It's Material.

The Open Path

Oh, the places you'll go.

You likely recognize that line as the title of a popular Dr. Seuss book--and it's a good descriptor of the CPA profession.

Outside looking in, it seems career choices for CPAs are pretty cut and dry: Earn a bachelor's or master's degree, pass the CPA Exam and start yourjourney to firm partner. Or maybe hop over to industry at some point. And those are certainly viable and popular career paths.

But those of us on the inside know different and see--or maybe have even taken--"non-traditional" career opportunities that are available. And with an eye toward keeping the CPA pipeline full, it's especially key that we share those possibilities.

When you think about it, everyone needs accountants--from Fortune 500 companies to startups to the Main Street businesses--so a CPA career can take you almost anywhere you want to go. There aren't a lot of other career paths that offer such a wide path of unlimited opportunities.

Looking for examples? How about the fact that there are endless ways to develop a niche or expertise in more traditional accounting functions, from entertainment to cannabis to nonprofits to personal financial planning. There's also consulting work, landing a government position and even the FBI. And let's not forget academia--helping to teach those future CPAs.

Consider, too, as the skill set of CPAs grows wider and deeper, so do career options. Areas such as IT consulting; artificial intelligence; forensics; cyber security; cryptocurrency...