The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has announced a "Start Here, Rock Out" iPod sweepstakes designed to encourage high school students to complete their FutureMe profiles on Start Here, Go Places, the interactive Web site created by the AICPA to inform students about exciting career opportunities in accounting.

"It's a total myth that accounting is a boring job," said Jeannie Patton, AICPA vice president for students, academics and membership. "CPAs are smart people pursuing incredible careers and leading exciting lives."

The AICPA will give away 10 iPod Touches a week, pre-loaded with a video about the accounting profession, for seven weeks, and will give away 50 iPods at the end of the "Start Here, Rock Out" sweepstakes. Participants enter the fun contest by creating and saving a FutureMe profile on the Web site which encourages high school students to envision where they're headed in life and what career path they will choose.

"The possibilities of a career in accounting are incredibly rich," said Patton.

The site breaks down stereotypes, offers students a personalized experience to explore an accounting career, and features profiles of more than 100 real CPAs doing fun and interesting things.

The FutureMe feature realizes a potential career path that students can customize based on responses to a series of questions about their personality and preferences. The model career path gives insight into what life is like in a particular position, expected salary and weekly hours, as well as a timeline of how one might achieve this position and an outline of the necessary steps to arrive at a FutureMe.

The `Meet Real Life CPAs' feature on the Web site allows students to gain an understanding of accounting straight from the professionals. The program also offers job shadowing opportunities for students to spend a day at work with a CPA and provides state-by-state information about scholarships.

In addition, the Web site includes an innovative forum for teachers and guidance counselors that will provide them with classroom curriculum resources, blogs, a wiki library, and a calendar of events happening around the country.  "This is unlike any other educational resource out there," Patton said.
Start Here, Go Places serves educators through education plans, video programs and links to accounting resources and articles.

Start Here, Go Places has received 11 awards from the International Association of Business Communicators, American Society of Association Executives and other sponsoring organizations.
The site originally launched in 2001 and was redesigned earlier this year. Since 2006, the site has achieved more than 600,000 visitors from 211 countries.