More students are choosing accounting, and that’s good news for the future of the profession. For the third consecutive year, enrollment is rising, even outpacing growth in other majors. But as encouraging as that trend is, it raises a more important question: Are graduates truly ready for today’s CPA profession?
The answer is more complex than it used to be. While technical knowledge remains essential, readiness now extends far beyond the classroom. Employers are increasingly looking for skills like judgment, communication, adaptability and the ability to apply knowledge in real-world situations. As technology, including AI, continues to reshape how CPAs work, expectations at the entry level are evolving just as quickly.
This is not a new conversation for Indiana. Through our work with members, educators and students, INCPAS has seen firsthand how these gaps show up in practice. It’s something we explored during a recent INCPAS In the Know webinar, using insights from the Illinois CPA Society’s The Readiness Divide report to better understand where early-career professionals may need additional support.
Now, the profession is taking a broader, more coordinated approach. The AICPA’s Profession Ready Initiative is a multi-year, research-driven effort designed to identify the skills early-career CPAs need today, where gaps exist and how to address them. This work builds on insights from the Rise2040 initiative and reflects what members across the country have been asking for: practical solutions that align education, training and real-world expectations.
From academic programs to firm training models, the goal is to ensure that new professionals are equipped not just to start their careers, but to succeed and grow within them.
Importantly, this initiative is not about changing CPA licensure requirements. Instead, it focuses on how we prepare and support talent once they enter the workforce. From academic programs to firm training models, the goal is to ensure that new professionals are equipped not just to start their careers, but to succeed and grow within them.
The approach is intentional. A diverse advisory group representing firms of all sizes, corporate finance, academia, regulators and state CPA societies is guiding the work, alongside a third-party research firm conducting a comprehensive review of job expectations, training models and curricula. Input from across the profession will be critical, with opportunities for CPAs, educators and employers to share feedback through surveys, interviews and focus groups.
For Indiana, this work aligns closely with the direction we’ve been heading. From strengthening our campus partnerships to investing in programs like INCPAS Scholars and NABA’s ACAP, we’ve long focused on what it means to be profession ready and how to better support students as they transition into their careers. As we continue to modernize licensure pathways and expand access to the profession, ensuring readiness remains just as important as ensuring opportunity.
Participation in this effort matters. The first pulse survey, which opened February 16, focuses on early-career skills and gaps, and input from practicing CPAs, educators and employers will directly shape the findings and recommendations. The insights gathered will help define what it means to be profession ready, guide how employers develop talent and align the profession around shared expectations in a rapidly changing environment.
If we care about the long-term strength of the CPA profession, this is exactly the kind of work we should be leaning into together.
Learn more about the Profession Ready Initiative and participate at aicpa-cima.com/professional-insights/landing/profession-ready-initiative.
