Advice for a Successful Career in the Accounting Profession How to Make Your Assets Greatly Exceed Your Liabilities

Originally conceived and designed to provide helpful advice to college and university accounting majors and early-career professionals, this book evolved into a valuable resource for those groups as well as others who may be further along in their accounting careers.

It contains many practical examples and real-life experiences from a long and successful career in the profession that you won't find in any accounting, auditing, or tax textbook. And it is written in a fun and engaging style with a simple goal in mind: to share lessons learned and insights that will help accountants of all ages optimize their career opportunities!

Jerry Maginnis, CPA, the former Office Managing Partner for the Philadelphia office of KPMG, one of the "Big Four" Accounting Firms, currently serves as the "Accounting Executive in Residence" at Rowan University in Southern New Jersey. In this role, he has counseled and mentored dozens of students and early career professionals. The book leverages Jerry's real-world experience and his advice and counsel is delivered in a fashion that will make you feel like you are having a one on one conversation with him! Readers will also enjoy:

• Advice delivered concisely: each chapter is succinct and provides essential takeaways and action plans for all points in a career
• A guidebook that is efficiently organized into three sections—for college and university students, for early-career professionals, for accountants of all ages and experience levels—allowing the reader to focus on the sections that are most applicable to them
• An excellent refresher or reminder of concepts or principles that are important to even the most successful and experienced accountants

Loaded with "real world" tips and techniques, Advice for a Successful Career in the Accounting Profession is an ideal resource for accountants and auditors, tax and advisory professionals, and University professors and high school instructors teaching Accounting, undeclared business majors, underrepresented populations, and students aspiring to become CPAs.

JERRY MAGINNIS, CPA, former KPMG Philadelphia Office Managing Partner, is an Executive in Residence supporting the Accounting Program at Rowan University where he helps prepare students for their transition from academia into the workforce. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of several public companies and nonprofit organizations and a consultant on accounting and auditing matters.

Introduction viii

Why I Wrote This Book (And How to Get the Most Out of It) x

Section One—Navigating Your Route to a Rewarding Accounting Career

Chapter 1—Why Accounting Is a Great Profession 3

Chapter 2—Is Becoming a CPA the Right Path for You? 9

Chapter 3—How Accounting Majors Can Optimize the College Experience 19

Chapter 4—Career Paths 29

Chapter 5—What About Work–Life Balance? 41

Chapter 6—The Profession’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Journey 51

Section Two—Growing in Your Early Career Years by Mastering Important Fundamentals

Chapter 7—Core Values Every Accountant Should Embrace 61

Chapter 8—Developing and Enhancing Your Technical Skills 67

Chapter 9—Working Effectively with Others 75

Chapter 10—Developing Your Communication Skills 81

Chapter 11—Blocking and Tackling: The Importance of Being Organized and Nailing Both Big and Small Tasks 87

Chapter 12—Have a Value-Creation Mindset 93

Chapter 13—Embrace Change—Technology Is Your Friend! 99

Chapter 14—Relationships, Relationships, Relationships 105

Chapter 15—Character Traits that Can Help You Succeed 111

Section Three—Building on Your Success as Your Career Advances

Chapter 16—How to Avoid Burnout 121

Chapter 17—Career Transitions: How to Make Good Decisions 127

Chapter 18—The Importance of Giving Back 135

Afterword 141

Acknowledgments 146

About the Author 148

About the Website 151

Index 153

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