The goal of this guide is to encourage firms to host a field trip for high school students in their offices. An office visit is a great way to showcase your firm as well as our profession. We strive to get students interested in and excited about the profession by exposing them to the office environment and educating them on the opportunities available to CPAs.
Example timeline:
15 minutes
30-45 minutes
15-30 Minutes
30-45 Minutes
Firm overview and career overview – Partner
Panel discussion – 4-6 CPAs of varying levels and mixed specialties
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Serve lunch or breakfast during the panel (optional)
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Encourage students to prepare questions ahead of time
Office tour
Activity or game (budgeting, evaluating financial statements, tax activity)
Examples for the panel discussion include: a.
Can anyone tell me what a CPA is? b.
Let me tell you a little bit about becoming a CPA. c.
CPAs are problem solvers. They are outgoing and creative. d.
I became a CPA because_____. e.
I went to school_______. f.
My first job was______(talk about previous work experience and current job.) g.
My employment history at this firm is_____.

Examples of games/activities include: a.
Select a company (or the firm); ask students to guess the amounts and/or accounts on the Income Statement (revenues and expenses); have them prepare an informal report and calculate actual or budget amounts for the company (or firm) b.
Select a company (or the firm); ask students to guess the major assets the company holds, debt, dividends, etc. c.
Show students a financial statement and have them calculate a few common ratios and discuss what each ratio means d.
Design a scavenger hunt and ask students to find a few interesting things in an annual report or in the office (special scanner for scanning clients’ tax documents, auditor’s equipment) e.
Walk through a case study; does the buyer or seller have legal title to the goods when the semi-truck transporting the goods has an accident and damages the goods in transit? f.
Analyze the cost of a product (i.e. pizza – which includes several food items, packaging, etc.) and mark-up. Explain the process for pricing a product and which employees/departments are typically involved in pricing. g.
Read/discuss news article (or watch video) about an accounting topic.