One day, while playing soccer with his friends at Cal Poly, Spencer Zhang started kicking a football and surprised himself by how well he could kick.  

Maybe I could try out for the Cal Poly team, he thought aloud. Except he had never played football before.

“I don’t know about that,” his friends responded.

As he continued to play, Zhang soon learned he could kick a 60-yard field goal – an impressive feat

With help from a kicking coach in San Diego, he eventually tried out for the Mustangs football team during the winter of his sophomore year and made the team.

While injury would curtail his playing, Zhang’s experience taught him a lot of lessons that he took into his personal and professional career, including time management.

Zhang, who served as president of the Cal Poly Accounting Club (CPAC) before recently graduating, has played soccer his early life, golf in high school and football in college, and each sport has helped shape his work ethic and perspective.

Zhang’s experience training with the football team his sophomore year, and waking up at 5 a.m. for practice, changed the way he schedules his days.

“I wasn’t really an early bird back then, but I’d say now I’m the one of those types of people that wakes up early and goes to work right away,” Zhang said. “Before I played football, I never went to the gym, and now gym is part of my lifestyle.”

Playing competitive golf in high school taught Spencer Zhang to relax under pressure.

“You learn so much in golf because it’s such a mental game,” Zhang said. “You really learn how to stay calm throughout the tournament, or round, because if you let your emotions get the best of you, it’s not going to turn out great.”

And soccer allowed him to be a part of a tight knit squad and learn what it means to be a part of a team. These sport lessons have helped him in his accounting studies and as a team player in CPAC.

Zhang graduated in winter quarter and landed a job at Ernst & Young as an employee of the assurance staff, where he will help clients ensure their financial records are accurate, reliable, and transparent.. He will begin his role in the late summer or early fall.

Zhang chose accounting due to the job opportunities and security.

“I’ve always thought I was someone who was good with numbers, so that drew me into accounting even though accounting doesn't really have much to do with advanced math,” he said. “It's more about understanding rules, structure and using basic math meticulously”

While accounting has a reputation for being boring, the career outlook for graduates stands out.

“In today’s world, the job market is pretty tough, and one of the best aspects of accounting is that you are very likely to secure a job right after college, and the pay is great,” Zhang said.

Zhang gave advice for how he was able to achieve opportunities in his personal and professional life.

“One time when I was trying out for the football team, and one of my old friends said I wasn’t going to make it,” Zhang said. “But I did. If you don’t believe in yourself, why would anyone else believe in you?”

FINDING SPORTS

Originally from New Jersey, where he started his soccer journey at about four years old, his family moved to San Diego when he was around seven. He was known for being a powerful ball striker.

“People have always said, back in middle school and elementary school, I’ve always had a big boot,” Zhang said.

Zhang switched to golf in high school, because he felt like he wasn’t  progressing in soccer and started to enjoy golf more.

After playing competitively in high school, he committed at first to play Division 3 golf at Amherst College. But he changed his mind before going to Massachusetts

“Amherst was just such a different environment compared to where I’m from in San Diego,” Zhang said. “It’s just complete opposite: Middle of nowhere, the closest airport is three hours away. It wasn’t really my type of vibe, but someplace on the West Coast, like Cal Poly, felt much more like me: close to the beach, not too far from my hometown, and with a nice college town feel.”

On the football team in sophomore year, he practiced five times a week, waking up early and going until 11 a.m., honing a combination of football kicking and lifting. During spring ball however, he eventually suffered back and groin injuries, which prevented him from playing in any games.

"If you don’t believe in yourself, why would anyone else believe in you?”

                                             Spencer Zhang

“I tried out with a 60-70 percent leg, so it was tough,” Zhang said. “I had to play through it during the tryout. And then first couple of weeks, I asked if I could rest my leg and they said I had to keep going, keep playing through, unfortunately, if I wanted to get the chance to play in the fall.”

Zhang wants to return to competitive play, like golf tournaments, as he is committed to his training once he is healthy.

In addition to being involved in the sports community on campus, Zhang got quickly involved in the accounting club at Cal Poly, filling the positions of director of DEI, Vice president of events and president.

“My leadership and collaboration skills have improved a lot, and I’ve made many great friends through this club,” Zhang said. “Being on board can definitely be a big time commitment, but it’s absolutely been worth it and has been one of the most meaningful parts of my college experience.”

The CPAC has weekly meetings that feature presentations from Big four industry and regional firms, according to Cal Poly Now. The club has networking, resume workshopping and community service opportunities for those interested in accounting. There is an emphasis on public accounting firms.

The club offers informational panels, career fairs, philanthropy and social events.

While sports might not seem to relate to an accounting career, juggling football, sports rehabilitation and his executive roles on CPAC made him realize new strengths.

“Even though it was one of my toughest mental experiences, it was a period where I learned a lot about myself,” Zhang said.

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