Michigan Tech accounting students have a powerful advantage in the job market. Across the nation, firms are scrambling to fill vital roles as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants reports a growing shortage of accountants and CPAs.
The shortage is driven by retirements, career changes, and a decline in the number of students entering the field of study. For Huskies majoring in accounting, that translates into a clear, secure path to a thriving and in-demand career.
Once a prospering profession, accounting has lost some of its momentum. It's a paradox of progress. As society has advanced and new career fields have emerged, accounting's once-bright appeal has dimmed. Robert Hutchinson, professor of accounting in the College of Business, said professions in biomedical engineering or computational fields, for example, may be perceived as more dynamic, while accounting is often misunderstood as merely "clerical" or "just taxes." That misconception plays a role in today's shortage, he said.
The accounting shortfall is a nationwide issue, compounded by an aging CPA population that is retiring faster than new professionals can replenish the workforce. A "silver tsunami" of retirees and a shrinking talent pipeline are leaving firms with open positions for months. Meanwhile, those still in the field face burnout from heavier workloads as vacancies grow.
High Demand, High Returns
At Tech, students learn early on that high demand brings high returns—both financial and beyond—and accreditation as a certified public accountant amplifies those opportunities. For graduates, CPA jobs aren't just available, they're abundant.
Bob Doyle, a 1998 environmental engineering alumnus who's now president and CEO of the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants, said the pendulum swing in accounting professions has been profound.
"It's competitive. Some firms are making full-time job offers to juniors, two years before graduation," he said.
"You can work at the largest firms, at great local firms in places like Houghton or Marquette, in industry on the path to controller or CFO, start your own firm, or even go into education. There are so many exciting and diverse directions to explore."
These trends are reflected at Tech in both job offers and traditions that mark milestones along the way. All Huskies who pursue the CPA path know the significance of the Sam Tidwell red tie. In a long-standing Tech tradition symbolizing both progress and possibility, new CPAs mail a red tie and note back to the College to be displayed proudly in the hallway showcase set aside for that purpose. Today, the Tidwell Ties also mark entry into a profession eager to welcome new leaders.
Huskies understand the often-overlooked breadth of the accounting field. Because of the College's future-forward technological focus, they know that accounting careers extend far beyond tax work in cubicles.
New graduates can expect attractive offers, competitive salaries, and rapid advancement potential in diverse professional tracks. The short list of boundless possibilities includes accounting analytics, public accounting, corporate finance, government, and nonprofit sectors.
For Tech students entering the field, the range of specialized roles and growth opportunities makes it possible to advance their careers while strengthening the organizations, communities, and industries they serve.
Ghana to the Great Lakes to Ernst & Young
Recent Tech graduate Derrick Ayisi '24 is a case in point. Before coming to Michigan Tech to earn his master's degree in accounting, Ayisi worked for international mining companies in Ghana. Despite an impressive track record, he faced a common barrier for international professionals: finding a best-fit employer undaunted by the required application process.
With support from faculty, staff, and resources from Tech's International Programs and Services office, Ayisi successfully completed the necessary paperwork, secured his visa, and excelled in his master's program. The result? An offer from Ernst & Young at the firm's Detroit office.
Hutchinson said employers might not realize that navigating international hires isn't as complicated as it may seem. And as he sees it, the value international students bring is worth clearing the necessary hurdles.
International students like Ayisi help to address the national accountant shortage. Work visas offer up to three years of authorized employment, providing employers with the assurance of stability and the confidence to invest in training, development, and career advancement.
But before they enter the workforce, the impact of international students is felt in the classroom.
"International students like Ayisi arrive with chartered accountancy credentials and real industry experience—often five or six years. They raise the level of classroom discussion from day one," said Hutchinson.
Accounting Alumni Set the Tone
Whether local or global, across corporate, entrepreneurial, and educational spaces, Tech graduates are living proof that accounting is a dynamic profession with pathways as diverse as the people who pursue it.
Ken Arndt '15 built a successful career at a niche firm in Gaylord, Michigan, specializing in government "single audits," which ensure compliance for organizations receiving federal funding. His "cubicle" often stretches across reservations and wooded lands, from Michigan to the Dakotas to Montana and beyond, offering some of the best office views imaginable.
CPA Erin Gast, who earned her master's in accounting in 2019, enjoys the benefits of working locally, supporting her community while maintaining the work-life balance that comes with being part of a firm outside of a major city. Tech's own Laura J. Sieders '90 earned her bachelor's in accounting at Tech and her master's in accounting at Western Governors University, then worked in the corporate sector for 25 years, specializing in nonprofit accounting before pivoting to a career in education. Now serving as an assistant teaching professor of accounting, she is helping to shape the next generation of CPAs at her alma mater.
While there's a nationwide decline in accounting enrollment, Michigan Tech's College of Business is moving in the opposite direction. Interest in the accounting program remains strong, and extends to the University's accelerated master's degree option, where Huskies can stay one extra year as master's students to complete the 150 hours currently required to sit for the CPA exam. The master's program gives them advanced knowledge, the credentials to launch their careers as CPAs, and, as they like to say, the chance to join the Coolest Profession Around.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
