For too many years, the accounting profession has been defined by its barriers to entry. From the 150-hour-rule to a notoriously difficult exam, it seems accounting education was designed with exclusivity in mind. Perhaps that made sense when the market was flooded with burgeoning CPAs ready to make the big bucks, but the hard truth is that careers in the accounting profession aren’t delivering the ROI they once did. And sentiment toward accounting degrees from current university students has shifted, which means fewer and fewer college graduates are in line to replace a rapidly retiring population. To make matters worse, those following traditional accounting pathways often lack the knowledge and skills needed to excel in modern accounting firms. We’re not just in the midst of a massive talent shortage—we’re also suffering from a significant talent gap.
The Shift Toward Client Accounting & Advisory Services (CAS)
At the same time that the profession is feeling the shortfall of qualified professionals, demand is both skyrocketing and shifting. From 2021 to 2024, Americans filed an average of 440,000 new business applications each month, a rate over 90% faster than pre-pandemic averages. These small business owners and solopreneurs are looking for more than just someone to file their taxes. They’re looking for trusted financial advisors to guide them through strategic business decisions. Tax and audit are important pieces of the puzzle, but modern accounting professionals also need to be tech-savvy with advisory acumen and solid communication skills — competencies that aren’t emphasized in traditional academic programs.
The talent shortage doesn’t just mean accounting firms can’t scale their services and grow with growing demand. It means many accounting professionals and firms are under-equipped to provide the robust, tailored services that many new clients are seeking.
Future-proofing Accounting Education
Professor David Waite at Utah Valley University (UVU), in tandem with leading ProAdvisors Dan Luthi and Brittany Brown, recognized both the talent shortage in university accounting programs as well as the talent gap in those graduating with traditional degrees. In response, the visionary trio pioneered a first-of-its kind course in Client Accounting and Advisory Services (CAS) that launched in spring 2025 and is now a required course for all graduating accountants at UVU: The UVU Small Business Accounting program.
As part of the course, Professor Waite issued each student a QuickBooks Online trial account, and made both the ProAdvisor Bookkeeping and QuickBooks Online Level 1 Certifications a requisite to pass. Beyond ensuring hands-on, practical training in the most widely used accounting software worldwide, they also packed the curriculum with real-world case studies and workflows, tech-forward discussions on automation and cloud accounting, and lessons in communication skills and efficiency—all while teaching students how to add strategic value through advisory insights.
The effect is two-fold. Not only does the course better prepare fresh talent for an evolving profession, it works to counter the waning interest in traditional accounting education by exposing them to careers in CAS. Today's future accounting professionals want dynamic, engaging careers that leverage technology, strategy, and problem-solving in addition to crunching numbers. With this course, the profession just got a new PR agent.
“At Intuit, we're proud to support educators and institutions forging these new paths. Purposefully, this aligns perfectly with our mission at ProAdvisor Academy which is to provide the cutting-edge training and technology needed to empower accounting professionals for the future.” —Priyesh Rajasekaran, Product Manager, ProAdvisor Academy, Intuit Inc.
Powering Prosperity for the Next Generation
At Intuit, we were inspired by this initiative and what it means for the future of accounting education. There is no denying the talent gap that is plaguing the accounting profession, and there are a lot of great ideas out there to address it: from alternative pathways to licensure to reducing the 150-hour requirement. But in the face of a rapidly evolving landscape, it’s important we look to evolve not only the way we teach accounting, but the way the next generation of talent views it.
We don’t just need to fill the talent pipeline. We need to change the narrative about what a career in accounting looks like in order to attract the brighter, more diverse talent who will lead us into this bold new future. The UVU Small Business Accounting course is a shining example of how we can revamp and revitalize accounting education to do just that—working to power prosperity for accounting professionals, firms, and small businesses alike.
Want an inside look at the program and its impact? Check out our on-location video with Waite, Luthi, and Brown and the detailed blog post covering this initiative here.