subject: Careers In Accounting [print this page] Where do you want to go in the world? In which niche of business do you want to work? The great news is that there is probably a job there waiting for you.
First, let us take a quick look at job titles in the accounting field: Accounting and Financial Operations Job Titles: *Accountant Actuaries *Auditors *Brokerage Clerks *Budget Analysts *Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators *Certified Public Accountants *Debt Counselors *Economists Financial Analysts *Financial Managers *Financial Services Sales Agents *Insurance Sales Agents *Insurance Underwriters *Loan Officers *Personal Financial Securities and Commodities Sales Agents *Tax Inspectors, *Collectors and Revenue Agents
These job titles could pop up in any type of business. Do you think your doctor does his/her own tax preparation? Probably not. A doctor is in solo practice and may hire an outside CPA to keep the books and file the taxes while a doctor in group practice may have an in-house accountant. So if your mom always wanted you to be a doctor, this may be as close as you get because you are doing a doctor's taxes.
Here are some other scenarios: Are you loathe to leave the ivory towers of academia? Consider a job either working in accounting or financial aid at a college while you pursue additional degrees so that you can teach accounting at a university. A.I.C.P.A. offers scholarships for those aiming at a doctoral degree in accounting who have the goal of college teaching.
Does the music of Mary Carey set your soul to dance? Look at her record label (Island Records) and her management company. Either one may need your skill set.
Are you concerned how quickly the cheetah is disappearing from the planet? Cheetahs were once found on five continents. Now because of loss of habitat, conflicts with humans, and loss of genetic variation, the cheetah population has diminished to 10,000 worldwide. Monique Seurat was so concerned that in 1992, she left her accounting consulting practice in France to join the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. She uses her skills in accounting and finance to benefit this beautiful animal.
Combine your interests. If you'd like to be a pilot in your spare time, then be around aircraft at work. Aerospace giants such as Boeing and private plane designers such as Cherokee hire accountants. Bell Helicopter in Roanoke, TX has a job posting for a Sr. Accountant on Indeed.com (10/31/09). Add to this list the airlines (Southwest all the way down to the local puddle jumpers), airports, and tour companies which use airplanes to give the tourists a birds' eye view of Hawaii, and you have quite a list of companies to research-and work for! .
To give you a launching off point, here is a very short list of industries which hire CPA and accountants:
Engineering-Aerospace, Agricultural, Chemical (Brush Well), Mechanical
Non-profits which raise money for medical, conservation issues, or the arts
IT-Hardware, Software, Information Systems, Telecommunications Companies
Construction and Architecture
Creative Jobs-Network TV, theaters (from Broadway to North County Repertory in San Diego County), newspapers/print media, on-line media, book publishing companies, recording companies (hip hop to classical)
Education, K-12, community college, technical college, on-line universities (e.g. Ash Ford), public and private colleges and universities
Health Care--Physicians, hospitals, chiropractors, dentists, orthodontists, home care agencies/private duty nursing registries, hospice, psychologists/psychiatrists, physical therapists, veterinarians, vitamin and food supplement producers
Hospitality, Transportation, Restaurants,
Banking, Finance, Insurance
For accountants, the career path upwards requires becoming a CPA, a Certified Public Accountant. Progressing from being an accountant to becoming a CPA offers greater opportunities for promotion to management and higher salaries.
Interested in a career as a Certified Public Accountant?
Each of the jurisdictions which offers the CPA Exam has its own qualifications for sitting for the exam. The person who might not qualify in New York may qualify to sit for the Colorado exam.
In California, the requirements are: *A bachelor's degree; *24 semester units in accounting-related subjects; *24 semester units in business-related subjects; *150 semester units (or 225 quarter units) of education; *Passing the Uniform CPA Exam; *One year of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA with an active license; and *Passing an ethics course.
Logging 500 hours of attest or auditing experience will allow you to obtain the authority to sign attest reports.
In many firms having a CPA license is the only way one is promoted into upper management. Becoming a CPA increases your opportunity for promotions and a higher salary.
