Exploring the “epic” opportunities a career in accounting offers
21 August 2024
A recent accounting industry event highlighted the diverse range of career opportunities available to accounting students.
The perception that accountants only work with numbers was just one of many myths busted at a recent accounting industry event held at the University of Auckland’s Business School. Titled “Navigating your journey in Accounting”, the panel discussion was hosted by the Business School in partnership with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CAANZ) and MYOB. “What this event highlighted is that being an accountant is just one of the potential careers studying accounting can lead to,” explains panel facilitator Shailan Patel, Education Manager at MYOB. “It demonstrated the accounting profession's adaptability and future potential to Gen Z, who are eager to navigate their journey in this industry.”
Four panellists – Ashleigh Whitmore, Human Resources Coordinator at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway; Ken Kim, a current Accounting student and KPMG intern; Renee Mitchell, an accountant at Humphries Landscaping; and Tamsin Kingston, Career Development Adviser at the Business School – shared insights and knowledge from their own experiences with an enthusiastic audience of secondary school students, first-year university students, parents and teachers. With over 120 people in attendance, the event marked the biggest turnout yet for this highly successful initiative, which has now been running for five consecutive years.
I will always look at my accounting pathway as one of the best decisions I ever made. It set me up with the best foundation for business.
Christine McKinnon, Careers Engagement Manager at CAANZ, opened proceedings by introducing students to MakeEpicThingsHappen.com, a CAANZ campaign highlighting the range of career options available to accounting students. The panellists then shared why they had chosen to pursue careers in accounting and discussed the many opportunities their accounting studies had opened up for them.
For HR coordinator Ashleigh, her studies proved an excellent foundation for her career. “I will always look at my accounting pathway as one of the best decisions I ever made,” she said. “It set me up with the best foundation for business.” Similarly, Renee noted that although she was only one year into her accounting career, it had already enabled her to build valuable business skills. “Getting that exposure very early on, and learning directly from an amazing finance team in the New Zealand and Australian space, is probably the highlight of my job.”
This event showcased how accounting is at the heart of every business, and that by studying or working in accounting you can turn your passions into your career.
Panel facilitator Shailan also asked panellists to offer their “top tips” for students. “Definitely take part in club activities at uni!” advised Ken. Tamsin and Ashleigh agreed, encouraging students to seek out extracurricular opportunities. “The reason I look out for extracurriculars when I’m looking at CVs is that they teach balance,” explained Ashleigh. “It’s an important skill to develop.”
Following the discussion, students posed a number of thought-provoking questions to the panellists. Queries ranged from asking how panellists had found the transition from university to full-time employment – “It took me a while to get used to it!” confessed Renee – to voicing concerns about the impact AI technology could have on the accounting profession. In response to this, the universal consensus was that AI would continue to empower accountants, not replace them. “What I’m seeing in most industries, not just in accounting, is that AI can replace a lot of the transactional work and give you time to do more of the transformational work,” observed Tamsin. Ashleigh agreed. “AI enables me to spend my time on better things, for example advisory work.”
The formal part of the evening finished with a quick quiz which tested students with questions like “As an accountant, you can make a difference to things like climate change – true or false?” Designed as a light-hearted assessment of how well the students had been paying attention, the results suggested an excellent level of engagement.
Significantly, although the quiz offered a fun way to finish up, the message it left students with was a serious one. “This event enabled students to learn about CAANZ’s ‘Make Epic Things Happen’ campaign, highlighting that accounting is more than numbers and is the key to a world of possibilities,” explains Christine. “It showcased how accounting is at the heart of every business, and that by studying or working in accounting you can turn your passions into your career. Chartered accountants do make epic things happen!”
A special thank you to Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and MYOB for sponsoring this event.