Accounting Professor Kristen Quinn says accounting is always in style.

Kristen Quinn

Accounting

Faculty/Department Chair

Think of a business…any business. That business needs an accountant. That nonprofit organization? Sports Team? Furniture designer? Yup, they all need accountants and always will, says accounting Professor Kristen Quinn.

Whether it is fashion, finance, fitness, forensics, or pharmaceuticals, she says accounting has a role.

“Accounting is the language of business,” she says.

And it is a language Quinn speaks fluently and shares with her students. She teaches a number of accounting courses from beginner to advanced. Now as department chair, in addition to teaching, she works on course development to strengthen and grow the program.

“When you have an accounting degree,” she says, “You have a specific set of skills that employers love.”

Quinn is living proof that even academia needs accountants, both in the classroom as well as the business office. With a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Assumption College and a master’s in accountancy from Suffolk University, Professor Quinn worked as a public accountant for several years before she began teaching at NECC 10 years ago.

Accounting is currently a high demand field. That is good news, Quinn says, noting that the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the employment of accountants and auditors is expected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations, with a median salary of more than $69,000. NECC grads can transfer to a four-year program or enter the work force as a bookkeeper, accounting clerk, or auditing clerk.

Whatever their path, accounting students can expect an associate degree with holistic applications.

“I like that what I am teaching the students can apply to their everyday lives as well as the business world,” she says. “I like working with the students and seeing them succeed here as well as once they have moved on to either four-year institutions or a professional career.”

She encourages her students to take advantage of the tutors in the Center for Business & Accounting as well as the advisors who can help with resume writing and job interviewing skills.”

Accounting students receive a quality education at NECC, she says. Someone interested in an accessible, affordable, accounting education in small classes that builds a strong foundation need not look any further than Northern Essex.

Professor Quinn keeps her students engaged using group assignments as well as an interactive homework manager.

While accountants must enjoy working with numbers, there are other skills needed too, she says.

“In order to succeed in the accounting field an individual must possess three key qualities,” she says.” The individual must be professional, hardworking, and a good communicator.”

Does studying accounting interest you? Would you like to explore this field? Contact Quinn at kquinn@necc.mass.edu or visit the accounting program page.