As a accounting major what is your career and what are some of your responsibilities?

After graduating from college with a degree in Accounting, I went straight into a public accounting firm (PwC). At the firm, I worked at our client's offices performing audit services. I usually worked with a team of four, consisting of a Manager, Senior and a couple Staff. Some of my work responsibilities consisted of examining operating expenses, bank reconciliations, reviewing financial statements and disclosures, documenting a company's controls, and even recalculating complex estimates prepared by the client. After a couple years with the firm, I went to work for Zynga, Inc, a social video games company, about five months before the company went public (listed on the stock market). At Zynga, I perform various tasks within the General Ledger Accounting department. This consists of preparing and reviewing various types of journal entries, working with different departments to determine accurate expense accruals, preparing certain reports and financial statements for monthly closes and some technical analysis (researching accounting guidance and preparing reports on accounting treatment). My experience in accounting has allowed me to work with many different departments at my company (sales, HR, studios, etc.) since most of what a company does has some kind of accounting impact. Further, being in accounting provides great insight into a business since you spend so much time with the numbers/ results of the company. Lastly, the work can be challenging, which always keeps things interesting.

All that said, accounting can lead to many different career paths. You can stay at a firm and enter into their advisory practice performing consultative services (specialty practices), work for the government, transition to a finance role, and so on. There is also the field of tax, which is an entirely different route. Lots of opportunities that can lead to a rewarding and fulfilling career. Good luck!

I graduated from the Accounting program at my undergraduate university and also got my Masters in Accounting - I would recommend familiarizing yourself with the CPA licensing educational requirements when planning our your college courses to make sure you obtain all the necessary credits if you are interested in a career in accounting.

Right out of school I began working as an auditor with the large public accounting firm E&Y -- many public accounting firms both small and large take interns and first year associates straight out of college. The responsibilities of an auditor at a public accounting firm are to provide the public and/or banks lending companies money that the companies have materially accurate financial statements. This role includes testing a lot of account balances for accuracy.

After a few years working as an auditor, I decided to move into industry and began working for LinkedIn on its accounting team. My role now includes working on projects to improve processes, which I find very interesting. My role now also interacts with auditors, so my previous experience is very helpful.

Overall, there are many different paths you can take with a degree in accounting, I think it is a great choice for job prospects right out of school!

Hi Amaogechi,

Great question!

While I wasn't an accounting major myself, I took several accounting classes, was friends with several accounting majors and work with many people who majored in accounting, so I have some perspective to offer in response to your question [beyond just saying 'accountant' - which is one of the options : ) ].

In addition to including the titles of a few potential opportunities for accounting majors, I've also linked to a few pages which describes the various positions in a bit more detail, for your reference.

Traditional Entry-level Opportunities

• Staff Auditor at Accounting Firm (Big 4 Firms like PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG or Smaller, Regional Firms)

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-does-an-auditor-do.html

http://educationcareerarticles.com/career-information/job-descriptions/certified-public-accountants/

• Tax Associate at Accounting Firm (Big 4 Firms like PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG or Smaller, Regional Firms)

http://educationcareerarticles.com/career-information/job-descriptions/tax-accountants/

• Staff Accountant in 'Industry' (Working for a Company not an Accounting Firm)

http://www.wisegeek.net/what-does-a-corporate-accountant-do.htm

• Management Accountant (Working for a Company's Financial Planning & Analysis Dept, not Accounting)

http://www.allbusinessschools.com/business-careers/article/role-of-the-management-accountant

Other Options

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  Management Consulting (Particularly related to Finance & Accounting)

  
  


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  Systems Implementation / Technology (Particularly related to Finance & Accounting Systems)

  
  


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  Investment Finance (Accounting Knowledge is Critical to Success in Investment Finance)

  
  

http://www.accountantschools.com/accounting_careers_and_duties_financial_analyst.php

Hope that the above proves helpful...best of luck to you...have a great 2014!

Thanks,

Geoff