|
|
|
|
- 1 -
This handout will provide a brief introduction to possible careers in accounting. For further information,
students are encouraged to review the resources outlined in the Appendix.
The following overview is taken with permission from CareerLeader.
Accountants come in two "varieties":
Those who work within a company's accounting department (these individuals may or may
not be Certified Public Accountants, or CPAs)
Those who work for public accounting firms, whose business is to look at companies from the
outside and ensure that their accounting practices are producing accurate information, both for
the sake of the company itself and for individual and institutional investors (these individuals
generally become CPAs after four or five years working in public accounting -- and passing the
CPA exam)
Regardless of which type they are, accountants primarily keep track of things -- often money, but
sometimes a company's physical or human assets. For example, a company's internal accounting
department tracks all the firm's activities, including:
Purchases of office supplies and other assets
Sales of goods and services
Payment of employees
Management of pensions and benefits compliance with laws
Thus accounting involves much more than bookkeeping. In fact, internal accounting is essential to the
profitability of any business. If a company can't account for its labor and raw material costs and its sales
at all price levels, it can't figure out which products have generated the most profits, which have lost
money, and how the various products should be priced.
Public accounting firms work to make sure that client companies accurately account for things such as
assets, liabilities, cash flow, compliance with SEC regulations, investments and pension programs. Public
accounting services are vital for ensuring that client companies are following the law, making wise
acquisition choices, and so forth.
Accounting is especially important