maybe we should front-load the coolest parts of our profession.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
if you’re wondering why it’s so hard to find and hire qualified accounting professionals, think back to your college days … your first class in accounting, probably something like “principles of accounting.”
obviously you, a future accountant, passed the course, and apparently you found it interesting.
more: beware the work-life/workload doom spiral | why the dry pipeline? it’s about time | whole person retention: when it’s not just the money | seven enticements to keep talent on board | disruptors: talent crisis? what talent crisis? | seven steps to a stronger future | auditing standards ‘yellow book’ updated | compensation’s up, but up enough to retain staff? | cpas needed to help small biz adopt ai
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
but that puts you in a minority of students with an interest in business. according to a survey from the center for audit quality, 32 percent of students who chose not to major in accounting said lack of interest or passion was the main reason, and 70 percent said it was at least part of the reason.
no surprise, then, that only one in eight graduates in business areas major in accounting. and that’s down from one in seven in 2016.
a predictable explanation
why is this true? accounting is the language of business. it’s at the core of economic activity. it touches every part of a business, every level of business and every type of business. it offers more options for careers in business. accounting should be the most popular business major, not the least.
the national pipeline advisory group finds a predictable explanation: it’s boring.
or rather – and this is significant – accounting courses are boring, especially that first one, that introductory course that confirms the misperception of accounting as dull.
the deepest parts of business
it doesn’t have to be that way, the npag says. concepts in debits and credits and such aren’t the only principles in the profession. other principles, far more fascinating, include
- the true nature of the accounting profession
- the role of accounting in various kinds of business
- the various kinds of accounting (taxes, finance, forecasting, audit, valuation, forensic, etc.)
- accounting as language, public interest, history, evidence, philosophy, etc.
the npag suggests that the most interesting and intriguing principles of accounting should come at the beginning of the course. the introductory message shouldn’t be “it’s all about the numbers.” rather, it should be “this is one of the deepest, most pervasive and essential parts of business.”
support all the way
getting students through that first course – maintaining their interest – is crucial. but it’s not the end. accounting is not an easy major. the business department culture should not be one of “weeding out” the weak but “helping everyone pull through.” students with an interest in accounting need support all the way through college and then through the cpa exam.
- they need engaging instructors.
- they need contact with actual accountants.
- they need to experience the professional environment.
- they need financial support for all the extra credit-hours.
- they need to apply abstract concepts to real-life business.
- they need mentors.
- they need time to prepare for the cpa exam.
- they need to know that the effort will pay off.
npag says that accounting professionals need to play a role in this support. every one of the aforementioned “needs” can be satisfied with input from accountants who apply accountancy in the outside world. they can work with instructors, serve as mentors, provide jobs and internships, engage students in actual accounting situations, and offer competitive salaries.
this is how we fill the pipeline: at its intake.
one response to “to replenish the talent pipeline, go back to the classroom”
frank stitely
the shortage of professors is caused by accrediting agencies requiring doctorates to teach accounting. i had lunch with a business school president, who told me that he had to fire a number of non-phd accounting professors to satisfy accreditation. they are kicking the people with real world experience out of academia. if there’s a more useless real-world degree than a phd in accounting, i don’t know of it.