(BPT) - Talking to high-school kids about careers can be hard. Many parents want to help their kids choose a fulfilling career that offers stability and growth potential, but kids often come to career conversations with their own wish lists.
A new documentary premiering on public television starting June 5 might just make that career conversation a little easier for everyone. “Making it Balance,” made possible by the Center for Audit Quality, features three young adults traveling across the country in a big, green RV as they discover how people of all backgrounds and passions forge their own career paths through the auditing profession.
Traveling from Austin to Boston, roadtrippers Sobia, Da’Rell and Leilani interviewed experienced auditors and business leaders, learning how a career in audit can serve as a stepping stone for a diverse and varied career, combining business acumen, data analysis and financial knowledge.
Here are four reasons parents should watch “Making it Balance” with their kids and talk to them about a career in auditing.
Auditing isn’t just a job, it’s a career
Auditing jobs aren’t just in demand, they also provide potentially lucrative career paths. On average, auditors at public company accounting firms with roughly two years of experience can earn above average salaries. If they stay in the auditing profession long enough, the career path can lead them to become a partner with the potential to earn very healthy compensation packages.
Even during uncertain times like the current COVID-19 pandemic, a career in auditing can afford a measure of stability and good pay. Early-career professionals like the young adults featured in the documentary will play a critical role in helping businesses navigate current and future challenges.
Every industry needs auditors, even sports and music
Many kids think they have to choose between a fulfilling career and a career that offers a good salary. This is not the case when it comes to auditing.
Public companies in every industry are required to have auditors that assure their financial reporting is reliable and accurate. That means auditors can make a good salary while working in whatever industry makes them happy.
The roadtrippers in “Making it Balance” discover this the fun way. They interviewed prominent auditors in the sports and music industries, including the commissioner of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the internal audit manager at LiveNation, a music and entertainment company.
A career in audit is a career in technology
More and more, auditors are leveraging the same cutting-edge technologies as leading consumer brands Facebook, Google and Amazon. From artificial intelligence to automation to cybersecurity, auditors are integrating cutting-edge technologies into their daily work routines.
Leveraging automation and other technologies enables auditors to reduce time on basic or mundane tasks, instead focusing on tasks that require analysis, creativity, teamwork and problem-solving.
Audit is a purpose-driven profession
Auditors feel a strong sense of purpose in their profession. They take seriously their responsibilities to provide trust and confidence in the information people depend on to make some of the most important financial decisions of their lives, such as taking out home mortgages, paying for college tuition and saving for retirement.
Parents and their kids can watch the one-hour documentary when it airs nationally on public television stations across the country starting on June 5, and online starting June 4. Learn more at https://www.discoveraudit.org/makingitbalance2020/.
