- Visit your school or public library. And read these books critically; ask yourself all kinds of questions about each book. Don't expect to be able to answer those questions now, but you will be able to answer them later.
- Read the information and file it in a special Accounting Career file that you start. In fact, this book can be the first entry in that file.
- Call the secretary and see if he or she can send you some information. This could prove to be very helpful for you.
- Do you actually know any accountants? If so, perhaps you can work out something so that he or she will sit down with you for a couple hours and tell you about the field-in exchange for some service you can provide. Or perhaps the accountant will make a deal with you: he or she will explain the field to you if you donate the same amount of time to doing volunteer work for a favorite charity. It's a fair trade.
- Remember your English: writing and grammar and spelling. It might sound trite now, but it's so important later on when you have to communicate. Imagine how embarrassing it can be for an accountant who has to file a written report, and all that people can see are the gross misspellings. You can't count on someone else to correct your mistakes; you wouldn't want to take time out of your job correcting someone else's mistakes. So learn and practice it now while you have the time and energy to do it.
- Eagerly attack problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The key word here is eager. Approach each new problem with a passion.
- Start learning about income tax. Your mother or father might help you, or perhaps you can watch their tax accountant (if they have one) next year.
- Start keeping accurate records of your personal financial affairs. Record income, expenditures, everything else, as if you were in business. The "Dome Simplified Weekly Bookkeeping Record" can be bought for a reasonable price at many business supply stores. It is designed for small businesses, but it can be readily adapted to personal finances, which actually constitute a small business. So think of yourself as a small business. And if you keep your personal financial notes in this book, you'll be giving yourself lots of valuable experience.
- Practice concentration. Sound silly? Wait until you get into a crowded classroom in college or a noisy office. Don't let odd noises around you take your mind off your work and study.
- Try to get after-school, part-time and/or summer work where you can at least observe a bookkeeper or an accountant at work.
- Talk with employers in your city. Find out what they expect of an accountant. What training do they prefer? What personal traits do they desire in a potential accounting employee?
Some Definitions
Public Accountant
A public accountant can be self-employed or can be employed by other public accountants as a junior. He/she provides services on a fee basis if self-employed or on salary if employed. He or she can set up accounting systems, make audits, do cost accounting, handle tax matters, and prepare any sort of financial report. The public accountant is the most highly skilled of all accountants. If he or she is certified by the state, a new title is acquired: CPA. Income range: $9,700 for beginners to $19,600 for the experienced.
Private Accountant
A private accountant usually works full time for a company, handling their work only, and receives a set salary. He or she may supervise the whole accounting process for an individual company or may specialize in one or more specific jobs. Private accountants can transfer to public work as a public accountant, as the public accountant can transfer to private ac-counting. Income range is the same as for public accountants.
Auditor
An auditor may be self-employed or a member of a firm. His or her main job is to examine and vouch for the accuracy and completeness of the bookkeeping records of a business. The auditor may verify journal entries and cast balances and authenticate the amounts, signatures, and cancellation of checks. The auditor has to be critical of what the regular accountant has done. He or she may be a senior partner in an accounting firm and have other accountants working under him or her. If certified by the state, the auditor is called a CPA. Private businesses also have their own auditors working for them. Income range: $10,400 for beginners to $14,400- $17,500 for the experienced.
Government Accountant
The operations of the U.S. government are worldwide- all fifty states, Puerto Rico, Guam, Africa, France, Germany, Korea, Formosa, Turkey, India-and wherever they are, the government accountant must go there. He or she is a specialist in a particular phase of accounting technique. At the General Accounting Office, the country's top accounting organization of an official nature, the government accountant starts as a staff accountant and moves up through the ranks of senior assistant, senior accountant, supervisor or manager, assistant director, and regional manager. If certified by the state, the government accountant is called a 1PA. Income range: $10,- 200 to $23,000.
Controller
A controller usually works for someone else. His or her job is to supervise an accounting process or the whole accounting of a firm. The controller does just what the title signifies-controls, as the chief accounting officer. He or she gathers data about the finances, people, products, equipment, materials, sales, and profits of the company, and uses all this to measure performance, interpret results of operations, and plan and make recommendations for action. The controller must be a superb administrator as well as a topnotch accountant. If a CPA, the controller is said to be more valuable to a company. Income range: $17,600 to $29,000.
