Accounting Career

Introduction

Those who love numbers and who are highly organized may be interested in pursuing a career in accounting. There are several different careers within this field from being a Certified Public Accountant to being a financial analyst. To this end, accounting degrees help students launch their careers in many staff and office accounting positions. Students can choose to pursue Associate's or Bachelor's degrees, depending on their future goals.

Potential students interested careers in this field can find accounting degrees at universities, community or junior colleges, or even online. Most of these programs combine accounting-related courses with general education courses. Courses integral to these degrees may include business economics, auditing, payroll accounting, and taxation. Specialized computer programs are very important in this field, so most schools offer training in database systems used for accounting and financial analysis packages.

Two-year degrees prepare students for entry-level accounting positions. An example of this type of career is that of an accounting clerk. These professionals work in a broad range of industries from offices to restaurants. While responsibilities become more specialized in larger companies, clerks typically maintain accounting records by tracking expenditures, receipts, accounts payable and receivable, and profits and losses (accounting.careerbuilder.com, n.p, n.d).

Discussion

The entry-level positions that two-year degrees may lead to include: accounting clerk, bookkeeper and auditing clerk jobs. These types of jobs are foretold to grow at an average pace in the near future. These professionals earn a median annual salary that is around $32,000.

Individuals interested in being accountants should look into four-year degrees, for most businesses require at least that much education for higher level positions. Many companies also require that you be certified, which is accomplished by taking a special test called the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. Most states also require that you have a Bachelor's degree with a minimum number of qualifying accounting and business administration courses in order to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam.

If you are interested in pursuing a four-year degree in this field, but do not want to take the CPA exam, there are many job opportunities also available to you. Examples of these careers include payroll managers, budget analysts, and finance managers. These jobs may pay well, but do not require certification by the state.

Graduates of four-year degree programs may find higher pay and increased job prospects. For instance, accountant and auditor jobs will grow much faster than average. Also, these positions pay on average approximately $25,000 more than the clerk positions mentioned previously that only require an Associate's degree (.accountingcareers.com.au, n.p, n,d).

Those who are successful in accounting-related fields normally enjoy working with numbers and computer programs and are detail-oriented. They also must be reliable and trustworthy, since a lot of companies' confidential information passes right through their hands. In addition, an accounting degree from a reputable university will help them gain the skills necessary to excel in these professions. Students pursuing this profession will also gain training in the computer programs that many companies use to perform their functions. The choice of enrolling ...