Navigating the Early Years: A Guide for New Faculty

ABSTRACT

The transition from doctoral student to tenure‐track assistant professor marks a critical juncture in an academic career. This conceptual commentary offers experience‐based insights for early‐career accounting faculty, addressing the distinct pressures of a discipline shaped by professional certification requirements, diverse institutional missions, and a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Drawing on practical observations and current literature, we address institutional variation, tenure expectations, research pipeline management, teaching responsibilities, service commitments, and professional identity formation. We further discuss the role of mentorship and professional associations in supporting career development and offer strategies for navigating departmental politics, institutional fit, and the challenges of an academic environment increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and data analytics. By surfacing both the spoken and the hidden rules of academic life, this paper serves as a practical guide for tenure‐track accounting faculty navigating the complexities of assistant professorship.