Chevonne
Do you think there are a lot of job opportunities for an accountant?
I want to become an accountant when I'm older so, I wanna see if there are even any career openings. #business #accounting #accountant
7 answers
Anmol Sharma
Anmol’s Answer
Annual Salary Range
Full-time: $40,000 to $80,000+
The range reflects differences in job responsibilities, the size and type of employer, and the supply and demand of accountants in a given geographic area.
Educational Requirement
Accountants are expected to have a bachelor's degree in accounting from a four-year college or university. Of the 120 semester credits needed for the degree, approximately 30-36 of these credits will be in accounting courses such as financial accounting, cost accounting, income tax, consolidations, auditing, and accounting systems. Also required within the 120 credits are business courses such as organizational behavior, marketing, business statistics, computer systems, business law, economics, and administrative policy.
While a bachelor's degree in accounting will qualify you to be an accountant, it will not meet today's requirements for becoming a certified public accountant (CPA). That is why some colleges and universities now offer both an accounting major as well as a 150-credit degree program that qualifies you to take the CPA Exam.
Who Hires Accountants?
Many companies are large enough and complex enough to require the ongoing expertise of an in-house accountant. As an accountant, you may find yourself working for a manufacturing firm, a hospital, a bank, an insurance company, or a brokerage firm. Accountants are also employed by federal government agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). State government agencies and large not-for-profit organizations also hire accountants.
Tasks and Responsibilities
Being proficient in matters of finance and accounting is just one dimension of being a successful accountant. Employers know this, and will prefer to hire an accountant who, in addition to demonstrating excellent accounting skills, also possesses the following traits:
Pays close attention to details, but does not lose sight of how details affect the bigger picture
Is a problem solver; a strategic thinker
Has a productive curiosity about business systems (why a company is profitable, how it gets customers, etc.)
Has good listening skills
Can communicate complex financial information in a clear, straightforward manner
Is a good supervisor; works well as a member of a team
Some accountants are generalists, while others prefer to specialize in a given area. For example, if you are hired as a cost accountant (or cost accounting manager) for a manufacturing company, you might supervise several cost clerks who work with you to calculate the costs of products manufactured, prepare cost estimates for potential sales of new products, and monitor the cost of raw materials, labor, and overhead.
Or, you might be responsible for analyzing a large corporation's general ledger account balances and preparing financial statements that comply with generally accepted accounting principles. As such, you would supervise accounts payable clerks and payroll clerks. For this type of accounting, your title might be general ledger accountant, chief accountant, corporate accountant, accounting manager, or corporate controller.
The larger and more complex a company is, the more numerous and varied will be the accountants that are on the staff, with titles such as internal auditor, coordinator of profit plans and budgets, researcher of accounting and tax issues, financial analyst, or tax accountant.
Future Needs
As the world becomes more interconnected via global systems and international commerce, the need increases for accountants to be knowledgeable in international accounting standards as well as new technologies that assist management in making decisions. In short, accountants will need to be life-long learners who work closely with people in such fields as marketing, production, information technology, and e-commerce.
Hadar Bar Nir
Hadar’s Answer
Shante G
Shante’s Answer
Viktoriya Maslovskaya
Viktoriya’s Answer
I believe there are always career openings in accounting. At the end of the day every company needs accountants, payroll personal and staff who is responsible for financial decisions. In addition, there are accounting firms that specialize in the areas of audit, advisory, tax and consulting. So there is a wide range of jobs you can pursue in accounting career.
tatiana P
tatiana’s Answer
The great thing about becoming an accountant is that almost every company needs an accountant! You are also typically not restricted to a specific place in the world. For example, I am an accountant in Canada but have the ability to move to places such as the US , Australia, and the UK and work as an accountant. The job opportunities as an accountant are endless!
Madhusudhan KR
Madhusudhan’s Answer
accounting career depends on your personality, working style and life priorities, There’s a lot to love about a career in accounting.
1. There is a clear career path - you’re learning practical skills about crunching numbers and analyzing costs that employers need
2. It’s a stable and growing job field -
3. You’ll have the potential for professional growth - After graduation, you might begin as an entry-level associate, but the potential for growth can be great. Many accounting graduates will start as staff accountants, junior auditors in public accounting or assistants in the controller’s office in private accounting as they begin to plot their career paths.
After getting established and gaining experience, career advancement can be achieved through on-the-job performance and additional education or certifications, like becoming a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA).
4. The earning potential is favorable -
5. You can work where you want to work - This gives accountants a fair amount of flexibility when it comes to choosing where they want to settle down.
