“Play the long game and enjoy the view,” said Larry Joo, a 2010 graduate from TCNJ. Based in New York City, Joo is in financial reporting at NYU Langone Health. After receiving his degree in accounting and philosophy, he earned his CPA within a year after graduation and then went on to obtain a master’s in health administration at Columbia University. His area of focus and expertise are around policy, reimbursement, and cost containment within the US’ complex healthcare system.
Considering NYU Langone Health is a major health system, he is currently responsible for month-end closes and process automation. Joo said, “I had actually completed a finance fellowship and had a good career up in Boston, but relocated to be closer to family and get a foot in the door at a NYC health system.” Following his pivot from Big 4 accounting, he continues to focus on how to improve care delivery in the US. “I hope to learn more about the population health projects occurring in NYC. I truly believe that the country needs to pivot away from the employer-based insurance model and the NYC market is dynamic enough to allow some exciting experimentation and programs in the coming years.”
Throughout his time at TCNJ, Joo was involved with the Asian American Association. He also enjoyed his “top notch accounting education” and recalls his intermediate accounting courses and his logic course as especially memorable. “I don’t think I aced either course, but learned a ton!” He also appreciated that the school and his classes were flexible enough to allow him to pursue a double major in philosophy. “That allowed me to graduate with 150 credits to take the CPA exam,” said Joo, “but more importantly, it provided me with a well-rounded education in forming a strong perspective on ethics and philosophy, as well as business.
When he was a student, Joo was concerned about how to become successful and to earn a decent salary. “I’d say it definitely matters less once you are working,” said Joo. “Most people don’t love the corporate ladder climbers. Be a genuine person and solve a problem that is important to you and things will fall into place.”
As he reflects about working from home, Joo said that there has consistently been a lot of collaboration and meetings. “Our employer is going back to 50% capacity. It’s nice to have a bit more structure to your day and walk over to talk to someone (with a mask on) if you have a question.” Instead of walking over to someone when he is working from home, Joo enjoys the company of his two cats. “They are the world to me.” In addition to his career, Joo likes to run, aiming to complete at least one marathon each year.
Words of advice: Be focused on fixing a problem or an issue and work hard towards it. Things will come into focus over time; be aware of the unknown unknowns.