When you first enter university and know that you want to pursue a career in accounting upon graduation, you should follow the program outlined for a degree in accounting. You can also become an accountant with a degree in business. The course you take in your degree program will give you an idea of the many different facets there are to working in the accounting industry and help you to choose one area in which you may want to specialize. All organizations, both for profit and not for profit, as well as federal and state governments require the services of an accountant, which means the possibilities for employment are quite lucrative.
You may choose a career in accounting as a private accountant and be employed by one company or organization to handle its financial matters. You may have several clients as part of your role and have to report to others that are in managerial positions. You may be an internal or external auditor, each of which has different duties. An external auditor looks at the financial records of a company from a third party perspective, while as an internal auditor you are actually employed by that company.
Another career in accounting is that of a financial accountant. In this position, you take the information from a company’s ledger and prepare the financial statements for the company. You will also have to report to the investors and stockholders of the company and deliver written and verbal reports in presentations at regular meetings. As part of this role, you will also be part of the decision making team with respect to future acquisitions or projects that the company wishes to take on by providing the managers with the financial data regarding the company’s assets and financial position.
The job of tax accountant is another exciting career in accounting. In this job, your main duties will be the preparation of tax returns. You may choose to work independently taking on clients of your own preparing tax returns for businesses and individuals. You will need to be very knowledgeable about the tax regulations and keep up-to-date on any changes in the laws. As part of this job, you may also handle the financial records of a company independently so that you do the monthly statements as well as profit and loss statements for each quarter.
A career in accounting could also include a job as a business analyst. In this position, you would be part of the planning team of a company or government department and perform expense accounting and budget planning. Many banks hire people in this position, but you do need to have high-level certifications and several years of experience to advance to this position. Your job will entail analyzing the finances and workings of a particular department to determine where the company can cut costs and increase profit. You will also analyze the business needs of both the company and the customer and suggest solutions to problems that develop. It will require you to develop specific documentation and write reports, give presentations and deal with co-workers. Therefore good communication and interpersonal skills are essential.
