Introduction viii
Why I Wrote This Book (And How to Get the Most Out of It) x
Section One—Navigating Your Route to a Rewarding Accounting Career
Chapter 1—Why Accounting Is a Great Profession 3
Chapter 2—Is Becoming a CPA the Right Path for You? 9
Chapter 3—How Accounting Majors Can Optimize the College Experience 19
Chapter 4—Career Paths 29
Chapter 5—What About Work–Life Balance? 41
Chapter 6—The Profession’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Journey 51
Section Two—Growing in Your Early Career Years by Mastering Important Fundamentals
Chapter 7—Core Values Every Accountant Should Embrace 61
Chapter 8—Developing and Enhancing Your Technical Skills 67
Chapter 9—Working Effectively with Others 75
Chapter 10—Developing Your Communication Skills 81
Chapter 11—Blocking and Tackling: The Importance of Being Organized and Nailing Both Big and Small Tasks 87
Chapter 12—Have a Value-Creation Mindset 93
Chapter 13—Embrace Change—Technology Is Your Friend! 99
Chapter 14—Relationships, Relationships, Relationships 105
Chapter 15—Character Traits that Can Help You Succeed 111
Section Three—Building on Your Success as Your Career Advances
Chapter 16—How to Avoid Burnout 121
Chapter 17—Career Transitions: How to Make Good Decisions 127
Chapter 18—The Importance of Giving Back 135
Afterword 141
Acknowledgments 146
About the Author 148
About the Website 151
Index 153