Professional Socialization of Accounting Students: Suggested Activities to Enhance Students’ Experience at the Anticipatory Stage

Abstract

Professional socialization among accountants has been linked with increased job satisfaction, decreased “entry shock,” decreased job turnover, and increased ethical awareness and behavior. Anticipatory socialization, the initial stage of professional socialization, refers to the time in which accounting students can “try on” or “rehearse” for the career roles that they will eventually undertake. Accounting faculty can encourage, and/or assign, activities that prepare students to encounter various aspects of their future roles. This article reports on the activities being undertaken by a small Midwestern liberal arts university and suggests efforts to measure the effectiveness of those activities.