Being a Business Accountant

Career Paper

The career that I'm interested in is Business Accounting. Business Accountants help to ensure that the Country's firms are run efficiently, its taxes are paid on time, and its public records stay accurate. Accountants offer a wide variety of business and accounting services. Some of these services are: public, management, and government accounting. Their main tasks are preparing, analyzing, and verifying financial documents in order to provide information to clients. Many accountants are required to have a lot of skill and knowledge.

Most accountants work in an office, however those that are self-employed may be able to do part of their work at home. Accountants who are employed by public accounting firms and government agencies sometime have to travel often to perform audits at branches of their firm, clients' places of business, or government facilities. Usually accountants work about a 40-hour week, but most work longer especially if they are self-employed and have many clients.

Most accountant positions require at least a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field. Beginning accounting positions in the Federal Government require 4 years of college including 24 semester hours in accounting or an equal amount of education and experience. Some employers rather have applicants with a master's degree in accounting, or with a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Many colleges offer students an opportunity to gain experience through summer or part-time internship programs conducted by public accounting or business firms. Also practical knowledge of computers and their applications in accounting is a good thing to have for jobseekers in the accounting field.

People who want a career in accounting should have a skill in mathematics and be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures quickly. They must be able to communicate the results of their work to clients and managers both verbally and in writing. Accountants must be good at working with people and with business systems and computers. Accountants should also be familiar with basic accounting software packages.

Beginning public accountants usually start by assisting with work for many clients. They may advance to positions with more responsibility in 1 or 2 years. Those who do well may become supervisors, managers, or partners. They can also open their own public accounting firm or transfer to executive positions in management accounting or internal auditing in private firms.

Management accountants often start as cost accountants, junior internal auditors, or trainees for other accounting positions. They may advance to accounting manager, chief cost accountant, budget director, or manager of internal auditing. Some become controllers, treasurers, financial vice presidents, chief financial officers, or corporation presidents.

In 2004 accountants held about 1.2 million jobs. They worked throughout private industry and governments, but 1 out of 4 wage and salary accountants worked for accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services firms. About 1