Accounting firms have a new kind of pipeline problem, and it's no longer about filling a shortage of entry-level roles — it's finding enough mid-level managers. To solve this new pipeline problem, firms need to change the way they both hire and train staff. Firms need more managers in order to sell more work, and they're clearly willing to pay more for them. That means most team members come in at the senior associate or manager level. That kind of knowledge didn't come until the manager or senior manager level, she said, but "here that's all accelerated, so your learning curve can just go through the roof."