This post’s image is a reference to this old pic of a Moss Adams employee working poolside on the weekend.
In yesterday’s “Pipeline update: Perceptions of accounting brighten among students” published on Journal of Accountancy, we find out there’s a new Center for Audit Quality pipeline survey that picked the brains of almost 3,500 high school and college students to get their thoughts on the profession. There’s also a press release from the CAQ: CAQ Releases Updated Research Exploring Key Trends in Accounting Career Pipeline
CAQ spun the survey results thusly in their report:
Despite differences in how students move through the educational pipeline toward accounting careers, an encouraging shift has been occurring in how the profession is perceived across all student groups since the 2021 research. The data reveals improvements across all student populations, with particularly notable transformations in how students view accounting’s value proposition, long-term earning potential, and work-life balance. Where students once might have viewed the profession as merely processing numbers, more now see accounting as a field where they can make substantial contributions, with gains in this perception across all groups.
Financial perceptions have evolved positively as well. Although initial salaries remain a sticking point, students across all backgrounds are taking the long view, with significant increases in those who recognize accounting’s potential for substantial earnings over time. This suggests a growing awareness of career progression possibilities in the field. Perhaps most significantly, the perception of accounting as demanding endless hours of grueling work appears to be fading across all groups, with substantial increases in students who now believe that the profession can offer the work-life balance many of today’s students prioritize. [Emphasis ours]
The propaganda is working! Said the CAQ in their press release:
According to the Accounting+ 2024 annual report, many of these key messaging and outreach strategies deeply resonated with student populations. Accounting+ reached students more than 2 billion times via paid advertising, social media, and other digital platforms, leading to 26 million website visits in 2024 (an 86% increase from 2023) and 8 million new users (a 100% increase from 2023). The updated research shows encouraging progress in shifting the perception of accounting careers among students; however, significant roadblocks remain in translating this perception into increased enrollment numbers. A continued profession-wide, comprehensive approach is crucial to engage new students and provide educators with the resources they need to build a stronger, more competitive talent pool.
CAQ’s Accounting+ initiative should not be confused with the VR game of the same name:
This is CAQ’s Accounting+ on YouTube, with 1.05k subscribers and 48 videos. According to Social Blade, the channel has 9,754,342 video views total and less than 50 views per day on average:
And this is TikTok where they have 43.5k follows:
@accounting.plus ✨✨ ✨ The real value in a job comes from the experiences you gain and the passion you bring to the table. #CareerAdvice #AcctIsLimitless
♬ original sound – Accounting+
@accounting.plus Promotions? In this economy? No sweat. Accounting’s got you covered. Learn how to get started on our website. Link in bio.
♬ original sound – Accounting+
@accounting.plus Nothing beats the ASMR chill of a fresh soap cut—except maybe post-accounting midterm hangs with the crew and snagging that scholarship bag. Tap the link in bio.
♬ original sound – Accounting+
OK but let’s check out the actual Perceptions of Accounting numbers from the CAQ’s updated survey, that’s what we’re here to talk about. AAPI = Asian American and Pacific Islander.
Looks like Accounting+ needs to amp up the “accounting majors have a variety of career paths to choose from” talking point (this is not sarcasm, they actually should do that). It could be that, for the college students anyway, the messaging they’re getting from campus reps, recruiters, their peers, and professors is that it’s public accounting or nothing — particularly Big 4 — straight out of graduation.
You can grab the 19-page report from CAQ here.
Pipeline update: Perceptions of accounting brighten among students [Journal of Accountancy]
Man, they are serving better Kool Aid than they were serving when I was in school.