Whoever said there are no second acts in life obviously never met Ronee Jones.
The 51-year-old grandmother of five didn’t always see herself on the path where she currently stands, but she was always looking for that career that would fulfill her. Unfortunately, the career in telecommunications that she had for over 20 years was just not it.
Just a few years from retirement, Jones’ position in her company was cut leaving her with two options: occupy another position in the company or take the severance package they offered to her.
Instead of wringing her hands and despairing about the reversal of fortune she faced, she took the severance and looked at it as the chance she needed to find a career that would bring her joy instead of just a paycheck.
Taking advantage of the company’s offer of a retraining program, Jones began attending Renton Technical College where she found she not only had a talent for accounting, but she had a love for it. Jones took as many classes as she could before transferring her credits to Central Washington University-Des Moines to turn those credits into a long-dreamed-of degree.
How Networking Led to Shannon & Associates
During her time at Central Washington University, Jones met accounting professor and mentor Jenny Cravens who encouraged Jones and put her on the path she needed to follow to graduate. Cravens also helped Jones network at accounting events hosted by Central Washington University.
At one of these events, representatives from Shannon & Associates had the pleasure of meeting Jones and immediately saw that this driven and talented woman would be the perfect addition to the accounting firm.
Agreeing to work around her class schedule, Shannon & Associates knew they had an asset in Jones with her strong communication skills, her impeccable customer service, and her ability to create positive and lasting relationships with clients that are so important to our industry.
Graduation and Future Plans
On June 5, with family and loved ones cheering her on, Jones graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from CWU-Des Moines. Her next goal is to hit the books again to earn her Master’s degree to fulfill a dream of teaching accounting part-time.
As an adjunct professor, she hopes to not only represent people of color in the accounting field but reach students like her who are finding a love and joy in accounting that they haven’t experienced in the workplace before.
“There is no time limit,” Jones said. No time to learn, no time limit to find the career path that makes all the hard work to get there worthwhile.
Learn more about Ronee’s story in her Employee Spotlight.
