With so many careers available in the accounting industry, if this is the line of work you want to do, you should gain all the information on each one at your university or college so that you have the proper training. All universities and colleges have student support services where you can obtain the information you need about the different types of accounting jobs. Then when you make your choice, you can ensure that you take the right courses leading to a degree or diploma in that area. Businesses and governments cannot function properly without accounting services, so there are plenty of opportunities for employment in this field.
Even if you choose accountant as your career in the accounting industry, there are many choices in the type of work you do. Some of the areas of specialization in the accounting industry in private business include bookkeeping, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budget planning and analysis, payroll and cost accounting. Each of these jobs entails different duties. Working in accounts receivable, for example, you would handle all the bills the company sends out to customers and maintain the ledgers that record the payments received. In accounts payable, you would be responsible for paying the company’s bills, such as for supplies.
The training for each of these careers in the accounting industry varies according to the duties you perform as part of the job. You will have to be proficient with using the computer for spreadsheets and you will also need to be skilled at using accounting software, such as Quickbooks or Quicken. Since you will be dealing with numbers, you do need to pay close attention to details. At the same time, since you will also be dealing with the company’s money, you need to be of good character and be trustworthy.
When you graduate with a degree in accounting or business, you will likely start off in an entry-level position. In this way you can gain experience in how the company works be performing routine tasks and those assigned to you by a supervisor. As you gain experience, you can then take continuing education courses leading to certification in your chosen field. As with all jobs, choosing a career in accounting should be something that you are interested in. If you really excel at Math, but don’t like working with numbers, then maybe this would not be a good career choice for you.
You can start off in your career in the accounting industry by working with a public accounting firm. In this position, you will perform a myriad of tasks, each one dealing with some aspect of accounting. This will give you experience to move forward into an area of specialization in the field that you like best. In this type of work, you will be dealing with individuals and businesses, preparing tax returns and financial statements and you will get to interact with a diverse group of people. Both the state and federal governments hire recent graduates in accounting positions at all levels for many different types of positions.
