Accounting is a great major and is right for many people. High salaries, job security, and growth potential are some of the reasons people love accounting. Not to mention, some people just love numbers, finance, and business.
On the other hand…
A successful accounting Career isn’t easy, it requires:
- hard-work
- dedication
- attention to detail
This guide will help you decide if accounting is a good fit for you and your career.
Should I Major in Accounting and Become an Accountant?
Becoming accounting has a ton of advantages. Accountants and CPAs in particular enjoy higher wages, diverse job opportunities, and low career volatility.
The accounting industry is notoriously stable and almost always growing year over year. The national Bureau of labor and statistics estimates that the accounting industry will grow more than 10% in the coming years. Needless to say, accountants generally don’t have a hard time finding work or employment.
While advantages would attract most people, not everyone can deal with the challenges of working in accounting.
Are You Ready for Busy Season?
You need to be prepared to work hard: long hours are a given, especially during tax season.
Sometimes urgent work may keep you at your desk through the night or the weekend – and work-life balance may become a challenge.
Will You Continue to Learn?
You should also be ready to spend many years in education, to work hard in order to obtain additional certifications such as the CPA, and to engage in continuing education throughout your career.
While difficult, these accomplishments will propel you towards better career opportunities, higher paychecks and prestige enjoyed by few in the field.
Before embarking on an accounting career, you should remember that this is a desk job with some tedious aspects to it, depending on the field you’re in.
The level of responsibility is very high – the data you enter will be checked by auditors and errors will have consequences.
On the flip side, you’ll be performing a difficult job that is crucial to the running of any business
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What Accounting Degree is Right for Me?
Once you’ve established that you want to be an accountant, there are a lot of career paths to choose from depending on your personality and goals.
Auditing
High responsibility, variety and frequent travel are part and parcel of an auditor’s life.
Forensic Accounting
On the other hand, if detective work and problem-solving sound exciting to you, you can be a forensic accountant and help investigate fraud and embezzlement.
Financial Planning, Consultant, or CFO
If you have a knack for business, you might enjoy working in financial planning or consultancy and helping businesses grow. At a higher level, you can drive a business to success through managerial accounting or a CFO position.
Governmental Accounting
You can work for the government at the local, state or federal level, including positions with the IRS or FBI.
Own a Small Business
Alternatively, if you’d like to be your own boss, you can start your own accounting practice and offer accounting services to a group of clients.
Taxation
If your strongest skill is preparing taxes, you can work in taxation and focus on helping clients prepare tax returns.
Public Accounting – Staff Accountant
You can also work in public accountancy as a staff accountant and progress towards a senior position, for example as a partner of an accounting firm or a CPA in private practice.
Will I Like Accounting?
An accounting degree prepares you well for virtually any career in finance and business – all you have to do is work hard, network and seize the opportunities offered to you.
Contrary to the stereotypical view, accounting is a diverse field that can offer high levels of job satisfaction no matter what you’re looking for in your career.
So if you’re not scared of numbers and responsibility, if you’re ready to deal with financial problems and the people behind them, if nothing is more glamorous to you than business environments, if you’re determined, hard-working and not easily scared – welcome to the world of accounting.
You have all it takes to make it here!
Featured Accounting Programs
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