If forensic accounting is an area that interests you, make sure you listen to this episode in its entirety! Steve Dawson, a CPA in the Lubbock area, shares his 30+ years of experience in the forensic accounting area with us on this episode of Life In Accounting, a podcast production of Where Accountants Go.

Finding Your Passion

The theme of finding your passion comes up numerous times in this episode. Steve initially happened on accounting as a possible career almost by accident.  He started out as a Math major, but realized that wasn’t for him so he changed to a General Business major for a while.  As Steve puts in, he was in the “introductory to introductory accounting” class when he realized that accounting was the right direction to go.  Therefore he quickly changed his major to accounting and the rest is history.

Also, as he continued to work in the audit field with Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss, he realized that it was the forensic accounting area that he most enjoyed. In fact, it was the realization that he wanted to do forensics full-time that eventually led him to take the plunge and start his own firm (Dawson Forensic Group), even though he had attained the position of partner at BSGM by that point.

Certified Concealed Carry…

One of the areas of discussion that surprised me the most was the danger that can be involved in this type of work. I knew we would be discussing criminal activity, but I thought it would be primarily following a paper trail and involve testifying in court.  As it turns out, Steve’s firm is frequently contracted by law enforcement organizations at all levels, and the perpetrators they are investigating aren’t always the mild-mannered bookkeeper.  Steve’s firm does work that lands them in precarious situations sometimes, leading to the need for the concealed carry certification.  This definitely isn’t your typical accounting job!

If forensic accounting is something you’ve considered for your own career, make sure you listen to this interview with Steve Dawson, a true forensic accounting expert.

To listen in on this interview, please click on the player below: