The accountant of tomorrow will be significantly different from the accountant of the past. Educational institutions must recognize the areas of change and prepare their accounting students for a changing professional environment. Major catalysts for this dramatic change are found in recent advancements in computer technology and the advent of e-business.

The emergence of the e-business model and the integrative discipline of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planner) systems have accelerated the change. The accountant of tomorrow will need the traditional technical and communication skills as well as significantly enhanced technology skills.

The accountant`s role has been expanding within organizations and they are becoming part of the management and decision-making team, rather than just providers of financial information. Corporate accountants must shift priorities from analyzing past events to acting as strategic partners, advisers and information providers. Already, accounting and finance professionals are mining data, turning information into knowledge and communicating what they learn to all levels of the organization.

In a recent survey, CFOs indicated that, in addition to traditional financial expertise, the one area that is most critical to the future success of accounting professionals is technology expertise. In public accounting, future growth is primarily related to technology and e-business.

Outstanding opportunities exist in consulting and in the corporate environment for individuals with both an accounting and information systems background. Even in the audit area, new techniques and approaches are used to audit e-business clients and ERP systems. Internal control assessment now requires new innovative methods.

Staff accountants routinely link to centralized client databases via laptops. The Electronic Business Technology (EBT) model is significantly changing both the way business is done and the accounting and auditing of those businesses.