An Unprecedented Year for Audit
It goes without saying that 2020 was an unprecedented year, with new global challenges changing our definition of “normal.” From Zoom meetings to virtual classrooms, every profession has had to change the way they operate. Luckily for us, auditors and accountants showed resilience and adaptability in the face of new challenges and helped keep our capital markets safe during the COVID-19 crisis. We also saw new emerging areas in financial reporting, like an emphasis on environmental, social, and governance issues. We also embarked on the Roadtrip of a lifetime with Making It Balance and got to know the profession better with the Share Your Road community.
When looking back on the past year, it’s impossible to ignore how ESG has taken center stage. While ESG reporting isn’t new, the COVID-19 crisis thrust environmental, social, and governance issues into the spotlight in regard to financial reporting. Do you have students who are interested in things like climate change and social justice? They might be excited to know that ESG isn’t going anywhere, and accountants and auditors get to be involved in some pretty exciting issues impacting society. Learn more about the Role of the Auditor in ESG information.
It’s also impossible to ignore the way auditors stepped up during COVID-19. When a pandemic threatened our economy, auditors answered the call to provide stability to our capital markets, showing Audit in Action. By adapting quickly to remote work, new technologies, and new challenges, accountants and auditors were able to maintain high-quality standards of financial reporting, and provide trust that our economy would survive a massive disruption. We even got to celebrate Audit in Action Day on September 24th! If your students value a career with real-world impact, show them Audit in Action to learn how the profession worked to provide stability when we needed them most.
2020 also brought us a new look inside the profession with the premiere of Making It Balance. When Da’Rell, Leilani, and Sobia embarked on a cross-country journey in an RV to meet with leaders in audit and accounting, what they learned is that there’s no set path to success in the career. They discovered that this career could help them accomplish their goals, and they got to meet some pretty cool people along the way. Have you added Making It Balance to your virtual classroom? Your students won’t want to miss out on this journey behind the scenes of audit and accounting like nothing you’ve seen before.
The past year has been challenging, but it’s also brought out the best in audit and accounting. Make sure you take a look back at all of our great virtual resources from 2020, and help your students start planning their next steps toward a career in audit. Stay tuned for more exciting things from Discover Audit in 2021!