"Careers in Accounting" class: Helping Students be Proactive in Starting their Careers Early

• In Event: Effective Learning Strategies Roundtable

Abstract

Due to the increasing importance of young professionals becoming involved with employers, and internship/leadership opportunities, earlier in their educational journey, our university developed a "Careers in Accounting" class. This is a required course for accounting majors prior to, or along with, their first upper-level major class(es).
This course is designed to help students explore and manage the professional expectations and career potential of the accounting major. Students are introduced to various opportunities in public, private, and governmental accounting, along with networking opportunities in these areas of the profession. Students participate in resume building activities, pre-interview research, practice interviews, career and leadership fairs, as well as career management strategies. Excel and details of various professional certifications are also part of this course. All students are enrolled into an “Accountancy Field Guide” Microsoft Team so they can easily access the resources to help them become successful. Registration for the university’s career site (resume upload and job postings, etc.) is one of the course requirements.
The activities and assignments are designed to prepare students for successful transitions from university to professional careers.
This poster presentation will share the syllabus and sample assignments for this course, as well as the resources available in the “Accountancy Field Guide”.

Author

• Dawn L Mason, Western Michigan University