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For professionals in public tax or audit, what skills helped you succeed most in your first year, and what do you wish you focused on more in college?
I’m planning to go into public accounting and want to be as prepared as possible before starting full-time. I’m especially interested in skills that aren’t always emphasized in coursework.
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Tiara’s Answer
From what I've seen, it's really helpful to know the tax laws well. They have all the info you need and show you what to do. You don't need to remember everything, but it's useful to know which parts talk about the specific task you're working on.
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Melina’s Answer
Hey Niki, I highly recommend that you take some courses in tools like Excel, Power BI, data analytics, etc. As a recent graduate, you’ll probably be doing repetitive tasks, so if you find ways to automate them, you’ll be able to spend your time learning the most important aspects of the procedures you’re executing.
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Jessica’s Answer
Niki - Outside of your coursework I would highly recommend focusing on your soft skills. Some of these skills could be how to communicate effectively in the workplace and understanding your audience. Public accounting is a client service business and you will spend a lot of time talking with clients and/or future clients. AI continues to be at the forefront and learning more about this space will also be beneficial on how you will be able to apply it on your daily tasks!
Steven Graham
Chief Accounting Officer, Corporate Controller, VP Finance
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Steven’s Answer
Niki-the best way to succeed in your first year is to cover the intangibles that will help you experience what it means to work in accounting. Try for summer internships with the Big Four or other large corporations in accounting that will introduce you to the business world, how to be a professional, etc. Most importantly, make sure that the internship is with a company/firm that is using AI in their accounting functions as that will introduce you not only to learning the skill but put you a leg up on other entry level applicants.
If you’re taking a cpa preparation course, depending on what stage you’re in , you may only be required to take 120 hours of courses. When I went to school, I was required to take 150 hours and the 30 extra credits were economics, etc and other similar non-accounting type courses that helped round out the education. With the increasing complexity of accounting, you really have to focus on everything.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
If you’re taking a cpa preparation course, depending on what stage you’re in , you may only be required to take 120 hours of courses. When I went to school, I was required to take 150 hours and the 30 extra credits were economics, etc and other similar non-accounting type courses that helped round out the education. With the increasing complexity of accounting, you really have to focus on everything.
Hope this helps. Good luck.