Doing taxes for people changed Annette Marie Everett’s life. It’s a statement you likely don’t hear often. But it was while working a part-time job at H&R Block for 17 years when she had not one but two lifechanging experiences that would forever alter her path.
“I was totally amazed at all the things that went into doing taxes,” she says. “As I maneuvered my way with support from several seasoned preparers, I developed a love of numbers and helping people to be more educated on tax laws, and I climbed my way up in that role.”
It was through this job that she found the courage and strength to go back to college.
What Annette learned from that hands-on experience wasn’t her only driving force for change. While the work inspired her and provided a foundation of tax knowledge, Annette received even more encouragement from a friend who worked at a restaurant located next door to H&R Block.
They met in 2012, and immediately forged an unbreakable bond.
“Jim gave me the strength to see my value and to set goals — and the support to reach the goals I set and overcome any obstacles that might stand in my way,” she explains.
During that time, Annette’s primary profession had been working in human services with people with disabilities. It’s something she had done for more than two decades, but without a college degree. Although it was a rewarding career, it wasn’t financially feasible.
Eventually, her passion for numbers coupled with the support from Jim and a recommendation from another student led Annette to Ashford University*, and in 2015 she enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Accounting** program.
“I did a complete 360,” she notes.
In 2019, Annette graduated, and six months later, she landed her “dream job.” Today she officially holds the title of sales tax auditor for the New York State Department of Tax and Finance.
“At 51, to beat out all the candidates is just amazing to me,” she says. “I thoroughly love my job.”
In addition to the support she received from her family and friends, Annette turned to Forbes School of Business and Technology® Assistant Professor Bill Davis, left, and Department Chair Jorge Cardenas.
Rising Above it All
These days, Annette is standing tall and as confident as ever. But to understand how she achieved happiness, you must understand her past.
Annette grew up in Cortland, New York, one of five kids — and the only girl — in their “very connected” part Italian, part English-Indian family. At 17, she enrolled in college to earn her bachelor’s degree in human services but would never graduate. Instead, she settled down with her partner, had two daughters, and began her 21-year career working with the disabled.
Unfortunately, Annette’s relationship would be wrought with pain, and she would suffer a long and abusive relationship. Eventually she left her partner and began a new life with her children, but the scars would remain for years to come.
It was one of the hardest things she has ever done, she says.
“The psychosis can really take a toll,” she admits.
More challenges would follow. In 2009, Annette lost her mother to a battle with cancer, and it was both traumatic and eye-opening.
“It was a pivotal point in my life,” she shares. “I knew she did a lot for me, but as a single parent, I didn’t realize how much until I lost her."
Thankfully, Annette would eventually meet Jim, and he provided the strength she needed to move forward and pursue her goals.
“He believed in me,” she acknowledges. “He made me realize that all the bad stuff was in the past, and I didn’t have to keep living it. He taught me I was strong and helped me to undo the mental trauma caused by years of abuse.”
To make ends meet, Annette worked up to four jobs at a time, even while in college, just to pay the bills and care for her children.
“It was nothing to put in a 14-hour day and then put in two-to-three hours of schoolwork,” she says.
The stress of it all took a toll, and a year and a half before graduating, she injured herself so badly that she needed to have a large portion of her back fused.
That same day, she took on yet another personal challenge and quit smoking.
“A lot happened in those four years,” she recognizes.
Luckily, Annette had Jim by her side the whole time. What began as a friendship eventually blossomed, and in 2017, they began a romantic relationship that continues today.
Through it all, she persevered, and after taking one short break during her surgery, Annette graduated Magna Cum Laude.
“If you would have told me I would nail college as much as I did, I would not have believed you,” she says. “I wasn’t a bad student in school. I was just young the first time I tried college. When you have to pay for it yourself and you’re older, there’s a big difference in how you apply yourself.”
Annette Everett has celebrated several milestones including earning her college degree and having a granddaughter.
Overcoming Self Doubt
While Jim and her children provided all of the motivation Annette needed from home, she found additional support within the University, notably from Assistant Professor Bill Davis. The two formed a connection in the ACC 345 Leadership and Financial Analysis course and have maintained a professional rapport ever since.
Annette admits that while it was her favorite course in the end, at the time, she didn’t see how the topics of leadership and networking factored into an accounting degree. However, she soon began to realize how fundamental business knowledge could impact her career beyond day-to-day workflow.
“I never looked at leaders and followers the way we did in that class,” she admits. “You learn how to talk to people and get them to understand where you’re coming from,” she recalls. “I wouldn’t have known all of this if it weren’t for the information in those classes.”
As if school and life weren’t challenging enough, Annette had one very big fear when it came to facing her future: age discrimination.
“I knew my age at graduation was going to play a huge role in whether I could find a job,” she says, acknowledging the persistent bias against older Americans in the workplace.
To prepare for the possibility that she might face the same bias, she buckled down and took a number of business and marketing courses, and Honors Program courses to ensure she stood above the hiring pool.
She also developed a strategy for applying to jobs so that any potential offers or interviews would coincide with her graduation date. With her sights set on a role in the New York State Department of Tax and Finance, she knew that working for the government would mean a lengthy and intense interview process.
Annette hadn’t interviewed in years, so she turned to Davis for help.
“He called me a few days before the interview and told me, ‘Go in and sell yourself, explain why you want it, and put the frosting on the cake,” she says. “That’s what I did, and they were amazed.”
In addition to researching the job in its entirety, Annette developed a number of responses to potential questions and memorized past scenarios in which she could point to specific challenges and the actions she took to address them. A big part of her H&R Block job involved researching and educating clients, and she was able to draw on that plus her lessons from her degree to develop her own action plan for achieving success in the position.
The recruiter was impressed with Annette’s responses also acknowledging her ability to raise two children while working multiple jobs and attending school.
Annette has now been in her role for two years, recently completing the mandatory probationary period with her employer.
“All those fears that I couldn’t do what I went to school for were gone,” she says. “It applied immediately. It’s such an accomplishment to have made it through these past two years.”
Of course, her position didn’t come without a few of its own obstacles, including her lack of knowledge using certain tools such as Excel. Again, she faced it head on, calling on Davis for his thought leadership and expertise.
With his guidance, she accepted the challenge and read books, watched instructional YouTube videos, and like she did during her former tax preparer days, she taught herself how to use the tool.
“The more you do for yourself and more you achieve your goals,” she says. “There are people in the office who are more seasoned auditors who will ask me about Excel now,” she laughs.
Annette has settled into her role, but she’s not done pursuing her passion.
Her next goal: becoming a certified accountant and enrolling in master’s degree courses.
Until then, Annette is focusing on her family and her current career.
In 2019, she became a grandmother, and she enjoys spending time with her children and Jim whenever they get the chance.
After everything she’s been through and everything she’s achieved, the future is brighter than ever.
“If you try hard enough you can succeed at anything you put your mind to,” she says. “I was a single parent through all of it, and being able to show my kids that I can achieve success, do whatever I put my mind to, and overcome all the bad is possible if you just try and believe in yourself,” she says. “You can overcome adversity, trauma, everything.”
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Certain degree programs may not be available in all states.
*Ashford University is now the University of Arizona Global Campus.
**Successful completion of this program by itself does not qualify a student to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination.
Written by Erin Ansley, UAGC Content Manager, and Jason Latham, a frequent contributor to the UAGC Forward Thinking blog.