Identical on (Almost) All Accounts
Identical twins Trisha Daughtrey and Dana Pearson were uncertain about what they wanted to do for a career – until they each separately took an aptitude test that pointed toward accounting.
“I’ve always liked math,” said Daughtrey, who took the test while finishing up her general education classes at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria. “I’ve always liked games. I answered all these questions, and it popped up with CFO.”
Pearson’s original plan was different.
“Originally, I wanted to actually be a teacher, a preschool teacher, because at the time my daughter was 3 or 4 years old,” Pearson said. “And I just was obsessed with her. I loved kids. So, I started to go down that path.”
She soon realized that the teaching field lacked the financial opportunity that she also sought and prepared for a pivot. She took her own aptitude test that recommended she become a bookkeeper.
For the twins, who grew up in Orange Cove, California, the tests also led them to the Orfalea College of Business.
Daughtrey had never really considered accounting as a viable career path.
“I looked it up, and it was like, oh, accounting, I never really thought about accounting. And I do like numbers,” she said. “And so, I started looking around. And that’s when I started looking at Cal Poly. They had a really good college of business.”
Four years later it was Pearson’s turn. Around that same time, her sister was studying accounting at Cal Poly, and loving every minute. As Pearson watched her thrive, she visualized herself in this same trajectory.
“I knew I was relatively good with numbers,” she said. “And then, it was funny, I just thought to myself, if I get into Cal Poly and go into accounting, she could just help me with my homework.”
Glancing at her twin, Pearson flashed a reminiscent smile before she continued, “You can just give me all the answers! She didn’t actually give me all the answers, but she definitely helped. It was a huge benefit.”
Although the twins end up in the college, it was not at the same time: Daughtrey attended 2002 to 2004, while Dana was a student from 2006 to 2009.
Despite the school connection, the twins did not have a uniform experience, not in their education nor in their careers. When Daughtrey, who became a CPA in 2010, reflects on her time as an accounting student, she was in love from the start.
“I started taking classes at Cuesta, and that’s it, I just loved accounting,” Daughtrey said. “To me, accounting is like a game. It’s like solving a puzzle.”
Pearson had a different relationship with the work.
“I’m a little more artistic than she is,” said Pearson while looking thoughtfully at her sister. “She’s a little more structured.”
Their careers also took divergent paths.
Daughtrey started teaching accounting courses at Cal Poly in early 2014 and serves as the CFO of Splash Café, a popular eatery in Pismo Beach especially known for its clam chowder. She also heads Cal Poly’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, where students prepare tax returns for community members. Pearson, in contrast, went in the financial analysis, working for various renewable energy organizations since 2010.
While the trajectories aren’t entirely parallel, the career similarities are certainly something the twins can bond over.
“I mean, we talk about work a lot,” Pearson said. “Because we can relate. I know what she’s talking about what she says GL accounts and things like that. We also like to complain a lot, because accounting can be very difficult at times, especially when clients don’t have good books.”
While the pair certainly value the shared work experience, they work to keep their relationship balanced and well-rounded.
“I really enjoy the fact that I can just bounce ideas off her, which I do often,” Pearson said. “She’ll come to me with questions. And I have lots of questions for her. But I just try not to talk about work too much, honestly. Monday to Friday, eight to five.”
Since the pair were young, they were also each other’s built-in best friend. Yet they also presented a theme of individuality.
“She was more of a tomboy,” Pearson shared. “She was always football, and I was Barbies and makeup.”
While aptitude tests showed them the way forward as adults, family ties continue to bind.
“We’re really close,” Daughtrey said with a smile. “We’re 44 years old, and we still talk pretty much every day. She lives in Templeton, and I live here in San Luis Obispo.”
Despite being fundamentally identical with related careers, the twins have different looks and their own styles: Pearson sports long hair and a nose piercing; Daughtry has a more conservative look, with no facial piercings and short hair.
Reflecting about the best part of being a twin, Pearson is quick to add: “Always having a friend.”