{"id":17017,"date":"2023-10-11T08:20:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T08:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/startups\/three-reasons-to-remain-optimistic-amid-the-accountant-shortage\/"},"modified":"2023-10-11T08:20:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T08:20:10","slug":"three-reasons-to-remain-optimistic-amid-the-accountant-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=17017","title":{"rendered":"Three Reasons To Remain Optimistic Amid The Accountant Shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><em>Dan Nicholson is the CEO of <\/em><em data-ga-track=\"ExternalLink:https:\/\/www.nthdegreecpas.com\/\">Nth Degree CPAs<\/em><em> and an author helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs achieve financial certainty.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The accounting profession is facing headwinds. Warnings about the growing shortage of accountants and even the death of the accounting department as we know it due to advances in artificial intelligence have circulated over the past couple of years. If you believe the rhetoric, it\u2019s a doomsday scenario for those of us who\u2019ve built firms and careers around the language of business, so to speak.<\/p>\n<p>For many who\u2019ve made a living out of numbers, it\u2019s hard to argue. The Association of International Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)\u2019s 2021 Trends Report (download required) showed the number of CPA exam candidates decreased substantially in 2020\u201417% between 2019 and 2020. What\u2019s more, fewer of those who are taking the exam are passing. The number of CPA Exam candidates who passed their fourth section of the exam decreased 11% between 2019 and 2020. And these figures don\u2019t even count those set to retire.<\/p>\n<p>There are several possible reasons I can think of and burnout, repetition and lack of pay all top the list. As someone who\u2019s worked in and with the big firms, I get it. Accounting gets a bad rap. I\u2019ve worked in the accounting field for decades, and I\u2019ve had jobs where I felt underappreciated and underpaid. But that\u2019s why I eventually went out on my own\u2014I wanted to create something different that also helped people and small-business owners. I\u2019ve also always seen the work as important. So, I choose optimism. Where some may see potential doom, I see opportunity. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n<p><fbs-ad position=\"inread\" progressive=\"\" ad-id=\"article-0-inread\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align\">Accountants As Essential Workers<\/h2>\n<p>Accounting is not just necessary, it\u2019s critical in making sure organizations (and in turn, our economy) can function, thrive and grow. The work and impact might not always be visible, but it is important.<\/p>\n<p>Recently there was an article in <em>The Wall Street Journal<\/em> around how the accounting shortage had finally reached a tipping point in that companies without fully staffed accounting departments are reporting material weaknesses in their internal controls over financial reporting. Basically, this means these companies are disclaiming the accuracy of their accounting records. It also means those companies could be more susceptible to ongoing financial and operational issues.<\/p>\n<p>Some of these companies are pioneers of sorts; they\u2019re innovating across fields like biotherapeutics and aviation. The world needs innovation, and companies like this need future-focused accounting professionals to help them bring it to life.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align\">Architecting The Future<\/h2>\n<p>Many people view accounting and CPAs as living in the past. They see boring, repetitive work. We have an opportunity to use a different lens and mindset.<\/p>\n<p>I like to use the analogy of thinking about accountants as architects versus archeologists. What I mean by that is archaeologists are detectives of the past. They\u2019re experts on history who gain expertise through historical documents and artifacts.<\/p>\n<p>Architects are playing a different game. Architects are visionaries, inventors and innovators. They\u2019re shaping futures and transforming ideas into reality. That\u2019s exciting stuff, and it\u2019s the type of work we have the opportunity to do as accountants.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align\">Modern Tools And Approaches<\/h2>\n<p>Operating and partnering with clients in a more future-focused way means embracing more modern tools and approaches to the work. Tech has changed the accounting profession and made it both more efficient and more exciting. Some of the stuff that used to be done manually\u2014think invoicing, bill paying, bookkeeping\u2014can now be automated. That gives us more time to do the strategic stuff that makes the bigger, future-focused impact, such as financial analysis and forecasting and helping clients plan for longer-term plans and investments.<\/p>\n<p>AI is of course a huge opportunity for the profession. Aside from freeing up more time, AI can also help us identify patterns and trends that, in turn, lead to ideas, advice and suggestions for our clients.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a big believer and proponent in using modern approaches, tools and technology to stay ahead. I think those who embrace it will start to see the potential and opportunity in our field in a new way.<\/p>\n<p>The bottom line is the accounting profession is facing a challenge as the demand for accountants continues to grow while the number of qualified professionals slows. But the industry has always been able to adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs of businesses and society. Between new tech, different ways of thinking and the sheer need for accounting expertise, it\u2019s an exciting time to be part of the field for those willing to embrace change and continue learning new skills.<\/p>\n<p>Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. <em data-ga-track=\"InternalLink:https:\/\/councils.forbes.com\/qualify?utm_source=forbes.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=forbes-links&amp;utm_term=fbc&amp;utm_content=in-article-ad-links\">Do I qualify?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Read the full article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbesbusinesscouncil\/2023\/10\/10\/three-reasons-to-remain-optimistic-amid-the-accountant-shortage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dan Nicholson is the CEO of Nth Degree CPAs and an author helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs achieve financial certainty. The accounting profession is facing headwinds. Warnings about the growing shortage of accountants and even the death of the accounting department as we know it due to advances in artificial intelligence have circulated over the past couple [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17017","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-startups"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Three Reasons To Remain Optimistic Amid The Accountant Shortage | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dan Nicholson is the CEO of Nth Degree CPAs and an author helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs achieve financial certainty. 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