Explore different options for an accounting career and learn which one is the best for your skills and goals.
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On CNN.com's January 2007 list of the top 50 jobs in America, accounting ranked an astonishingly high number five. Within the industry, this top ranking would hardly have come as a surprise; an accounting career has long been considered lucrative and a profession with lots of opportunity for growth.
As evidenced by the prominent presence of accounting careers on both the CNN.com list and a similar list put together by Money magazine, the media has recently caught onto this fact as well. Accounting career options have begun to enter the public eye, and the field is only continuing to expand. In 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that accounting and auditing jobs are expected to grow up to 20 percent by 2008.
Within the broad field of accounting, there are several different accounting career paths, each of which lead to interesting and lucrative careers. The most common are public accounting, in which accountants work for an array of clients, and management accounting (also known as corporate accounting), in which accountants work for one particular company. Forensic accountants, a relatively new and fast-growing group in the industry, use their analytical skills and knowledge of intricate financial practices and procedures to help both the law enforcement and legal sides of investigations. Accountants often also work for the government, performing accounting tasks for the public sector in local, state and national roles, such as IRS agents. Though most accountants usually fall within one of these industry subsets, the playing field is still wide open; in addition to accounting firms and conventional businesses, accountants also work for non-profits, educational institutions and major celebrities.
With all of the variety and growth in the industry, it is important to note that accounting jobs do require a specific set of skills and characteristics. In the most general sense, accountants must be detail-oriented and highly motivated people with a high level of integrity and the ability to communicate clearly and easily. Obviously math skills are important, but math skills alone do not an accountant make. The ideal accountant, regardless of the accounting specialty, should be able to combine numerical reasoning, analytical thought, technological skills and creative problem solving with an interest in economics, money markets, US and international tax laws, and business in general. If this describes you or if you're interested in gaining some of these skills, check out some accounting degree programs and start gaining the knowledge you will need for an accounting career. It is, after all, one of the top 5 careers in America.
When people think of sports and accounting, what comes to mind is the usually six-plus figure salaries of professional athletes. The following sports superstars, however, made accounting a far bigger part of their lives:
- Before he was the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and founder of Home Depot, Arthur Blank got an accounting degree from Babson College, earned his CPA certification and worked as an accountant.
- Kevin Kennedy, former manager of both the Texas Rangers and the Boston Red Sox and current host of Fox’s Major League Baseball on FOX TV show, is also a CPA. When he was in the minor leagues, he even did his players’ tax returns to make extra money.
- Irish track star Marcus O’Sullivan not only qualified for four Olympic Games but also passed the CPA exam.
Capella University - School of Business
Capella University offers students the opportunity to earn their degrees from an accredited university delivering the challenge of a traditional classroom with the flexibility to fit education into real life.
Select a Campus: Online
Strayer University
Strayer University is dedicated to helping busy, working adults achieve their educational goals with a valuable, real world education in a fast, convenient format offered online or at one of many campus locations.
Select a Campus: Online | Chamblee, GA | North Charlotte, NC | Cranberry Woods, PA | Birmingham, AL | Christiana, DE | Roswell, GA | Cobb County, GA | Takoma Park, DC | Owings Mills, MD | RTP Campus, NC | Loudoun, VA | Tampa East, FL | Charleston, SC | Penn Center West, PA
Walden University - School of Management
Walden University has unique and flexible online delivery models, world-class faculty and customizable programs which are all geared to help adult learners achieve their career goals.
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