Straight out of science fiction

Many of the futures imaged by sci-fi writers and film creators from the ’80s may have seemed outlandish and impossible 40 years ago. But now we’re living in the age of self-driving cars, influencers making bank from online content creation, and AI chat-bots, and the writing seems to be on the [digital] wall: Anything is possible.

This mindset is exactly what inspired Obed Maurice CPA, CA to create one of Canada’s first virtual accounting firms. Prompted by the desire to branch out of a traditional accounting role in pursuit of a more flexible and creative lifestyle, Obed’s vision was initially met with skepticism. “I was laughed out of pretty much every CPA firm,” he recalls. “People thought it was a ridiculous idea.”

Now, 10 years later, cloud accounting has become indispensable in the business world, improving accessibility, in-creasing the bottom line, and allowing both parties—CPAs and the clients they serve—more options to meet their personal and professional needs. “As a CPA, you earn the privilege to kind of design your own life and your own style,” says Obed. “Things are changing at a breakneck speed, presenting an awesome opportunity for CPAs.”

This opportunity, however, does not only apply to inventors. Morgan Bazin CPA, CMA originally thought their career was going to be in the soft-ware engineering field, but working in tech as a CPA is far more rewarding and, more importantly, aligns more closely with their interest in ethics and social responsibility.

Technology might provide businesses with infinite options for improving their business practices and increasing revenue, but Morgan believes CPAs are vital to exploring risk and accountability with clients who are eager to embrace what technology has to offer without fully understanding the consequences.

Goldie Harder

“Accountants bridge the gap for clients,” says Morgan, a Solutions Architect with Long View Systems. “As an accountant in tech, I need to understand the data so I can provide stewardship, governance, and ethical reasoning. Technology often seems like magic, so it’s vital that accountants ask questions, think through the outcomes, and essentially, protect the public.”

This need for accountability and sound decision-making is critical for Brent Miller CPA, CA, Head of Finance at Sports IQ Analytics, where AI and machine learning are used to provide software solutions for the online sports gambling industry. “I didn’t want a super traditional career and thought it would be really cool and exciting to learn to speak the language of AI,” says Brent.

Contending with cutting-edge technology may be an exhilarating facet of his daily work, but with great excitement comes great responsibility. After helping many technology-based organizations grow from one or two people into larger, more complex enterprises, Brent quickly recognized technology needs people as much as people need it. “The information we receive from AI is not gospel. Having a financial understanding of what artificial intelligence is doing is becoming increasingly important,” he says.

Brooklyn Truong

Deepa Voralia CPA, CMA says the CPA designation’s importance will only grow as more aspiring accountants move into the tech space. “In my experience working in various different or-ganizations, I have found that finance and IT are often sepa-rate entities, and it’s crucial and powerful to be able to bridge that gap,” she says.

The accounting basics, however, will always be fundamental to the value CPAs bring to organizations. “I think the accounting role will become much more focused on strategy and interpreting financial information in the future,” says Deepa, who prior to working as an instructor at SAIT, held finance and process improvement positions in multiple industries across Europe and in Canada. “Rather than just processing, it’s really about being able to share that understanding and expertise with non-finance people.”

How future CPAs can prepare for a job in tech

In addition to mastering the basics, Deepa advocates for building on the foundational elements of accounting by embracing change and cultivating flexibility and collaboration—skills that helped her diversify her career. Connecting with people is paramount in a world where technological advances are increasing faster than we can consume information. “Building relationships and collaborating is really important. You can’t be an expert in every area,” she says.

With so many areas to contend with, knowing how to start and where one will thrive can be hard. Brent advises thinking about what’s important to you—whether it be hobbies, passion projects, or philanthropy—and building off that. His career combines his love for sports with his interest in accounting, making it easier to stay on top of his game.

“If a developer posts an article about some new technology, I take the time to really read it,” he says. “I don’t write it off as something that’s not meant for my eyes. Take a look at those articles that other people are talking about; use Google to decipher unfamiliar terms.”

Diving into the unfamiliar, Morgan adds, can be an eye-opening and rewarding experience. “It can be hard, and it might suck, but when I’ve taken it as a learning opportunity, that’s where I discovered how to add a lot of value,” says Morgan. Their desire to contribute to a safer, more caring world has inspired them to educate clients on intersectionality and introduce ways technology can create more inclusive and accessible user experiences.

One’s passion is key to working in futuristic, technology-driven worlds, and Obed cautions students against allowing the fear of the unknown to limit what they are capable of. “Don’t underestimate where your curiosity and interests can take you,” he says. “The biggest mistake a student can make is reducing themselves to a single idea. You can be many things at once. Be a curious accountant.”

Thank you to our models: Brooklyn Truong and Goldie Harder, both future CPAs