Reach out: The profession's future depends on you - Special Report

For discussion sake, let's accept the following:

* Enrollment in accounting programs is declining;

* Qualified candidates are hard to find; and

* Technology-driven careers and majors are stealing away the best and brightest.

Now, we can either sit back and watch a profession we worked hard to build fade away to the annals of history like the blacksmith or Fuller Brush man, or we can take advantage of the opportunities that California's two new pathways to CPA licensure present and reach out to the next generation of CPAs.

DISAPPEARING ACCOUNTING MAJORS

It is well documented that the supply of accounting majors has shrunk dramatically over the last few years. The most likely reasons for declining enrollment are a booming economy during the second half of the decade, together with more exciting entry-level job opportunities for college students--especially in information technology. Also weighing in is a growing perception among college students that accounting is just plain boring.

Dr. Adel Novin at Winston-Salem State University surveyed non-accounting majors in a pilot study regarding their reasons for not choosing accounting as a major. Of the 14 principal reasons given, not one related to the Uniform Accountancy Act's 150-hour requirement. A full 60 percent said that accounting was boring, uninteresting or not enjoyable. Twenty-two percent cited a distain for math or numbers as the reason.

Dr. Novin also surveyed accounting majors to discover their reasons for choosing accounting. Sixty-five percent believed that either the job outlook for accountants was strong or that there was a good potential for a high salary.

So there we have it. Students generally perceive accounting as boring and dull. They will choose accounting in a bad economy when the market is grim because they can "get a job." But in a good economy when demand for college graduates is high, potential accounting majors run the other way.

California CPAs are challenged to respond to the decline in accounting majors. Although there is little that can be done about the economy--and most of us would not wish for a recession simply to increase the supply of accounting graduates--together we can unravel students' misconceptions about our profession.

STUDENT OUTREACH

CalCPA's student outreach program is designed to accurately portray CPAs as business advisers and leaders rather than "number crunchers." Several tools have been developed to aid this effort. The cornerstone is a special student magazine, Quest, that highlights some of the profession's best and brightest, sets the record straight on the diversity of career options available to CPAs, offers college and scholarship resources, and much more. In fact, high schools across the state already have requested more than 4,000 copies of Quest and the orders keep pouring in.

Other tools available to CPAs who want to participate in the outreach program include a comprehensive guide that walks you through all the steps of a high school presentation--from initial contact to a proposed news release and follow up thank you letter. There's also a PowerPoint presentation and script, as well as a lively AICPA-produced video called "Takin' Care of Business" that gives students first-person accounts of what being a CPA is all about.

In the works is participation in an interactive Internet-based game that exposes students to CPA careers. But no matter how large the toolkit grows, we won't be successful without your participation.

Most CalCPA chapters already regularly interact with students through careers, scholarships and other educational programs. Many CPAs individually promote careers in accounting by speaking and teaching at local universities--providing a realistic portrayal of professional engagements and the real-life drama that invariably accompanies these engagements.

Not only do these programs need your continued support--especially chapter scholarship funds--but members also need to venture into high schools.

BUILD DIVERSITY

As we embark on this student outreach program, consider this: Most California CPAs come from a select group. They were the students who very early during college exhibited the skills that public accounting firms deemed valuable. Most stood out for their ability to interact professionally, exude confidence and converse easily with potential employers. In short, these students had a head start in understanding the culture of business compared to their peers.

Most of these skills are learned. In many cases, students hired by public accounting firms come from families with a culture of business. Their families own or run businesses. They've interacted with CPAs and attorneys long before college. Their parents or mentors understand the subtle nuances of business and were able to impart at least some of this knowledge to their children long before the college recruitment process began.

As we look toward the next generation of CPAs, we need to rethink this model. Many students in California have not had this advantage. Their parents may be first generation Americans or blue-collar employees who view management and business professionals with suspicion. These students rarely will have interacted with business professionals and find business networking a strange and foreign concept.

Despite a more diverse background, these students, with the proper education and experience, are perfectly capable of developing into effective CPAs. In the past, the audit experience might have held them back, but this is no longer the case given California's new licensing pathways.

In one sense, the audit experience requirement created a fairly homogeneous group of California CPAs-those whose entry-level job skills were generally forged within the public accounting environment. Now, future CPAs also will be able to gain their experience in industry and government. No longer will everyone "pay their dues" the same way.

Students who choose to become CPAs will be able to gain their experience by working under an IT director at Warner Brothers just as easily as they will with a Big Five partner. What it means to be a CPA will take on new meaning, both within the profession and within the court of public opinion.

As you enter classrooms to share with students your insights about your profession, remember that one of its most appealing aspects is its diversity. And the path has been cleared for CPAs to become part of the most diverse profession in California.

Tom Dalton, Ph.D., CPA, is an associate dean of the School of Business Administration at the University of San Diego.

RELATED ARTICLE: Connecting with Gen Y

Today's high school students are smart, savvy and I looking for information. Following are some tips on how to connect most effectively with Generation Y.

* Don't hold up a mirror to them; focus on deliverabls

* Don't try to be cool.

* Talk to them, not like them.

* Don't underestimate peer power.

* Be interactive.

* Talk to everyone.

* Listen as much as you talk.

* Respond intelligently based on what you know.

Source: Wunderman

COPYRIGHT 2002 California Society of Certified Public Accountants
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group