Accounting
Sofija Micevic
Career Description
Accountants are responsible for examining financial records and to ensure if financial records are accurate. Also, they check if taxes are paid on time. Some different types of accounting jobs are bookkeepers, CPA's, and tax accountants. Being an accountant of any type requires hard work, determination, and the ability to work well under pressure.
Duties & Responsibilities
Some responsibilities that come with being an accountant is that you have to be persistent and patient. As an account, you have to be able to communicate with clients properly, which takes a lot of patience. Accountants have to work full time, and it can be a hassle to people that don't know how to work with pressure. If your planning on being an accountant, be familiar with mathematics and calculators, because your going to be seeing them everyday! You are responsible with large amounts of money, and you cannot make mistakes in calculations. If you hate math, you will most likely not be good as an accountant, though if you love math, an accountant would be one of the best jobs for you.
Education Requirements
To be an accountant, you need at least a bachelors degree. Though bookkeepers do not need to go to college, they only need a high school diploma. CPA's require a little more knowledge, and because of that, they make a little more money than a regular accountant. Some colleges that are known for educating in the accounting field would be University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Notre Dame. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois. The University of Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana. These two colleges are seen as some of the best in the Midwest. With a degree in accounting from one of these colleges, you won't have a problem finding an accounting job, if the economy is increasing.
Job Outlook
The outlook for an accountant is pretty good. It is 13%, which is a decent percentage. It means that as the economy increases, so does the number of accountants. As the economy decreases, so does the number of accountants. In all, if the economy is good the number of accountants will increase and if the economy is bad the number of accountants will decrease.
Salary & Work Environment
The starting salary of an accountant is $63, 550. Depending on how well you work and where you work, your salary can raise a lot in just a few years working as an accountant. Being an accountant is flexible. Though most accountants work at home, some work at the convenience of their own home. There aren't a lot of hazards involved with this job, so don't worry. Maybe an elevator won't work once in a while or you spill some hot coffee on yourself, but that's about it. The main season for accountants is tax season, where they work under a lot of pressure, but in the end, everything is good for them. By everything being good for them, I mean the hefty starting paycheck and doing what they love everyday.
Related Courses & Experience
If you wanted to become an accountant, some good courses to take would be accounting and economics. They will help prepare you with skills about the economy and taxes to help give a better understanding about accounting. Some high school activities that high school students can get involved in is Speech and Future Business Leaders of America. They can help students get familiar with the economy and how to talk to large groups of people. It is important that accountants get the proper education because they can't mess up with money because money is the name of the game when it comes to economics. And accountants are very important in economics. Marsha Sinetar once said "Do what you love, and the money will follow". As an accountant, you will be doing what you love, and the money will follow.
Career Connection
The career connection that I have for accounting is my aunt. Her name is Anna Robertson, and she works at MBM Productions as a bookkeeper. She has been working there for about 25 years, and she is soon going to retire. Now, she is working part time, but that hasn't been the case all of the time. She has worked full time 24 of her 25 years. This is most likely her last year, but she had a good time working as a bookkeeper. It came with a very hefty check and she didn't even have to go to college for her job. I interviewed her, and she said; "I love working at MBM. It was a fun ride and I will miss doing calculations and talking to clients on the phone". I would love to follow in my aunt's footsteps, but it would be a little different. I would attend college, and I would get a degree in accounting, and be an accountant, not a bookkeeper. She is a great influence, and she has really encouraged me to be an accountant.
Being an Accountant