Philadelphia Tribune - Index

Philadelphia Tribune - Spring 2009 Education Guide - Index

Page 20
Philadelphia Tribune Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Economy
driving
demand for
accountants
When disaster strikes a community,
the humble laborer steps
in to physically rebuild homes,
schools, businesses and roads.
When disaster strikes the economy,
who will be the indispensable
worker that will help rebuild the
country’s financial system? The
humble accountant, of course.
While America’s politicians
struggle to implement a rescue
package and reforms, accountants
stand poised to play a key
role in helping to rebuild the
economy. That means opportunities
for accounting jobs will continue
to expand. In fact, the U.S.
Department of Labor has predicted
continuing growth in accounting
fields for the foreseeable future.
“Following the 1929 crash that
led to the Great Depression, accountants
took a critical role in
helping to implement the regulations
created by the then newly
formed Securities and Exchange
Commission,” says Michael
Brown, a CPA and instructor at
DeVry University’s Keller Graduate
School of Management in
Fort Washington, Pa. “Just as at
that time, today much damage
has been done to the public’s
confidence in our financial system.
Just like in the 1930s, accountants
will have to lead the
way in restoring that confidence
by working to provide information
that people can understand
and, more importantly, believe
in.”
“One of the keys to rebuilding
the economy is to increase the
confidence level of ordinary people,”
agrees Andrew Hildebrand,
a CPA and dean of business programs
at DeVry University’s Fort
Washington campus. “In times
like these, people are looking for
someone to help them navigate
financial uncertainty. Accountants
are able to assist individuals
in planning for a possible layoff
or to manage their budgets if
the person is on unemployment.”
Ashton Isenberg, a DeVry
graduate who is now office manager
and accountant at Kathryn
E. Humecki & Associates, Ltd. in
Olympia Fields, Ill., agrees. “The
key is good advice,” she says. “We
have so many clients coming in
that just got bad advice from
someone. We see a lot of business
owners who have been told
what they want to hear so that
whoever is ‘advising’ them gets a
good pay day. That’s not how we
work. It’s vital to create a strong
relationship with clients and give
them the best advice for their
company.”
Demand is growing for professionals
to fill traditional accounting
roles in emerging sectors like
the government. “A variety of federal
agencies like the FBI, IRS,
DFAS and DCAA are seeking talented
financial professionals for
a variety of positions,” Brown
says. “There are also tremendous
opportunities in higher education;
need for professors of accountancy
is critical. We’re seeing
accounting firms and organizations
that are willing to fund
doctoral candidates in accounting
in order to bolster the
pipeline for future college professors.”
“One of the key areas that will
continue to trend upward is
forensic accounting,” Hildebrand
adds. “When businesses start
going under, especially the bigname
companies, people want to
dig into why it happened.”
Opportunities will continue to
emerge in auditing, as well, he
predicts. “With additional regulation
usually comes an increased
demand for assurance services.
Those accountants willing to provide
auditing services can benefit
from this trend. It’s important to
note than only a certified public
accountant can issue an audit
opinion letter. This will result in
additional demand for qualified
CPA preparation course instructors.”