Accountant Employment
If you are looking for a career that is based on thorough reporting and records maintenance, profit and loss, taxes and any other organizational or personal financial activities, you may want to consider seeking employment as an Accountant. Accounts are responsible for the managing the internal and external financial activities and records by keeping track of liabilities, expenses, budgeting, revenue and assets and taxes.
Education and Skills necessary for Accountant Employment
To be employed as an accountant, the majority of states require 150 credit hours of education at a recognized college or university for candidates to pursue the CPA certification. Graduate degrees in Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Taxation or Master of Accountancy could prove to be helpful should you choose to continue your education.
CPA’s will find the following skills helpful in their career choices:
- Wide knowledge base
- Strong grasp of general business practices
- Excellent communication skills
- High ethical standards
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Ability to quickly learn new technology
After you possess a minimum of a First Degree in Accounting, these are some of the position titles you should be on the lookout for when job hunting:
- Accounting Manager
- Accounting Director
- Assistant Accountant
- Bookkeeping Manager
- Budget Accountant
- Cost Accountant
- Cost Accounting Manager
- Financial Analysis Manager
- Financial Analyst Accountant
- Fund Accountant
- Public Accountant
- Senior Accountant
- Financial Controller
- Consultant, Accounting
- Senior Tax Accountant
- Staff Accountant
- Financial Accountant
- Business Analyst (Unspecified Type)
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Chartered Accountant
- Tax Accountant
- Associate Accountant
- Payroll Accountant
- Key Account Manager
- Project Accountant
- Entry-level Staff Accountant
- Manager of Financial Accounting
- Bank Accountant
Many accountants start out as bookkeepers, clerks or assistants before moving into senior accounting positions after five years.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Public Accountant is the credential earned by individuals who have passed the CPA examination that is administered by The American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Becoming a CPA sets you apart from other persons with accounting experience. Being a CPA allows you to carry out specialized functions within organizations such as internal audits. The majority of jobs that fall within the sphere of compliance and controller areas in public accounting firms require a CPA.
Qualifying as a Certified Public Accountant also involves continuing professional education. This requires approximately fifteen hours per year of professional education courses after your initial certification to maintain the CPA license.
Each state has its own regulating body or board of accountancy that regulates the awarding and renewal of CPA licenses. Qualifying as a CPA in one state does not automatically qualify you in another. If you would like to make a career of accounting, it is best that you get qualified as a CPA. You will find that entry level accounting positions are almost always supervised by a Certified Public Accountant.
