News & Press

Somehow, despite the multitude of mistakes and missteps along the way, we survived the early years of our professional lives. But wouldn’t it have been nice to get a little advice and mentorship from a few experts when you needed it most?

With that in mind, Long Island Business News spoke to several accounting pros to glean their words of wisdom and practical advice for young professionals embarking on careers in accounting.

Come into the office more

One of the many positive aspects of accounting is that it’s basically a recession-proof career, notes Russell B. Shinsky, Managing Partner of Anchin, with offices in New York City, Uniondale and Florida.

“The profession provides a lot of security for someone who’s thinking down the road,” Shinsky said. “The profession is always going to be there and is a model that allows a path to ownership over time versus other professions that may never give that opportunity.”

As is the case in many other industries, hybrid work has become more prevalent in the accounting field. Though the work/life balance is an important consideration, Shinsky advises people to get to the office more frequently.

“I always say that much of what I know, I learned by observing the people that I worked for and with throughout my career and I don’t think you get the same level of absorption when you’re working through screens constantly and isolated,” Shinsky said.

Be patient: It could take 10 to 14 years to become a partner in a firm and, while you might make a little more money going to another firm in the short term, Shinsky cautions against such action.

“If you’re in the right firm that does the kind of work you want to do, and these are the kind of people you want to work with, then I think in the long term you’d be most suited staying in that firm,” said Shinsky, adding that over time firms take care of quality people.

The impact of technology has changed over the years and people should embrace it and take as many courses, such as data analytics, as possible.

“It’s a tremendous skill set that can help somebody accelerate even quicker in their career if they have those skills walking in,” Shinsky said.

Excerpted from the article published by Long Island Business News