150 Hours Revisited: The Profession Needs a Facelift

What if pipeline issues aren't related to education or experience, but rather just image?

With Steven Sacks
The NEW Fundamentals: Thriving in Disruption

While firms and accountants continue to lament staffing challenges and research continues into finding workable solutions for firms and finance teams of all sizes, one idea that is beginning to gain more traction has less to do with education versus experience and more to do with marketing.

David Bergstein, CPA, CITP, CGMA, discussed the profession's future, specifically the ongoing discourse surrounding the perceived necessity of a fifth year in accounting education.

• SHOW NOTES: 150 Hours Revisited: The Profession Needs a Facelift
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 Bergstein challenged the conventional wisdom surrounding the 150-hour requirement for CPA eligibility, suggesting that the industry's primary challenge lay not in the academic threshold but in the misperception of accounting as a lackluster career. "We're beating a horse that's almost dead," he remarked, questioning the emphasis on extending education rather than redefining the profession's image.