audits for privately held and public companies as well as not-for-profit organizations. I enjoyed working with a middle market firm because I was able to take on responsibilities quickly, work with CFOs and decision-makers, and experience a broad cross-section of work across industries.

Currently, I'm earning my Ph.D. in the Accounting Information and Management program at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. I love to learn, and took every course I could while at Mercer. I find myself wanting to explore topics and work that I ordinarily wouldn't have time to explore in a corporate profession – it's not the nature of the corporate environment where the primary focus is about getting the job done. It's because of my joy in continual learning and seeking of new information that I decided to pursue my Ph.D. and make a profession in academia.