Accountants and Auditors
Is crunching numbers fun to you? Then consider a career in accounting or auditing and work with budgets, assets, debits and credits to your heart's content!
Accountants and auditors keep records, deal with budgets, financial statements and taxes. If you like numbers and are an organized, detail-oriented person, you are probably a good candidate for an accounting or auditing job.
Public accountants work with clients to do accounting, auditing, taxes and more. They work with individuals and businesses in the corporate, nonprofit and government world. If you also have interests in the legal arena, you could become a forensic accountant and help solve white-collar crimes by uncovering things like fraud, embezzlement, money laundering and organized crime.
If you are more of the analytical type, you should think about management accounting. People with this job analyze a company’s financial information, budget, evaluate, and manage costs and assets. They also get to help make company decisions. Management accountants are responsible for providing financial reports for stockholders, creditors, regulatory agencies and the IRS.
Government accountants work to make sure organizations meet government regulations tax requirements. Internal auditors look at the inner workings of businesses to make sure there isn’t any mismanagement, waste or fraud.
If this is the career for you, enroll in an accounting program, earn your bachelor’s degree and consider becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Most of your time as an accountant will be spent in an office but sometimes you will be on-site at the organizations you are working with. Most accountants work at least 40 hours a week and sometimes days are long during tax season.
Employment opportunities in this field are expected to increase in the next few years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average salary for accountants is about $59,000 but some make as much as $102,000.