The diversity that one encounters within the accounting profession raises several questions for which answers are not necessarily forthcoming. For example, do these different career streams require different sets or portfolios of cognitive skills? Do these career streams demand similar or distinct levels of cognitive skills? Moreover, does the optimal configuration between specific expertise and cognitive skills differ across these career streams? In that regard, the advent of articling within business organizations as an alternative to accounting firms is likely to bring further broadening in the range of careers and experiences of professional accountants.
Judgment and expertise in professional accounting have been topics of interest for many decades. Both concepts share many commonalities as judgment is the most evident outcome from expertise, while expertise is required to exercise judgment. However, both concepts can also be considered to be multi-dimensional. Two key aspects that underlie professional judgment in accounting are 1) relevant knowledge and experience so that 2) a choice must be made between alternatives.
In summary, we have learned a lot over the past two decades about professional judgment and expertise, but there remains some uncertainty as to what they are, as well as how and when to develop them. It appears that the development of professional expertise and judgment through generic learning processes may not be optimal. The literature also raises questions as to whether university education is necessarily the best time to provide such professional judgment and expertise abilities.
The preceding views are adapted from the discussant’s comments “Further Developing Professional Attributes in CAs: An Impossible Challenge?” by Michel Magnan, PhD, FCA, Concordia University, in response to the presentation “Teaching the Fine Arts of Being a Professional Accountant” by Susan Wolcott, PhD, CPA. Both the presentation and the discussant’s comments were part of the November 22, 2010 symposium Leveraging Change - The New Pillars of Accounting Education which was held in Toronto, Canada. The pillars of accounting education include: professional judgment; professional and personal attributes; accounting principles and concepts; ethical decision making; and integration.
(For more information on this symposium, contact Irene Wiecek, FCA, at the University of Toronto and/or Tim Forristal, CA, or Gord Beal, CA, at the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA). Refer to the CICA website for more information on What Do CAs Do?)
