All accountants work with numbers and calculations using spreadsheets and accounting software. However, there are so many accounting jobs that the type of work that you can do in each one is different and offers different types of challenges. For the basic general accountant, the job description could be fairly simple, whereas that of an accountant in senior management would entail an entirely different set of skills.
Accountants work with businesses and the various levels of government, as well as individuals performing a wide array of necessary functions. There are accounting jobs available in the private sector with many different firms and manufacturing companies. You can also set up your own private practice or work as an auditor. Detecting fraud is another branch of accounting that offers potential for employment. The film industry needs productions accounts for all films and with the major increase of attempts to combat pollution, companies now need the services of an environmental accountant. Then there are tax preparers and financial advisers and planners that help individuals and companies prepare income tax returns and prepare for their future with their investments.
When students first graduate from university with an undergraduate degree in accounting, they usually look for public accounting jobs. This would be what most people assume to be the “typical” accounting position. This is where most accountants get their start as they gain the experience and credentials to help them move into other areas of accounting. The duties of a public accountant are very varied including just about every type of job that you can think of in the accounting industry. Auditing, preparing financial statements and reports, and acting as a consultant is just a sample of the wide range of activities. Some public accountants specialize in one field, such as tax accounting or investments. As you gain experience in this field and engage in continuing education, it is advantageous to write the exam for certification and become a certified public accountant. This is the requirement for many of the specialized jobs in the accounting industry.
Government accounting jobs are another sector of the industry that may interest you. Included in this category are jobs with the IRS as agents and auditors. You can be an auditor for a government agency and work outside the government offices performing contract work. You would still work in the public sector but have the responsibility of acting as a check on the financial activities of the government by auditing their incomes and expenditures to check for waste in duplication of services or fraud.
There are also many accounting jobs in management accounting where you would act in a management capacity in a company. In this role, you would be in charge of developing cost estimates and forecasts associated with specific projects to determine how much money would be involved in such developments, where the company can cut costs and the bottom line, how much money the company could make from such a venture. In addition to preparing the initial financial statements and reports, you will also have the responsibility for monitoring the project and ensuring that it stays within budget.
