Maybe the crowning irony of the accounting occupation’s pipeline downside is that persons are staying away from accounting in droves simply in the intervening time that it’s turning into a greater place to work than ever earlier than.
It is true: That is the most effective time in historical past to be an accountant. Younger individuals becoming a member of the occupation now will receives a commission extra, have extra flexibility, get extra enter into how their corporations function, do extra fascinating work, have extra profession alternatives, have way more freedom in what they put on to work, and simply typically take pleasure in themselves greater than any earlier era of accountants in historical past.
It is a nice story to inform, and accounting corporations and the occupation as a complete have to shout it from the rooftops to assist attract younger individuals into accounting careers. However agency leaders additionally want to understand that these careers are altering, and that the younger individuals they’re hoping to attract in will face a really completely different set of selections than they did.
Take the truth that younger accountants even have selections: As an illustration, most of them will be capable to costume for his or her day — however that does not imply they will know what’s acceptable. Many will be capable to check out completely different components of the agency to seek out out which inserts them greatest, however that does not imply they will essentially be capable to acknowledge what suits them greatest. Equally, it is unbelievable that younger accountants are in a position to tackle extra duty earlier of their careers, however that does not imply that they’ve the administration (and self-management) expertise to deal with it.
Younger accountants have extra alternatives than ever earlier than, however they’re additionally going to want the abilities, self-knowledge and steering to benefit from them. They should perceive that they are going to need to be extra proactive in managing their careers than earlier generations, determining which alternatives are proper after which pursuing them, whereas on the identical time laying out their very own long-term roadmaps to reaching each their work and private targets.
And the occupation wants to assist them. It’s not sufficient simply to supply the alternatives — corporations should clearly lay out the profession paths accessible to their younger accountants, and practice them within the enterprise and administration expertise they will want primarily based on these chosen paths. And managers and mentors want to assist them establish their strengths and weaknesses, and information them towards alternatives that swimsuit each.
Ultimately, for younger accountants to have extra alternatives than ever earlier than, agency leaders and managers might want to do extra hands-on administration and profession improvement work than ever earlier than, however the different is seeing these younger accountants flee the occupation after just some years — or, worse but, not becoming a member of it within the first place.
