Five Fun Jobs With an Accounting Degree
You might have already decided that an accounting job is in the cards, but maybe you’re stuck trying to figure out exactly which career is for you. Maybe the idea of being a traditional CPA doesn’t appeal, and you’re looking for a less conventional work environment.
Or perhaps you have other skill sets, such as software development or sports management, that you’d like to utilize in addition to your accounting training.
Luckily, there are other unusual accounting jobs in unconventional environments available. Take a look at five intriguing and unusual accounting jobs you might want to consider once you earn your degree.
1. Corporate Entertainment Accounting Jobs
One of the more glamorous accounting jobs available to those with CPA training is corporate entertainment accountant. Corporate entertainment accountants may work for specialty accounting firms or directly for movie studios and production companies, handling financial matters like production budgets and royalty distributions. Competition for these jobs can be intense and the hours are long, but the perks can include invitations to star-studded parties and awards ceremonies.
2. Jobs in Software Development
Accounting software developers combine a strong computer programming skill set with accounting training in order to create and maintain software that meets the unique needs of accountants and other financial professionals. They make data management and analysis easier for everyone, from individual consumers using home accounting software programs to CPAs working for large corporations.
3. Sports Team Accounting Jobs
If you’ve got a passion for sports, you can channel your accounting skills into a job handling budgets and payroll for a professional sports team. Like other organizations, sports teams—and sports-related companies—require fully-fledged finance departments, complete with controllers, analysts and accountants. Because these finance departments are not always large, competition is truly fierce for accounting jobs, even for applicants with MBA degrees. The perks can make it worthwhile, though—great tickets to sporting events, a casual work environment, and the chance to work behind the scenes of your favorite team.
4. Accounting Jobs for FBI Agents
It’s true that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is concerned with tracking down criminal behavior. However, accountants working for the FBI have the financial expertise necessary to investigate corporate and business crimes, such as fraud or embezzlement.
In fact, accounting and finance are considered “critical skills” that may give you priority in being hired by the FBI, provided you have the proper training in business, accounting, auditing, or financial analysis.
5. Environmental Accounting Jobs
As the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants concisely puts it, “environmental accountants help businesses become eco-friendly and profitable.” With the increasing emphasis on environmentally sound business practices, accountants who are able to help companies save money, incorporate “green” technology, and comply with environmental regulations will be in high demand. Environmental accountants who work for large corporations may help them budget for the costs of pollution management and other ecological issues, while those who work for government agencies such as the EPA investigate and report on how environmental resources are being managed on a national scale.