Careers in Accounting
| Author | Bernard Newman, Mary Oliverio |
| Pages | 80-83 |
Page 80
Many career opportunities are available in accounting. The importance of the accounting function continues to be enhanced in a complex, global business community. Increased scrutiny of company financial reporting and new regulations, such as those implemented with the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, have resulted in intense need for qualified, highly technical accounting staffs in corporations, accounting firms, and governmental agencies.
Accounting positions range from bookkeeping clerks who maintain financial data in computer and paper form to chief financial officers who are responsible for providing leadership in the design and operations of a total accounting information system and the financial statements it produces. Opportunities for employment are present for those with basic accounting/computer skills acquired in secondary schools or community colleges as well as for those with college degrees and postgraduate degrees.
The U.S. Department of Labor identifies accounting essentially at two levels. At the "executive, administrative, and managerial" occupational level, accountants and auditors are included. Under "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks," positions are available to those who have completed secondary school or community college programs and have some training and interest in working with financial records.
Persons employed in accounting are generally expected to have strong computer, analytical, interpersonal, and communications skills in addition to sound knowledge in accounting related to the level of the position.
In general, according to Department of Labor projection, the rate of growth of employment for accountants with college degrees or master's degrees was expected to be about the same as the average for all other occupations through the year 2012.
The impact of computer technology will continue to change the nature of demand for employees in accounting who have less than college preparation. The projection of the Department of Labor for this category of accounting and bookkeeping workers was that growth would be slower than average in overall employment, but job opportunities were expected to be numerous because of high turnover of individuals in this category.
Accounting is a field that is appealing to individuals who enjoy working with figures and who appreciate the need for impeccable accuracy and careful adherence to policies and schedules. Accountants must be computer-savvy. Thus, individuals who enjoy the challenge of the continuing need to learn new software and new work procedures find the field of interest. Those who become certified must continue to be learners, since renewal of licenses requires continuing professional education. Accountants who are not certified also enroll in a range of in-company and other types of programs to upgrade their skills and knowledge to be able to handle emerging responsibilities.
Accountants must be individuals of high integrity so that the financial information they prepare is viewed as trustworthy by the users of the information. Accountants who are certified are expected to adhere to professional codes of ethics. These codes impose rules and regulations that are meant to encourage behavior in relation to their work that maintains the credibility of financial reporting, both within and outside the organization.
Professional accounting positions that require at least an undergraduate college degree and certification are certified public accountant (CPA), certified management accountant, certified internal auditor, and the certified government financial manager.
Accountants who plan to complete the CPA examination and meet certification requirements, as well as those who hold the CPA certificate, are likely to begin employment in a public
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accounting firm as a staff accountant. Some states in the United States require experience in auditing for certification. While public accounting firms hire recent graduates of college programs for beginning positions, such firms expect new employees to have taken the examination or be planning to sit for it. While many CPAs leave public accounting to enter other...
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