Don't fall into a nostalgia trap. Before reversing course try to remember why changes were made. Maybe the incentives, and implementation, were skewed, not the new rules.
Excellent article, Francine. A lot of food for thought about an issue with no easy answers. Having taught financial statement auditing, including ethics, for eight years , I was somewhat frustrated about all that needed to get packed into a 150 hour curriculum. Having said that, an option worth exploring is reducing the required university hours and imposing more on the firms through an apprentice type model, or something similar. I know that the firms already invest massively in the continuing education of their professional staff, but perhaps some additional study on how that training is designed and implemented is worth exploring. I also have thoughts on how ethics should be taught and reinforced throughout one’s career, but will leave that for another day.
Thanks Tom. I agree. I don't agree with imposing a burden on students by mandating a masters degree but I think that the requirements need to be rethought and brought as current as possible, with as much hands-on applied knowledge as possible. Too many curriculums just teach to the CPA exam. That only works for those going to public accounting and audit. Perhaps a hybrid model that gets the ball rolling with 120 hours of applied knowledge and ongoing professional education/apprenticeship that preps for the CPA exam if that is the career choice. So many could do so much more with a fulsome accounting degree in many other careers, as I have.
A friend of mine told me, upon joining an accounting firm they took the "hustle" culture to such extremes, for 3 months after college, she didn't have a permanent desk, despite not being immediately client facing or travelling for business,...it was celebrated as a cultural thing. Then also, there are the anecdotal postings (from the UK especially, about ridiculous hours of work, years on end....)
Excellent article, Francine. A lot of food for thought about an issue with no easy answers. Having taught financial statement auditing, including ethics, for eight years , I was somewhat frustrated about all that needed to get packed into a 150 hour curriculum. Having said that, an option worth exploring is reducing the required university hours and imposing more on the firms through an apprentice type model, or something similar. I know that the firms already invest massively in the continuing education of their professional staff, but perhaps some additional study on how that training is designed and implemented is worth exploring. I also have thoughts on how ethics should be taught and reinforced throughout one’s career, but will leave that for another day.
Thanks Tom. I agree. I don't agree with imposing a burden on students by mandating a masters degree but I think that the requirements need to be rethought and brought as current as possible, with as much hands-on applied knowledge as possible. Too many curriculums just teach to the CPA exam. That only works for those going to public accounting and audit. Perhaps a hybrid model that gets the ball rolling with 120 hours of applied knowledge and ongoing professional education/apprenticeship that preps for the CPA exam if that is the career choice. So many could do so much more with a fulsome accounting degree in many other careers, as I have.
A friend of mine told me, upon joining an accounting firm they took the "hustle" culture to such extremes, for 3 months after college, she didn't have a permanent desk, despite not being immediately client facing or travelling for business,...it was celebrated as a cultural thing. Then also, there are the anecdotal postings (from the UK especially, about ridiculous hours of work, years on end....)