Written by Evan Bonfield
Head of Business Development, ReBokeh Vision Technologies, Inc.
“I like this guy, he likes money!”
“I like this guy, he likes money!” is what a manager announced to the room, about me, when I had informed the accounting firm that rather than taking time off to study for my CPA exams, I was going to stay and work full time instead. The clear misconception was that I made this choice because of the financial reward of working in a position with high earning potential. This rubbed me the wrong way. Was that the type of groupthink established value I would represent? Being that this was something I had experienced in just my first month on the job, I was in for a bumpy ride.
The real reason I chose to work was to gain insight into whether this was the right career path for me before I sunk hours into studying for four separate exams. For almost a year, the days were indistinguishable. One blended into the next, into the next, and into the next. Monotony. After almost a year of updating spreadsheets, tracking billable hours, some late nights, and a lot of coffee, the voice in the back of my head finally spoke up while sitting in traffic on the Garden State Parkway. “What am I doing?”
The Plan and the Problem
Ever since high school, after taking an accounting elective in my freshman year, I wanted to be an accountant. I excelled in the course, and it all made sense to me. I had it all figured out. I had my whole life planned out and I was only 14! As I began to tell people my life plans, the feedback I was receiving only pushed me along further. Aside from the sheer astonishment people had when hearing a 14-year-old say he wants to be an accountant, they would assure me that this was a great career choice. I was told I could work for any company I wanted. After all, everyone always needs an accountant. Plus, I could make a lot of money. That was it, I was off to the races. I was on a pathway that no one could pull me from… not even myself.
Upon arriving at Tulane University in New Orleans, where I would later graduate, I was faced with an abundance of opportunity where I could pursue my interests and learn more about what the world has to offer. I was given the opportunity to explore an array of different courses and tae advantage of multiple resources to help me discover myself, and where I wanted to go in this world. I ignored all of it! I pursued my undergraduate degree in finance and joined the Master of Accounting (MACCT) program because I felt like that combination would best suit me for a career in public accounting. Again, I had a plan, and nothing could deter me from it.
I went through my college experience with one goal in mind: get through the MACCT program and get my degrees so I can land a job at a “Big Four” firm. I wanted to position myself for what would be a fruitful career, and by fruitful, I mean lucrative. With this idea in mind of what success was to me, I kept to my path thinking I was growing and moving toward something grand. Little did I realize I wasn’t allowing myself to grow at all. I wasn’t trying new things, exploring my interests, or doing anything outside of my comfort zone as they were a threat to my long-existing, carefully-crafted plan. Instead, I ignored all the red flags along the way, including my lack of interest in anything I was studying…which was likely an indicator of a poor career choice. And finally, I got to my “busy season” internship. For one semester of the MACCT program, you are expected to go work for a Big Four firm during their busy season.
I arrived at one of the Big Four firms just after the New Year in 2021. For the next few months, I would work with an understaffed tax accounting team to help them meet their tax day deadline, slated for April 14. During my bout of consecutive 80-90 hour work weeks I received a lot of information that started to make me think. After asking several coworkers their thoughts on the job, I received countless unenthusiastic replies along the lines of “it’s alright,” a warning not to calculate my hourly wage during busy season, and several stories about how they were planning to leave… some are still planning. The final jolt to my inner core came when I asked my manager in a check-in meeting how he liked the job. Considering he had spent some odd years there working his way up, I thought he was the one to ask. His response: “eh, it’s alright. The money is good.” Was that it?
At the conclusion of my internship, I received a job offer to join the prestigious firm the following year, upon the completion of my Master’s program. I really thought my first job offer would feel a lot more exciting, but I was confused and I felt my plan begin to crumble. I was still trying to piece together all the feedback I received during the course of my internship, none of which was particularly great. I felt a little empty, and I started to tweak my plan to fit in line with a few things I considered to be valuable in a career.
First and foremost, I wanted to feel like I was helping people and making some sort of difference in the world. I also wanted to have a bit more of a social and collaborative work environment, rather than working on my own in front of a screen most of the day.
