Socialization is an ongoing process that precedes organizational entry and continues well past entry. By collecting data at one point in time, this study does not do justice to this dynamic. The high turnover rate in public accounting, fueled partially by its "up-and-out" promotion policy, would make meaningful longitudinal work very difficult. Furthermore, in keeping with the general consensus that forces of personal change are likely to be more extreme early in the organizational career, staff personnel without exceptionally long tenure were sampled. This systematically underrepresented those that could put their early experiences into a perspective made wise by the passage of years. Although strict stage models of socialization have been soundly critiqued (e.g., Nelson, 1987), there may be some potential in such an elongated view.