Sean M. O’Reilly has business in his blood. The son of an insurance company chief financial officer, O’Reilly said he’s always known he would end up in the business world. He’s off to a strong start with his recent graduation from the University of Connecticut and his first job at Federman, Lally & Remis LLC in Farmington.
With his freshly minted Bachelor of Science in accounting, O’Reilly is starting his career on the audit side of accounting while he completes graduate-level online studies at his alma mater. After that’s finished, the Cheshire native will commence taking the four parts of the certified public account exam.
“I consider myself lucky. I’ve always wanted to go into business and the financial side of things,” said O’Reilly, 21. Initially, he was interested in pursuing finance as a course of study, but his first accounting class changed those plans. “Everything clicked,” he said. “Some people seem to get it. Some don’t. Some are good writers. Accounting is innate with me.”
One thing that doesn’t necessarily click with him is the tax side of accounting. “Tax is very interesting. I respect people who can do taxes,” he said. “We have a busy season, but it’s nothing near tax’s busy season.”
O’Reilly’s relationship with Federman, Lally & Remis dates back to an internship he had with the firm. (Even then O’Reilly asked to work on the audit side.) He also worked for the firm over school breaks. “I feel really lucky to land at the firm I did. They have diverse clients with different interests,” he said.
His friends are “jealous,” O’Reilly said, that he’s already in a well-paying job right out of school. But they don’t always grasp what his new career entails. “I have to explain what I do and that it’s a little more in-depth than they thought, especially the CPA requirements.”
With his busy academic schedule ahead of him, O’Reilly’s baseball days may be behind him. The former captain of the Cheshire High School baseball team and UConn club baseball outfielder may have to limit his involvement to fantasy baseball.
