Busy season is over! So now what? Well, first things first: a little well-deserved relaxation. But as we browse the catalogs of CPE (and, of course, try to understand our newest tax law), giving back to the community is something we should also prioritize.
Sharing knowledge and experience is a great way to give back. As a NextGen leader and millennial, I feel it’s important for me to show students how attractive a career in accounting can be. So the day after the tax deadline, instead of taking the morning off, I visited two local high schools to showcase the profession and our role as trusted professionals to potential recruits. At a CareerDay held at Longwood Preparatory Academy and Holcombe L. Rucker School of Community Research, both housed in the same building in the South Bronx, I was lucky enough to sit on a panel with several amazing professionals, includingNYSSCPA Vice President Iralma Pozo, a member of the chapter. We spoke about our career paths, the accounting profession and the lessons we have learned along the way.
Speaking to all grade levels, we were able to gauge the interest of the students and answer questions about why we chose to become accountants, why we think it is such an impactful career and how accounting is the language of business.
The following week, Victoria W. Iezzi and Patrick J. Cooney of the Manhattan/Bronx Chapter’s NextGen Committee joined me and other young professionals at the CFAInstitute of New York for a speed networking roundtable at New York University. There, we were able to highlight the broad reach our CPA credentials provide us in the workforce, including roles in finance, fund accounting, taxation of merger-and-acquisition deals, and auditing across every sector.
I was grateful to pass on the kind of advice that I wished I had received at that age. Leaving a high school Career Day knowing you may have sparked a student’s interest in business or the profession leaves you with a sense of value far beyond your job. I encourage all members of the NYSSCPA, whether partners or staff, to extend your hand and take the time to explain the benefits of being a CPA to those who may become our next generation of trusted professionals. The NextGeners would certainly benefit from lessons offered by more experienced professionals, especially managers on the partner track.
No matter where we are on the career ladder, though, we all have knowledge that we can share. Just before I wrote this article, a young partner at my firm told me that joining a committee at the NYSSCPA not only helped him build his book of business but also allowed him to become more knowledgeable in his specialty.
We all can give back a little—to our firms, to the Society, to our alma maters, to our communities. Let’s take just a few hours out of our less hectic schedules this summer and find a way to give thanks and give back for all that we have.
