Students Learn About CPA Profession at Career Fair

By Lillie Balinova

Close to 100 college students from schools throughout the New York metropolitan area learned about opportunities in the accounting profession at the fall Career Fair sponsored by the NYSSCPA Minority Group Recruitment and Equal Opportunity Committee, chaired by Jo Ann Golden (Utica).

Students met with representatives from CPA firms BDO Seidman LLP, Bond Beebe, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Mitchell & Titus LLP, M.R. Weiser & Co. LLP, and Watson Rice LLP, and the Internal Revenue Service and American Express Tax and Business Services. Attendees had the opportunity to distribute their resumes, obtain literature and other background information from the potential employers, and have brief introductory interviews. Students also received New York State Association of CPA Candidates and NYSSCPA membership information. Several members of the Minority Group Recruitment Committee in attendance networked with students and offered career advice.

"This event provided a great opportunity for young people to interface with accounting professionals," Golden said. "It was a terrific way for the students to see the wide range of job opportunities that are out there, and that the CPA license gives you a chance to be part of diverse areas of the finance industry."

Each fall and spring, the Society's Minority Group Recruitment and Recruitment for CPA Careers committees hold career fairs and other events geared toward attracting students into careers in accounting. In addition, the Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP) program offers high school minority students a taste of on-campus life and insights into the accounting profession. *