Junior Accountants Won’t Learn Like You Did
And that’s not a bad thing. AI is taking over the grunt work that was used to train juniors, so it might be time to rethink how we teach, guide, and grow the next generation.
“But how will we train juniors?”
It’s the first concern that comes up when AI enters the conversation. Not automation, not accuracy—training.
And it’s a valid point.
In most firms, the path to becoming a great accountant is traditionally paved with spreadsheets, statements, and grunt work. Reconciling mismatched entries. Downloading bank files. Grouping transactions line by line. You learn the ropes by doing the tedious stuff first.
So if AI handles all of that… what’s left?
From Calculators to Co-Pilots
Let’s zoom out.
When calculators first hit classrooms, educators panicked. “How will students learn to add, subtract, multiply, divide?”
But we didn’t stop teaching math, we simply changed how we taught it. Students still needed to understand the fundamentals, but the focus shifted to problem solving, analysis, and application. Calculators freed them to think deeper.
We’re seeing the same shift in education today with tools like ChatGPT. Some teachers are no longer banning AI, they’re redesigning assignments. Instead of asking for a basic summary, they’re asking students to form opinions, question assumptions, and build on what AI gives them.
The smart ones aren’t asking “how do we stop this?” They’re asking: “How do we teach differently now that this exists?”
Accounting needs to do the same.
Training Juniors in the Age of AI
Your newest hires used to learn by doing the dirty work. But let’s be honest: downloading PDFs and grouping GL entries was never the goal. It was just the only way to learn the flow.
Today, accounting tools already automate much of that. And with AI stepping in to auto-ingest, categorization, and basic execution of tasks, the baseline work is shifting.
So what do we train juniors on?
We train them to be reviewers first.
Instead of spending months (or years) on manual prep, juniors can:
Instead of thinking of this as a shortcut, think of it as an upgrade. It accelerates understanding, and it raises the bar on what “trained” actually means.
Prepare Your Firm to Shift
If your training still depends on repetitive tasks AI will soon handle, it’s time to evolve. Here’s how:
AI isn’t the end of training. It’s a wake-up call to level it up.
The next generation of accountants won’t learn by doing grunt work. They’ll learn by thinking critically, reviewing strategically, and collaborating with tools that make them faster—not obsolete.
And that’s a firm people will want to work for and grow with.
