Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to reflect upon what you have learned in auditing and to consider what implications your new knowledge may have on your career.
Audience: The audience is you. I will read your reflections but note that I will NOT grade you on anything you say, the ONLY thing I will grade you on is whether you have faithfully responded to the assignment requirements. In other words, as long as you thoughtfully address the requirements, there is no way not to earn a perfect score.
Requirements:
Now that you have reached the end of your accounting major coursework and this auditing class, write a memo that analyzes the accounting profession, its opportunities, and your goals, skills, and career desires by:
1. Discuss pros and cons of each career track you identify (please identify at least three career track opportunities- for example, Internal Auditor, Fraud Lawyer, CFO, etc.).
a. These do not need to be accounting-based. Naturally, many of the accounting things you have learned will help you in non-accounting careers.
2. Identify which track you are most interested in starting your career in, explaining the characteristics that appeal to you and the skills you possess that make it a good fit for you.
3. Identify personal weaknesses that you will need to improve for advancement in the track you selected. (Everybody has weaknesses! The road to perfection is always under construction).
4. Contrast the track you selected with at least two other career tracks, explaining why you did not choose them and potential opportunities you will be giving up to pursue your chosen track.
5. Create a table that contains:
a. Your predicted starting salary for your predicted starting position.
b. Your predicted earnings for each of the next 5 years.
i. If you plan to attend graduate school, simply put “Graduate Work” in the respective year(s).
c. Your predicted salary at year 10, 15, 20 and 25.
i. If you plan to retire by any specific point, simply disclose “Retired” for that point and those beyond.
6. Discuss your strategy for landing your selected career track. In other words, how will you go about gaining the starting position that you discussed above? If you are undecided on the career track you want to start, instead discuss your strategy for determining how you will identify where you want to start your accounting career.
7. What else needs to be said that you haven’t said elsewhere? This is your chance to say anything that comes to mind
