Jun 29 2012 I always asked a senior partner from a large public accounting firm to come into my management/cost accounting classes. Many of the students wanted accouning as a profession due to being good in math, liking bookkeeping in high school, or, perhaps, having a relative who was a CPA. In most accounting classes, especially those in financial accounting, tax, and auditing, the emphasis is on learning the rules and regulations so a student can pass the CPA exam. Alll important. 

However, what I wanted to demonstrate was what a successful career in accounting (both public accounting and corporate) looked like and needed after surviving entry-level positions. That's where a partner from a big accounting firm came in. He/she told the students that in order to be promoted to a higher or highest level, mere knowledge of accounting rules and regulations was not enough. A person needs to be able to write and a person needs to be able to speak (one-on-one and to groups of any size).

Unfortunately, many programs that train professionals don't recognize this. When I taught MBA classes, I could always spot those who had engineering degress. It's not too much of a stretch for me to say that most of them couldn't write a simple, declarative sentence. Even at an undergraduate level, many juniors and seniors in schools of business have poor basic English skills and limited ability to express themselves orally or in writing.

I saw students who were seniors and had never been given adequate feedback during their earlier years at the university. They were surprised and saddened to find out they really couldn't write. While the fault may lie with both K-12 teachers/schools and with university faculty overall, if students became aware of the importance of oral and written communication, they would pressure schools and universities to help them gan these skills.