If you find Math easy when you are in high school, you may have a promising career as an accountant ahead of you if you decide to pursue a Bachelor's degree in accounting when you enter university. This doesn't mean you will have to take all Math courses. Your degree program will include a mixture of accounting courses that involve learning the principles and methods of accounting as well as the specifics of different kinds of accounting. You will also take elective courses in other areas so that you have a well-rounded education to help you in the accounting industry.
You can choose to work in one of four categories of accounting when you decide to become an accountant. These are public accounting, government accounting, management accounting and auditing. Within these fields there are specific job titles, such as forensic accounting, environmental accounting and cost accounting, which are relatively new categories because of technology and the changing nature of the economy. You can combine law enforcement with accounting as a forensic accountant investigating suspected criminal activities, such as fraud and embezzlement. In environmental accounting, you can combine your love or nature with working with numbers as you try to minimize the impact a business operation has on the environment. In this age where the profit is the bottom line to keep companies from losing money, a job as a cost accountant is an important one in all areas of accounting.
As you take the courses leading to your degree, work for one or two semesters in an accounting firm as an intern and finally get your first job, you will have a glimpse of each of these accountant jobs. Then you can decide when and how you want to specialize. In order to advance in your accounting career, you must take the CPA exam, as it is a requirement for the certificates in many of the areas of specialization. Although the CPA certification involves taking a uniform exam that is recognized by all states, each state has different regulations regarding the licensing of accountants. Therefore, you need to check with your state to ensure that you meet the licensing requirements.
Not all colleges and universities are accredited by the states for licensing accountants. This is something that you must check into before you register for the accounting courses. Each state has a list of post-secondary institutions from which it will accept graduates and allow them to work as accountants in the state.
If you really want to know what accounting is like before you start your post-secondary studies, you may be able to obtain a summer job in the accounting department of a business. You probably won’t do much of the accounting work, but you may be able to assist in the areas of accounts payable, accounts receivable or payroll without a college education. Many companies do hire students to help out during the summer months to alleviate the workload when regular employees take their vacations. You can also use this experience on your resume when you do graduate in accounting and are looking for your first job.
