More Than the Numbers: Reflections from the CPAmerica Next Gen Conference
Our team is always learning.
This month, Dawn Roch, CPA, shares her reflections after attending the CPAmerica Next Gen Conference in Seattle and the lessons she brought back about leadership, client relationships, and the future of the accounting profession.
This year, I had the opportunity to attend the CPAmerica Next Gen Conference in the beautiful city of Seattle. Senior and managerial accountants from firms across the country came together to learn, share ideas, and connect. It was a great experience that gave me a fresh perspective on my career path, how we work alongside our clients, and what it takes for a team to succeed.
One speaker made a statement that really stuck with me: "Accountants get into accounting to account." He went on to explain that while many of us enter the profession because we enjoy working with numbers, our careers naturally evolve. As we grow into leadership roles, we spend more time working with people, building relationships, and learning how to help businesses succeed rather than simply accounting for them.
As our profession continues to age, the next generation of accountants has an opportunity to step into those leadership roles. That journey looks different at every firm, but one thing accountants do exceptionally well is adapt. We continue taking the next step, learning new skills, and doing the next right thing. Even with advances in AI, accountants shouldn't feel threatened. While we may have become accountants to account, our careers ultimately become about much more than numbers. We become trusted advisors to our clients, mentors to our teammates, and leaders in our communities.
One of the greatest benefits of being an accountant is the people you meet and the opportunity to help them along the way. Our clients don't just come to us for financial statements or tax returns. They come to us because they want guidance from someone they trust, not just answers from a computer screen. As accountants, we have the opportunity to build lasting relationships and create meaningful experiences for our clients. They aren't just another file or another number. They have families, businesses, goals, and stories. We get to be a small part of those stories while serving as professionals they can rely on. None of that happens without great teamwork.
Within our own offices, we also have an opportunity to build each other up. Greet one another by name. Ask about someone's weekend. Create opportunities for people to relax, have fun, and get to know one another outside of deadlines. When we know our teammates on a more personal level, we're better able to recognize when someone may be struggling or simply having a difficult day. That allows us to step in, offer support, and help carry one another through busy seasons.
Accounting can be demanding, and the deadlines never seem to stop. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities. Attending the Next Gen Conference gave me the chance to step away from the office, learn alongside peers facing many of the same challenges, and return with new ideas and a renewed perspective. There's something valuable about experiencing a new environment and connecting with people who understand the profession. It reminds you why you chose this career and helps you see the opportunities ahead.
CPAmerica did an outstanding job hosting the Next Gen Conference, and I'm thankful that Bell & Company invests in opportunities like this, allowing us to learn, grow, and bring new ideas back to our clients and our team. Experiences like these don't just help us grow professionally. They make us better teammates, better advisors, and ultimately better accountants for the clients and communities we serve.
Author: Dawn Roch, CPA
Supervisor | Bell & Company, P.A.