May the Fourth Be with You | Auditing Edition

Happy Star Wars Day, Discover Audit family! Team D.A. is always excited when this day rolls around, and unlike Ron Swanson, we do know the difference between Star Wars and Harry Potter.

We also know there are several things Star Wars and the world of public company auditing have in common. Our list will begin “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” (we’re also including yesterday here in D.C. because…why not?).

1. Like Star Wars, the public company auditing profession is a lot more diverse than it was in the 1970s.

Outside of aliens, Star Wars wasn’t all that diverse 40 years ago. Of course, that’s all changed with great characters like Mace Windu, Finn, and Baze Malbus. And don’t forget powerful women—this isn’t just a Princess Leia town anymore! Similarly, the auditing profession has become more diverse. In a profession that was traditionally male dominated, more women are leading the charge. For example, two of the biggest public company accounting firms are led by women— Cathy Engelbert and Lynne Doughtie, both CEOs of their respective firms, Deloitte and KPMG.

2. Auditing has its own set of Jedi mind tricks.

To succeed in the audit profession, you’ll need a healthy dose of professional skepticism, integrity, problem solving and communication skills, as well as being detail oriented. Auditing is a lot more than crunching numbers, just like Star Wars involves more than just traveling the universe. It’s about verifying that the information public companies present to their stakeholders is fair and reasonably accurate, all while using the plethora of lightsaber skills you have up your sleeves. Check out Strengths and Skills That Great Auditors Possess to learn more! And speaking of traveling the universe…

3. In Star Wars, you travel the galaxy.

Public company auditing is pretty legit, too. If anything is true about the Star Wars universe, it’s that the characters visit the coolest places in the galaxy. Ice planets, desert planets, fire planets – you name it, they’ve likely been there. Auditing is the same way. If you’re a Jedi that likes to be on the go, you’ll likely find yourself visiting companies in different cities and states (and sometimes different countries!), doing your part to help build trust in the capital markets.

4. Luke Skywalker had Yoda. Auditors get their own Yoda, too.

As a public company auditor, you won’t go it alone either. You’ll have wise mentors to help guide you throughout your career, and extensive professional development opportunities to keep your skills saber sharp. And since the auditing profession is built on teamwork, you’ll have your audit team there with you every step of the way. You’ll depend on them to have your back and vice versa.

What’s your favorite moment of Star Wars? Share it with us on social—we’re on all the planets…*ahem*…channels.