ctive, accurate, and compiled in an unbiased way (Rosenberg 2). Thus, Rosenberg maintains that in today's complex and fast-paced economic world, information is critical, and the "information czars" are the professional accountants (2).
Consequently, accountancy is a significant field in today's economy. This is represented by the number of college students who choose accounting as a major. For example, in 1989, colleges awarded more than 57,000 bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting (Gaylord 37). By the time of their graduation, twenty-eight percent of the graduates with bachelor's degrees and 24 percent of those with master's degrees had already been hired by business and industry. Thus, Gloria Gaylord and Glenda Reid feel confident in stating that it remains fairly certain an "ambitious, well-educated, and well-trained accountant will find an appealing career opportunity in the business world" (37).
II. Overview of the Field of Accounting
Grace Weinstein maintains that while accounting largely has always been a popular career-choice among business-oriented college students, the field "lost some of its luster" during the 1980s when its members were portrayed as out-of-touch pencil pushes with minimal interpersonal skills (78). In addition, many college students during that time were attracted by the glamour and salaries of Wall Street and chose finance and marketing careers rather than a career in accounting. Nonetheless, Weinstein maintains that "accounting, as the only major profession that does not require postgraduate education, has also been a popular career choice in and of itself" (78).
Peter Muller observes that technology is changing the way many jobs in accounting are handled and it is placing a premium on computer expertise in accountants (90). At the same time, however, such technology is also reducing the number of people necessary to handle certain aspects of the job (Muller 90). Mulle
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