Off the Ledger
Your days as a college student are almost numbered. The working world is calling. As you get ready to embark on your career, you have to be thinking, “What am I going to do when I graduate?” “Is a job in public accounting right for me?”
Where do you want to go?
You have so many options. Big firm or small? How do you decide? Where can you go to get the real, honest look at a career in public accounting? What is it REALLY like to be an intern? What will my life be like as a staff accountant?
See your future...
At Porter Keadle Moore, LLP (PKM) we’re here to help. We’ve created this blog site just for you! To help you find answers to these and other questions about working in a public accounting firm. Real interns and brand new staff accountants chronicle their experiences with our firm. Read what they have to say. Ask questions, share your opinions and we’ll respond.
Why Join Beta Alpha Psi?
Kelly Newman- Tax Associate
Many have asked whether or not Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) is still relevant to the Accounting Profession. According to an article in the CPA Journal written by William Stephens, BAP “has been and will always continue to be, an essential element in the preparation of accounting students to take an immediate, active, and contributing role in the profession and organization which they join.” Over the years it seems as though the Accounting recruiting model has changed quite a bit. Nowadays, “many Accounting students are committing to an internship in their junior year of college, with a successful internship often leading to a permanent job. Thus, at the very time when students used to be joining BAP, they already have serious job prospects.”
Over the last decade, more and more students have realized that having BAP on their resume is not the end all be all of being an attractive recruit—this makes them academically appealing to employers, however does not ensure that they have all the other sought after qualifications. So then Why is BAP Still relevant, why does it continue to receive support, and why should you join? Well, whether you want to believe it or not, BAP members really are distinguishable from many other quality graduates. According to Stephens, “BAP continues to assume a vital role in developing young men and women into active and contributing professionals who have the skills needed to make an immediate impact upon graduation, far beyond mere accounting, finance and information systems technical skills.” BAP manages to do this by building a bridge from the academic to the professional world:
B- Building Relationships with Peers and Professionals
R- Recognizing & Rewarding Scholastic Success
I- Instilling Commitment to Lifelong Professional Development
D-Developing Leadership Skills
G- Giving Back to the Community Through Service
E -Encouraging Ethical Behavior
So, even though you will most likely have no problem securing a job post-graduation without a BAP membership, it is still a great idea to join. Not only will it better prepare you to enter the real world, but offers valuable experiences to better yourself personally as well. For an in depth look at Stephens’s entire article http://findarticles.com/p/articles/miqa5346/is200711/ai_n21298625/ or if you are interested in joining BAP check out their website http://www.bap.org/ or stop in for a visit at the chapter at your school!
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