Preparing for the Hybridization of the Accounting Profession: A CISA Boot Camp Case Study

Abstract

Fortune Magazine (2019) recently touted technology as reshaping the future, resulting in the hybridization of more than 250 occupations. Within the accounting profession, Robert Half (2018) emphasizes the need for business and accounting acumen coupled with technology expertise, communication skills, leadership abilities, customer service orientation, and preparation for specialized (hybrid) roles epitomized by the integration of dual expertise (e.g., information technology and auditing). Such a change provides accounting educators the opportunity to create new programs aimed both at developing students and at upskilling existing workers for dynamic careers by offering certification boot camps that will give participants a competitive edge in the hybridization of the accounting profession. In this paper, we propose the integration of a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) designation boot camp into accounting program offerings and report the results of a semester-long case study introducing the CISA designation to undergraduate students. We discuss boot camp best practices and the boot camp implementation process, and we offer recommendations for accounting programs that utilize boot camps as part of a strategy to address lifelong learning programs for developing hybridized skills within the accounting profession.