Accounting doesn’t have a reputation for being a particularly exciting career.
Take dour cat lady Angela and bumbling Kevin from The Office, goofy Barney Varmn and Ben Wyatt from Parks and Recreation, or nerdy Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) in Ghostbusters, who plans to expense his dinner party before becoming possessed by a demon.
Ziply Fiber VP of Accounting Beth Druffel finds accounting an incredibly exciting career—and not in the possessed-by-demons way. But having worked in a range of fields, including mining, paper and hospitality, she’s had some Hollywood-level experiences, like working 15,000 feet above sea level in Bolivia and traveling with armed bodyguards through remote Mexico.
Her love for the field of accounting is why she now gives back to students at the University of Idaho as a member of the College of Business advisory board and as past board chair of the Department of Accounting.
"Every time we visit campus, we meet with students and advise them on career paths," she says. "Recently, I encouraged one student to join Ziply Fiber. He's now on our team. Interacting with these students is energizing. They're open-minded, supportive of one another and generate ideas that balance profit with societal impact."
Growing up as a shy kid on a farm near Pullman, WA, Beth credits her education at the University of Idaho for helping her build her skills and confidence and for putting her on the right track. "They really took me under their wing and developed my confidence and put me in a place where I could succeed in the business world," she says.
Beth now gives back to students what she gained. "Being involved with two advisory boards has given me a lot of insight into how valuable alumni support really is to the students," she says. "We support them by providing networking, jobs, scholarships, and by being role models for what they can achieve. I think I may get as much out of it as I put into it."
Another way she gives back is by guiding women in a male-heavy field.
"I have been one of a small number of women in many boardrooms," she says. "I enjoy sharing my experiences and mentoring other women to help move the glass ceiling for future generations."
She recently took part in the Women in Business Summit at the university, where she gave a speech on resilience and integrity.
"I talked about the importance of not giving into pressure to do things wrong, because it sets a precedent, and then you find yourself on a path that you can't backtrack from," she says. "There are two things that nobody can take away from you: your education and your integrity. If you give away your integrity, it's gone."
Even though her shyness was an obstacle she eventually overcame to lead a successful and adventurous career, when Beth was young, she still believed that she could succeed on her own. Networking, she has learned, is the name of the game. That's one of the most important lessons she can impart to the accounting students she meets.
"Don't underestimate the power of networking," she tells them. "I originally wanted to be someone who made it on my own without help. The reality is that every single job I have had has been because of a networking connection."
