In late July, the AICPA’s Academic & Career Development team launched an updated version of the Start Here, Go Places. website. With the number of accounting majors on the rise and the overall popularity of the CPA profession increasing, the new site meets this demand head-on, building on the program’s existing momentum, while providing an even more interactive and robust experience. Start Here, Go Places. continues to be the online destination for students, educators and parents to learn everything they need to know about accounting careers.

In 2001, the AICPA created the Start Here, Go Places. program to encourage high school and college students to pursue careers in accounting and ultimately to become CPAs. Through a combination of online and print activities, the website provides students, parents and educators with accounting-related career resources. The campaign has continued to be successful over the years and has increased awareness and understanding of the CPA profession

“Over the past 10 years, the number of students interested in the field of accounting has grown rapidly. The tools and resources on the State Here. Go Places. website were developed to stay in touch with the ever changing CPA Profession and provide guidance to students interested in the field of accounting. The site has been redesigned, offering students an even more interactive experience and helping them see the infinite possibilities in the career of accounting,” said Jeannie Patton, Vice President of AICPA Students, Academics and Membership.

The State Here. Go Places. website lays the groundwork for students to discover exactly what a career in accounting means, and gives them the opportunity to apply their own interests and values to finding a career that’s right for them. Among the many helpful resources located on the website, the recent enhancements include:

• The “FutureMe” feature allows students to create a future vision of themselves by choosing a specific career in accounting and a road map to get there. When first visiting the site, students are presented with questions to discover career paths that best suit their needs.
• Meet a CPA (by interest and/or state), with print testimonials for each CPA. This feature allows students to see real life careers in action and provides insight on what their life in accounting could be like. This tool, in addition to the others, helps students to create a concise road map in finding the career that’s right for them.
• Salary & demand information for dozens of careers.
• Detailed information for each step of the journey to becoming a CPA: high school (job shadowing), college (school & scholarship searches) and post college (CPA Exam & licensure information).
• Facebook Connect capability which allows students to post and share content from Start Here, Go Places. to their personal Facebook profiles.

The Start Here, Go Places. campaign has won numerous awards including: the 2008 American Business Award for “Best Direct Response Web Site”, the 2007 Gold Circle Award, American Society of Association Executives and the 2007 Gold Quill, International Association of Business Communicators.

The new website offers a fresh opportunity for today’s generations to engage with the accounting profession.

Start Here, Go Places. website
www.startheregoplaces.com

For more information on AICPA Academic and Career Development, visit www.aicpa.org/MediaCenter/Academic_Career_Development.htm

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