Emerging Professionals

Hi everyone, my name is Dylan and I'm currently an accounting and business administration student at Colorado Christian University, based in Colorado.

I'm really interested in learning more about auditing and how professionals got their start in the field, especially when it comes to gaining early experience and building skills.

Fun fact: I've been getting hands-on experience with QuickBooks and enjoy learning how accounting systems work in real-world situations.

Looking forward to connecting with everyone and learning from your experiences!

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Dylan Crowder
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Hi @Dylan Crowder! Thanks for reaching out and I applaud you for getting involved early on in your career! 

I was in audit for 10 years at a mid-size firm in Buffalo, NY before joining AICPA as a Senior Manager - Emerging Professionals Initiatives. I got my start in audit through an accounting internship with my firm and never looked back. I think internships are a great way to dip your toes into the water and explore what auditing is really like. Although we use the same concepts as you learn in school, the application of the concepts can sometimes feel a bit different and there is a lot more judgment than you might originally anticipate.

I think you are doing a great job already if you're getting hands on experience with QuickBooks and learning how the accounts all interconnect with each other in practice to expand on what you learned in the classroom! 

For building skills, keep doing what you're doing and I would suggest joining an accounting or finance club at your University if they have it. I joined Beta Alpha Psi my Junior year and felt like it was a great opportunity for me to network and learn about the skills necessary to succeed in the profession early on in my career. 

Wishing you all the best as your wrap up the semester and I'm always here if you have any burning questions. You can reach me at EmergingProfessionals@aicpa-cima.com. 

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Lexi Weber
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Hi @Dylan Crowder! Great to see you asking the right questions early in your career journey. To share from my experience - when I graduated with my accounting degree, the job market was not the best and I had a tough time landing a job at an accounting firm. I ended up taking a role at an aircraft manufacturing company in their production control department, and spent 2 years working on the factory floor. While there was no accounting involved in the position - I thought the experience was great in learning soft skills, internal company operations and the nuts / bolts of process costing. When the time was right - I went to the career fair at my university where I was working on my Masters in Accounting and was able to get an accounting internship at a regional firm. The experience in private gave me an advantage in stepping into the internship role in public accounting, as it helped develop the soft skills and knowledge background to step quickly into a client facing role at the firm. Just wanted to kindly share that every opportunity is a learning experience, and embracing the experiences are what helps to create the foundation for your career. 

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Kathryn Horton
Accountant
Kathryn K. Horton CPA PA
Stuart FL
+001 (305)934-1793
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