Quick Links

My first day of work in an accounting firm went something like this (my thoughts in parentheses):

• “Hello, I’m the office manager, and welcome to .  
• Your supervisor will be Eric, he’ll be happy to answer any questions you have." (I’m sure he’ll be really happy when I ask him my 10th question after only five minutes).  
• "You’ve been assigned one of our star senior managers, Anne, as a mentor." (Does that mean more than a free lunch once a year?).  
• "Here are your benefit enrollment forms, I’ll need them back by the end of the week." (What’s a prepaid legal plan?) 
• “Here’s your cubicle." (Wonderful!  Enough wall-space to hang my diploma!  Where do I put all the textbooks I saved from school?)  
• "The partners have an open door policy." (The door is open, but can I interrupt their perpetual telephone calls?).  
• "Feel free to talk to them or ask me if you have any questions.  Good luck!”  (Wait, don’t go!  I have no idea what I’m doing!  What does “business dress” and “business casual” mean?  What is this thing called CPE and do I have to worry about it?  How do you network, and is it really that important?  How do I plan my career?  What if I am uncomfortable working with someone?  What are “office politics”?  Is it okay to bring my own lunch?  Should I become a member of the UACPA and AICPA?  Do I need to specialize in something?  Do I need to learn how to golf?)  

We’ve been there and done that!   New accountants move quickly from the world of mortarboards and final exams to business casual and performance reviews, and the transition is never seamless. 

Your earliest years often paint the path for the rest of your career.  A rocky start can negatively impact your happiness and success in your chosen profession.  Unfortunately, college doesn’t prepare you for all the rocks you will encounter in the beginning. 

Sometimes you need guidance from people who have already navigated their first years as a professional.  Members of the ProNet Council (formerly known as the Emerging CPAs Committee) are mid-career CPAs who have been around the block already, but not so many times that we don’t remember what it was like for us at first. 

Our focus is to help those who have recently entered the profession and need a resource for questions and career guidance.   We are inaugurating a new column, which will appear quarterly in The Journal Entry (UACPA newsletter) and will address topics of particular interest to young CPAs. 

In the future, expect to see information on the UACPA website, special events, a mentoring program and training sessions sponsored by the ProNet Council.  Please send comments, as well as suggestions for column topics and events, to pronet@uacpa.org.