Some people fall into their careers by accident, while others can trace theirs back to a single defining moment. Others move toward theirs gradually, without quite realizing what they are building. For Shai Hamu, the road to accounting was pieced together by experiences that, at first glance, most people wouldn’t think had anything in common.
Part of his early career was spent abroad as a financial analyst, where he learned about the importance of data in making well-informed decisions. A very different kind of learning took place during the six months he spent backpacking through Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
During that time, he saw firsthand how communities build their lives around culture, resources, and shared values. Serving overseas as a soldier added to that perspective, deepening his discipline, resilience, and awareness of the cultural contexts that influence communication.
Today, he works as a garage door technician, using the income to support himself through school while he earns his accounting degree.
Each role he has taken on, no matter how different from the last, has taught him something about how people think and what motivates them, a curiosity that now guides his next steps. As he looks toward the future, he hopes to build an accounting practice that helps small business owners understand their finances, make informed decisions, and grow sustainably.
Guided by Continuous Curiosity
Before Hamu started studying accounting, numbers already felt like familiar territory. He has always had a natural affinity for problem-solving, not because the work comes easily, but because he enjoys understanding what information can reveal when examined closely.
His early experience as a financial analyst only made that interest stronger. Working with financial systems in a real-world setting helped him see how data informs decisions and how careful interpretation can turn information into useful insight.
While working full-time and completing his degree, he looks for ways to expand his understanding beyond the classroom. He spends time engaging with local business owners, listening to business-focused podcasts, and learning from people who are personally navigating financial obstacles.
Alongside that, his long-standing interest in history and anthropology gives him a broader perspective on human behavior and the systems people create. Studying how societies develop, organize, and adapt helps him understand the cultural and social factors that influence decision-making, which he believes will be valuable when working with clients in the future.
Seeing Daily Life Through New Eyes
For Hamu, travel became one of the clearest windows into how people build their lives. In Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Malaysia, he wasn’t just passing through crowded markets or watching daily life as an outsider, but paying attention to the structure and choices communities made based on what mattered most to them.
In each country, tradition and modernity interacted differently, shaping everything from routines to expectations.
“I was struck by how each place balanced tradition with modernity in its own way,” he recalled. “Religious and community life played different roles in shaping daily routines. Seeing these contrasts helped me appreciate the diversity within Southeast Asia.”
The more time he spent in these environments, the more obvious it became that each community relied on its own form of logic. In some places, everything revolved around extended family networks. In others, it was religion or the search for economic opportunity that guided how people worked, lived, and supported one another.
“Backpacking showed me that communities structure themselves around what they value most, family, faith, or economic opportunity,” he said. “I saw how resource availability affects social roles and responsibilities.”
Even with those differences, he found common threads. Whether he was in a farming village, a coastal town, or a crowded urban center, the deeper priorities looked the same.
“Across different countries, people consistently value connection, security, and belonging,” he shared. “Many communities rely on shared rituals to strengthen relationships.”
He also saw the impact of culture on communication. Some places favored directness, while others relied on context and nonverbal cues, which demanded more awareness, more patience, and a different way of listening.
All of these experiences showed him just how differently, and how similarly, people live their lives around the world.
Understanding People by Studying Their Stories
Beyond travel, anthropology became one of the most influential lenses Shai Hamu uses to make sense of the world. It appealed to the same part of him that enjoys working with numbers, the part that wants to understand patterns, behaviors, and the underlying rules that make systems function the way they do.
Studying human societies taught him that economic and financial decisions are closely tied to the culture people come from and the values they learn over time. That perspective also helped him understand the logic within traditional and Indigenous economic systems, which often prioritize long-term relationships and mutual support instead of short-term gain.
His interests expanded into politics as well, and he learned that a government’s success or failure is determined by more than design alone.
“Politics reflects cultural values, power dynamics, and historical experiences,” he said. “Anthropology helps explain why people trust or distrust institutions.”
Hamu noticed a similar theme whenever he studied why some institutions thrive while others struggle. Strong systems tend to emerge in places where people trust one another, share common values, and feel connected to their communities. Where those elements weaken, institutions often become less stable.
Anthropology also gave him a way to understand the broader patterns that unfold across civilizations. Societies move through recognizable phases, including periods of growth, conflict, adaptation, and decline, and each is influenced by the interplay between environment, culture, and leadership.
For Hamu, these insights aren’t abstract theories. They offer a practical way to understand how people make decisions, how communities change, and how systems respond when pressure builds.
The Future He Hopes to Support
Before returning to school or exploring accounting, Shai Hamu served overseas as a soldier, forcing him to adapt to an unfamiliar environment.
“Serving overseas demanded structure, mental resilience, and the ability to adapt quickly,” he said. “It also forced me to pay attention to local cultural norms in order to communicate effectively.”
Those lessons continue to impact the way he approaches challenges now and the way he thinks about the kind of accountant he wants to become. Part of that vision ties back to his commitment to community, something he has considered a core value for years.
Looking ahead, he hopes to build an accounting practice where small business owners have access to clear information and support that’s tailored to their specific circumstances. He wants his work to go beyond calculations, equipping people with the knowledge they need to make decisions that will serve them now and well into the future.
From military service and international travel to analytical work, academic study, and the job that helps him through school, each experience has helped him understand people and the systems around them more fully. He intends to bring that understanding into his future work, approaching accounting with clarity, context, and curiosity.