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Certified Public Accountant Jobs
Typically, certified public accountants will run their own business either from home or a small office. They may also join a firm of other certified public accountants. These certified public accountants are retained by other businesses or individuals for specific jobs. Some examples of these jobs are tax returns and record keeping for small businesses, independent auditing services, accounting and reporting for government agencies, financial statements, accounting and reporting for non-profits, and accounting and reporting for private and public businesses.
The average salary for people with certified public accountant jobs in the United States ranges from $47,826 to $70,723 with bonuses from $1,000 to $5,000 and profit sharing ranging from $1,500 to $5,000. Additional commissions and bonuses can sometimes be expected in certain firms.
Required Education
A student of accounting can easily become a certified public accountant by taking a few extra classes and passing the exam. The requirements to take the exam vary from state to state, though most states require 150 credit hours to qualify. That is more credit hours than is needed for a bachelor’s in accounting. College level accounting courses can be brutal, and only half of those intending to complete both the bachelor’s program and the 150 credit program actually do so, making the career field in higher demand.
Once all credit hours are complete, the student is ready to take the exam, which is also extremely difficult, with only half of the students who take it receiving passing grades.
How to Land the Job
Typically, being one of the few who have made it through the course and successfully passed the CPA exam is enough to set you apart from other job candidates. For those who want to work for the more prestigious companies, it might be wise to start out somewhere else in order to get some actual on the job experience.
Accounting careers are growing at a rate of almost 30 percent each year, so there will be no shortage of certified public accountant jobs for graduates!
