Get to know Jake…

It’s coming up to Jake’s 3 year anniversary at Highview this June – 3 years since we welcomed him to our Prahran team in a Graduate Accountant role. Fresh out of university Jake was eager to learn and keen to earn some stripes in his career field.

Would you believe that Highview Prahran was the first accounting firm he attended a job interview at, and he was hired quickly so the job hunt was not an arduous one for Jake – we wonder if that’s because he’s such a positive, articulate and highly motivated individual? Who wouldn’t want someone like that to join their team ASAP!

Jake grew up in Croydon North with his mum, dad and two older brothers. Straight from high school he attended university at Monash in Caulfield to study a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) which he enjoyed – all while playing football for Montrose Demons which took on a key role in shaping his younger years journey and love for footy.

He’s a passionate (or ‘long suffering’ as Jake would say!) St Kilda supporter – and one of the things he’s missing most during the COVID-19 pandemic is footy – his local club, footy mates and the AFL. Especially as he himself hadn’t been playing for some time due to injury and was planning his long-awaited comeback this season prior to COVID-19 restrictions, “At least now when I return to the field, I’ll be 110% recovered!” says Jake, looking at the bright side.

He’s been enjoying spending quality time with his partner Mel during isolation, as well as his new working from home ‘colleague’ Indie (Mel’s pet dog) who’s proving to be rather demanding of his attention at times! In pre-corona days Jake and Mel would often be out socialising with friends – but are settling for social ‘video chats’ scheduled each week for a bit of fun! “Mel tried to get me into some puzzles, but I’d rather binge on Netflix movies on the couch with her to relax and unwind after a busy working week” said Jake.

Another hobby Jake had recently been getting into was bouldering (aka rock climbing) with a few of his mates. “I’m really keen to get back climbing when restrictions are lifted, we were just getting into it and having heaps of fun, so it’s definitely something I look forward to” said Jake.   

Working at Highview Prahran has been really positive for Jake, in his words, “It’s great. The office has great people, a great culture and my mentors Beau and Simon are really fantastic – I’m learning so much from them. I also love the interaction I have with clients and building strong client relationships, which is really important in my role if I’m to grow and develop my career.”

Jake’s motivated to complete his CPA studies by the end of 2020, and with only 2 subjects to go we are confident he’ll achieve this.

When asked what advice he would have for his clients during this current challenging environment Jake said, “I try to tell my clients to keep as positive as they can. There are plenty of opportunities in times like these, if we look closely for them. I remind them that things will begin to return to normal at some stage, and this won’t last forever. And importantly, that we are here to support them in any way we can. We are all in this together!”  

Thanks Jake, we couldn’t agree more with your words. Our clients and team are lucky to have you!