Accounting Today: More Give Than Take Required
Giving back to the profession that’s given us so much is how we move forward.
By Jonathan W. Hauser, CPA | Spring 2023
It was probably around 8 p.m. on a school night. I had just finished
helping my dad with milking cows, feeding calves, and cleaning all
the milking equipment. We were walking back from the barn when I
turned to him and said, “I don’t think I want to be a farmer.” I couldn’t
have been more than 10 or 11 years old at the time, but I’m thankful
his response was one of encouragement. As the years passed,
growing up on the farm became more invaluable to me, as it taught
me the meaning of an honest (and hard … oh, so hard) day’s work.
Then, in high school, I got my first taste of accounting.
Having grown up in a small, rural town in northwest Illinois, it still
amazes me that I even had access to an accounting class, but it
turned into the catalyst for my career. I enrolled at Eastern Illinois
University (EIU) and declared accounting as my major. After my four
years there flew by, I made my way down to the University of Florida
for my master’s in accounting. Oh, I had plans back then! I’d move
to sunny Florida, finish up school, and find a job that would keep
me in the warmth of the South.
So, why am I writing the Chair’s Letter in the cold of Chicago? The
answer is simple: people. While I was at EIU, a couple of Accounting
Advisory Board members sacrificed some of their precious time to
get to know me, encourage me, and help open doors for me.
Thanks to them, I received an offer to join KPMG in Chicago during
my first week of grad school. Some may say I was foolish for not
interviewing with any other firms, accepting my first offer, and
leaving Florida. But I have so much to be thankful for now—like my
ascent to partner—that it’s hard to think that there would’ve been a
better offer to consider.
My involvement with the Illinois CPA Society has mirrored my time
in the profession and has been equally rewarding. I started out by
joining the Young Professionals Group, which led to working on
various committees, which eventually earned me the privilege of
serving on the society’s board, which has now afforded me the
opportunity to be the board’s chairperson.
I never sought out this particular path. Instead, I’m here because of
all the people who took time to invest in me along the way. I’m
fortunate that there’s always been someone tapping me on my
shoulder and giving me that little bit of encouragement to keep
forging ahead. My hope now is to inspire the same in others and to
help give back to the profession that’s already given me so much.
So, I ask this: Who are you investing in? The accounting profession
is amazing because it gives us all the opportunity to invest in those
around us. Whether it’s our teams, our clients, our peers, or the next
generation of CPAs, the profession succeeds as a result of us
reinvesting what we learn into those that come after us.
However, our profession sits in an interesting place today, and it
needs our help. The profession’s attractiveness is waning, the
number of new CPAs is trending lower, there’s much uncertainty in
our economy, and technology is changing what we do and how we
do it more quickly than ever. To face all this adversity, I believe it’s
time we give more than we take. We need to refocus on supporting
and serving one another. We need to find new ways to inspire
others to join us. We need to adapt how we lead our teams and
pass on our values of integrity, trust, and accountability. We need
to do more to reach out and tap the shoulders of others. And we
need to encourage and invest in not only those around us now but
also those that’ll come into the profession next.
I’m truly looking forward to serving as board chair during the next
year. I hope to meet so many more society members, hear your
stories and, most of all, work together to build upon the foundation
laid by those who came before us to continue moving our
profession forward.
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