Mercedes Butil – Certified Public Accountant

mercedes-butil-profileHi! I am Mercedes Butil, but you can call me Mercy. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy as well as in Accounting Technology. I am proud that despite poverty, I was able to finish studying the field that I chose without having had to spend a lot.

When I finished college, I was not able to work immediately because I married early and had a daughter before I was able to take the CPA Board Examination, but it did not stop me from dreaming of becoming one. And yes! After 8 years of being a full-time mum, I had the courage to review and take the CPA Board Exam… and passed it too!

I never had what I would consider to be an impressive tenure with jobs I had in the previous 8 years before I became a CPA. Maybe that’s the reason why it took me 3 months after I passed the board exam before I landed a job. But when I started to work, my dedication as a mother was replicated in my dedication to each job that I handled. So, from being part of the accounting staff, I became an Accounting Officer, and later became a Delivery Manager.

My experience as a Delivery Manager in a BPO company that serves Australian clients on their bookkeeping and accounting needs had led me to discover skills that I didn’t know I have. I never knew that it was always easy for me to understand any accounting systems. And so, I became the in-house expert in MYOB ARL, MYOB Essentials, Xero, QuickBooks, Class Super, BGL, Online SMSF Audit, and CaseWare SMSF Audit. I did not know that I can be a reliable auditor through my exposure with bookkeeping. And I did not know that I can be proficient in on-boarding new clients and in managing a team and jobs as well.

mercedes-butil-portraitAnd life will always have a blessing in disguise…

At the peak of my career, we were blessed with a new baby in the family which made me decide to leave the corporate world and stay at home to focus on my baby. Who would not? We were blessed with our ONLY son after 10 years. I guess mums will always follow their instincts when choosing priorities. It was a blessing in disguise because even though I became a stay at home mum, I was able to get an online job that compensates even higher than what I received when I was employed!

Now, I have firmly decided that I will never go back to work in an office again. Working from home has paved the way to more opportunities. Opportunities to improve, to learn, to earn, to inspire, and to help other mums like me who want to focus on their kids and family and at the same time have a work-life balance. I will be forever grateful that there is such a thing as a “Virtual Assistant”. I believe this job is for a lifetime.

For a copy of Mercedes’s resume please click here.