Future CPAs: reaching today's students for tomorrow's profession.

• Author: Reisz, Scott
• Position: Cover Story

If only recruiting young accountants were as easy as the NFL Draft. If it were, every year the companies and firms most in need of a talent infusion would simply pick the most talented people from a seemingly endless pool of qualified candidates. Firms would set up "war rooms" and "draft boards" to be sure they got the "best accountant available" with each of their selections. There would be trade rumors, teary-eyed moms, photo ops with the commissioner and live coverage on CNBC.

Okay, maybe not.

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The biggest difference between the professions of football and accounting--aside from the obvious--is not in their approach to recruiting. Nor is it in the demand for talent. It's in the relative size of the talent pool.

While the number of college players seeking their careers and fortunes in professional football never seems to wane, careers in accounting don't have the same draw. In the "National Accounting Draft," there would be more picks than players.

While it may be easy to chalk that difference up to the multi-million dollar contracts top football prospects can earn, it may be more accurate to laud the system football has in place to attract kids to the game in the first place. Pee Wee. Pop Warner. High School. College. There's an obvious and natural progression for young players to pursue their interest in the game. Accounting has no such system--or at least it didn't until recently.

Today the profession has a series of initiatives in place to teach students about accounting in hopes of piquing their interest early and turning them on to a career that's far more than they imagine.

Preconceived Turn-offs

Accounting is boring. You sit in a cubicle all day and crunch numbers. You're a bean counter.

That's the perception many young people have of the profession. If you're accounting's salesperson, that's a tough place to start.

"Students generally don't have the correct perception of accounting," says Joe Bittner, manager, academic and career development for the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). "They think bookkeeping and taxes. They think boring. We need to dispel those misperceptions to gain and maintain their interest."

"Our greatest challenge is getting students to understand that accounting is so much more than math and taxes," says Karen West, manager, student initiatives for The Ohio Society of CPAs. "Most students don't realize that. There are many who express interest in business as a career, but have no idea of the interesting and critical role accounting plays in business and virtually every organization. Bridging that perception gap is crucial in arousing their curiosity."

Changing Minds

If perception is the biggest battle in engaging students about accounting, the Wizard of Oz approach appears to be the best way to change their minds. Local, regional and national programs created and sponsored by the profession are letting students look "behind the curtain" to see for themselves.

Through mentoring programs, school visits, panel discussions, job shadowing and other initiatives, CPAs in Ohio and around the country are showing that they're more than their seemingly monotonous image indicates.

"Our members are fun, dynamic and inspiring," West says. "When we get them in front of students, they blow the stereotypes right out of the water. They get the chance to advance their profession, and the students...