Ask someone who started in public accounting 15 years ago about their first year, and you’ll hear about data entry and bank reconciliations. Software handles much of that work now, but new hires still need to understand where the numbers come from. They’re also expected to explain those numbers to a business owner and suggest what to do next, work that used to come later in a career.
Firms call it advisory work: ongoing help with cash flow, forecasting, and planning. Clients are asking for it, and 59% of accountants say clients look to them for business plans and strategy, according to the 2026 Accountant Technology Survey.
What Firms Today Look For
When we built Accounting Futures with firms that run advisory practices, we asked what they want in a new team member. Their answers were consistent. They want people who are at home in cloud accounting software, who can look at financials and spot what matters, and who can explain it to a client who doesn’t speak accounting.
Certifications count. In the same survey, 53% of accountants name software and technology certifications as a factor that most improves an entry-level candidate’s hiring chances, edging out the CPA credential or CPA track.
“We require our new hires to get their QuickBooks Level 1 certification within the first month,” says Chris Macksey, CEO of Prix Fixe Accounting. Tailor Hartman, owner of Celerity Accounting, adds, “When a candidate has both QuickBooks certification and real CAS [Client Advisory Services] project work, they’re much more likely to stand out during our hiring process.”
The demand is there. The AICPA’s 2025 Trends Report found that three in four responding firms that hired new staff in 2024 planned to hire as many or more people in 2025.
The path to the CPA, or Certified Public Accountant, is changing, too. In 2025, NASBA and the AICPA approved an additional path to licensure: a bachelor’s degree with an accounting concentration, two years of work experience, plus a passing score on the CPA Exam. Many states now offer it, and each sets its own rules. If you’re aiming for a CPA, you can go straight from a four-year degree into a firm, so what you practice before matters.
Start Building These Skills Now
You don’t need a job to practice these skills. Instead, you can start in any high school business course or college accounting class.
For example, try this on your next assignment: if you prepare a set of financial statements, add a one-page memo to the business owner explaining what they show, or run a five-minute mock client meeting with a classmate. You still do the accounting, and then explain what it means. That’s advisory work.
Practice checking AI, too. Firms want to know you can catch a mistake in an AI-generated reconciliation or forecast. The next time an AI tool gives you numbers, check them before you trust them, or ask your teacher for an exercise with an error buried in it.
See What Else Is Possible
If the accounting careers you’ve heard about are big firms, audit, and tax, you’re not alone. Keila Hill-Trawick, CPA, MBA, founder and CEO of Little Fish Accounting, says that’s mostly what she saw when she was studying accounting. The earlier students see what’s possible, she says, “the sooner they can start figuring out what they want their own path to look like.”
Free Ways To Get Started
Accounting Futures is free for students, educators, and institutions. College students can take the self-paced courses on their own schedule and earn the QuickBooks Level 1 Certification and the Client Advisory Services Foundations Badge, which covers AI for accounting, client communication, and reading financial reports.
“The program introduced me to Client Advisory Services (CAS) accounting, a totally different side of the profession… Now, with my degree and skillset, I feel like I get to be the support [entrepreneurs] need so they can pursue their dreams, and that’s really special,” says Charlese Hoopes of Utah Valley University’s Class of ’26.
In high school? Ask your teacher about Intuit for Education’s free QuickBooks curriculum, which prepares you for the QuickBooks Certified User exam.
What Educators Can Do
High school teachers can bring the QuickBooks curriculum into business, accounting, and CTE courses at no cost. Higher ed instructors can teach Accounting Futures with free instructor materials or assign the self-paced courses. Those who complete the Accounting Futures Educator Badge, which takes about 30 minutes and is self-paced, unlock Industry Advisors. These are accounting practitioners and firm owners, vetted by Intuit, who volunteer for guest talks, mock interviews, and resume reviews.
Eligible higher ed students can also apply for Micro-Internships: paid projects of about 15 hours, built with accounting firm owners to mirror entry-level work. Students earn $225 when they finish, and the short format fits around a full course load.
For collegiate programs, the assignments above also support AACSB’s 2026 accounting standards.
