Professional Presence and Soft Skills: A Role for Accounting Education

20% of success in any career is believed to be based on intelligence: the ability to learn, understand and reason. The other 80% is based on the ability to understand oneself and interact with other people (Kirch, Tucker & Kirch, 2001).” An incremental laboratory experience was designed to create an environment for soft skill development that does not diminish the attention to accounting theory and technical development. Mandatory experiences were added to two required accounting classes starting in the spring of sophomore year. The lab experience includes: (1) Professional Motivation, (2) Emotional Intelligence, (3) Soft Skill Development, (4) Career Skills, and (5) Time Management.