Joel Tillman is living proof that it’s never too early or too late to change careers. After a decade as an entrepreneur, he set out to become an accountant.
“After running my math tutorial business for 10 years and knowing how that can pull you and have certain demands, I was at a point where I wanted to work for someone else and have a better balance between my home life and work life,” he said.
Once he graduated from Boise State University’s Online Master of Science in Accountancy, Foundations in May 2024, Tillman didn’t have to wait long to begin his fourth career.
“Having a master’s degree absolutely opened some doors for me,” he said. “I applied for six positions and ended up with three offers within two months. It was a good market at that point. I got a great return on investment.”
Tillman, an assistant senior accountant at Auto Owners Insurance in Lansing, Michigan, chose accounting because he enjoyed that part of running his business, Mathnasium, for a decade.
“Once I was in the program, I found that there were more aspects of accounting that I didn’t know about,” he said. “There were also aspects of it that I really enjoyed.
“It was hard to narrow down what kind of accounting work I wanted to do, so it became what was available and what I felt like I’d be comfortable doing when I was looking for work. I am very happy in my current position.”
The online format panned out well for Tillman, who had to balance school with work and spending time with his family, which includes five children.
“I was looking at online programs because of my schedule,” he said. “I wanted to be flexible with my schedule and have the ability to do things with my family. At the time, I also still had my business, so I needed flexibility with that, too.
“Boise State was affordable, and its reputation is on the rise. The more I looked into the master’s program at Boise State, the more I thought, ‘That’s the place.’”
Initial pivot
Tillman is from Libertyville, Illinois, north of Chicago. He gravitated toward mechanical engineering and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in that field from Purdue University in 2007.
“I got into mechanical engineering because I was good at math and science,” he said. “I liked to figure out how things worked. At the time, I wanted to go into design work.
“As I progressed, I knew I didn’t want to do that type of work; it wasn’t the right fit for me. Life is what you make of it. Why get stuck in something you don’t enjoy?”
Prior to enrolling at Boise State, Tillman graduated with a master’s degree in secondary education and teaching from Trinity International University in 2010 and taught at the high school level. He was also a teaching assistant as a Boise State online student.
“I did that for two courses for two semesters while I was in the master’s program,” he said. “I didn’t do any teaching; I mainly graded papers. It was a good experience — especially as an online student.
“The online program was very flexible and easy to fit in when I needed to. It was a perfect fit for what I needed. I had done an online course before during my first master’s program, but that was back in 2009. This was a much different experience.”
Tillman enjoyed learning about fraud in Ethics in Accounting, but one of the final courses he took is especially applicable to his new role.
“It had some requirements through Becker, which is an online course that teaches through data visualization as well as Excel,” he said. “I found that pretty valuable. I work with Excel every day. Some of the things I learned there really helped me out.”
Bump, set, spike
Tillman, who enjoys playing indoor and outdoor volleyball in his free time, is happy he laid the groundwork for the next chapter of his life by earning the Online Master of Science in Accountancy, Foundations.
“You have to set your schedule at the beginning in order to manage your time,” he said. “Also, keep an open mind to the different paths you can utilize the degree toward. There are so many courses out there that might excite you, and you may not know it until you experience it.”
While thriving in his current role, Tillman knows he made the right decision to change gears and try a new field again.
“I am going to do the best job I can, continue to accept and meet new challenges and see where life takes me,” he said. “It’s funny because back in undergrad, I didn’t like accounting. Later on, my mind and perspective changed.”
Tillman knows he has the education to go along with the experience he continues to gain in the accounting field.
“There’s a lot I learned in the program that I don’t use, but that’s with any degree. You always learn more than you need in case you go to different places, but the information I learned at Boise State is definitely applicable to everything I do now.
“The early foundation courses provided some clarity and set that foundation that I needed. It wasn’t the same prior accounting experience I had. I got great value out of Boise State’s program.”
Learn more about the Online MSA
Earning an Online Master of Science in Accountancy from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.