With some careful consideration and dissection of my plan, after finishing the MACCT program, I turned down the Big Four firm and took my talents elsewhere, to a smaller, private accounting and consulting firm. The theory was that my plan was still great, but public accounting just wasn’t the right landing pad. Instead, in consulting I would find all of the things I was looking for. I would be more client-facing, I could get the social collaboration while directly helping clients with complex issues, and I could even earn more.
So there I was, on the Garden State Parkway, realizing I was wrong and truly disconnected. I finally admitted to myself that my life plan, nine years of work, had led me astray. Rather, it wasn’t the plan, but the values that crafted it. This was the moment I discovered the meaning of a values-driven career. I knew then that it was time to align myself with my own values, leave the accounting profession, and find a job where I was doing more than simply making a nice paycheck. While I have the utmost respect for the accounting profession (even more now), the role it plays in business, and the people who work tirelessly to make sure it’s done right, this was not the career path for me.
Finding Purpose in work with ReBokeh
At a time when I was learning the meaning of a values-driven career, I discovered a young and passionate entrepreneur in Rebecca Rosenberg, the founder and CEO at ReBokeh. She was dedicated to working for a social cause she had experienced her entire life, and was using her biomedical engineering background not to chase her earning potential, but to build something from the ground up and solve a problem for the people she identified with.
ReBokeh was the company where I could use my business tangential background to help contribute to something truly greater than myself. I decided to apply for a job, and after speaking with Rebecca a couple of times during the interview process, I could sense that she was dedicated to purposeful work for a greater good. Not only that, but Rebecca was working to show the world that assistive tech, the heart of ReBokeh’s mission, can be successful, and that it was worth building. She wants ReBokeh to be more than an example, but rather a framework for how to build assistive tech successfully so that others may follow.
Rebecca’s grand vision is of a world where people willingly build assistive tech for communities that are often overlooked or last in line. This was a company that prioritized community-driven values and social impact. I had the opportunity to jump into an early-stage startup, what Rebecca calls “trial by fire,” and follow a passion-driven founder with a clear vision of a better world. This was a values-driven career, and this was what I was looking for. I knew right away – I wanted in.
After a successful interview process, I landed the role of Head of Business Development at ReBokeh. I’m proud to say that, now, I get to be part of a team that is building assistive technology directly for people in the low-vision community. Everything that we do is influenced by the feedback from and the challenges faced by this population who also serve as our beta testers. Whether we are updating features, implementing new ones, or making decisions for the future, ReBokeh is a company that is built by and for the community we serve.
Finally, after years of misguided thinking, I’ve found a place where I truly belong. I have found my professional purpose.
So, what did I learn along the way? To future college grads and those progresing towards it, consider this advice:
1. The Pain of Regret Is Greater Than That of Uncertainty
The fear of uncertainty is a powerful driver. It can lead us in ways we don’t really want to go. I encourage you to embrace the uncertainty and try as many different things as you can before you make any decisions. Don’t be driven by fear, drive yourself.
2. An Impactful Career Is a Job Well Done
Design your career around what makes you feel purposeful. If you resonate with the work you are doing and the value you are providing, you’re on the right track. This is unique to the individual, and it may take time.
3. When All You Look Forward To Is the Paycheck, the Paycheck Will Go Stale
Money is a powerful tool, but it’s just that: a tool. Create a healthy relationship with it. It isn’t everything, trust me.
4. Forget About Your Life Plan
While I certainly have experiences that lends themselves to this advice, I cannot take credit for this one. This is the title of a Ted Talk given by the late Pave LaPere, a pioneer of the Baltimore start-up ecosystem where ReBokeh resides. I wish I had heard this prior to graduation, so I’m giving it to you. Although she is no longer with us, Pava dedicated her life to mission-driven work and her words and wisdom will continue to guide the world towards making a difference.
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Evan Bonfield is the Head of Business Development at ReBokeh Vision Technologies, an assistive tech company that builds tools for people with a moderate, uncorrectable vision impairment. A 2023 Venture for America fellow, Evan is a purpose-driven professional who leverages his talents to spark new business and help ReBokeh achieve its goal of empowering those with a vision impairment. Evan is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, where he studied Accounting. He is ReBokeh’s first full-time employee.