January 2000

Northeast Young CPAs Reach out to Area College Students

By Jill Foulds, CPA

The NYSSCPA Northeast Chapter's Young CPAs Committee recently presented two student nights, one at the State University of New York at Albany and another at Siena College.
The committee participated in the SUNY event in conjunction with Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting fraternity, and with support from the Association of Government Accountants and the American Society of Women Accountants. Eight committee members spoke to students about the various career paths available to accountants: Big Five public firms, small and mid-size public firms, industry, not-for-profit, and government. After the presentations, committee members answered specific questions from many students at a networking session. The committee and the other sponsoring organizations also distributed information to the students, including membership applications and publications.

At the Siena College night, held in conjunction with Delta Sigma Pi, the business fraternity, and the college's accounting club, several NYSSCPA chapter members spoke about leadership characteristics and offered interview advice. The speakers stressed that successful interviewees are confident, have researched the company conducting the interview, and are prepared to discuss their qualifications and to relate how their experience can help the organization.

The Northeast Chapter's Young CPAs Committee plans to sponsor more student night events in the spring at other local colleges. For more information about these and other committee events, contact Committee Chairs Tom Pasko at (518) 426-4311 or clpnet@aol.com, or Christine Paul at (518) 456-4094. *

Jill Foulds is a member of the NYSSCPA Northeast Chapter's Young CPAs Committee and coordinator of the student events. She is an auditor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.