How to Become an Accountant

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You aspire to work with numbers. You love math and massive amounts of numerical data. If you can say this, then you might make a great accountant.

Accounting is not just accounts receivables and accounts payables. You must have great critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills and be able to analyze accounts. You must also have great attention to detail and communicate with impeccable accuracy. Accountants not only have all these skills, but they are also honest. Remember, when you are the accountant, your name is linked to all the research of the transactions and financial operations of your client. You are held accountable and you must know what you are doing.

How the Position Works

Accountants not only perform basic bookkeeping tasks, but are also consultants of daily financial operations in which they analyze, plan, check for efficiency and watch for any criminal activity and run reports. Then, they take that data and communicate it to their clients and/or employers and plan to ensure better returns or revenues, while reporting any discrepancies that may be found. Adapting to computers and their software applications is important and accuracy is critical. Ledgers are not used much today.

Education Will Make a Difference

There are different types of accountants and education is a must to become certified. You will start with an associate’s degree at a community college or technical school, where you will learn the fundamentals of accounting, critical thinking skills, technology, the ability to analyze, communication and focus. All this is done with great detail to attention and accuracy. You will learn the accountant’s terminology and find out how to navigate through massive amounts of numerical data. This degree will give you the knowledge you need to become certified with required semester hours.

•In a bachelor’s degree program, you will learn advanced accounting procedures for intermediate and mid-level skills such as financial consulting and planning strategies.

•In a master’s degree program, you will concentrate more on business strategy using management tools to learn relation to accounting and all its concepts.

With the different groups of accountants, it should not be hard to find the path that is right for you. Public accountant perform bookkeeping, taxes, forensic analysis, and consulting.

•Forensic accountants work for the government and are subject to government regulations. They watch for and investigate criminal activities and usually work for the I.R.S.

•Internal auditors are usually employed by companies to analyze and watch over business activities and all transactions. They advise how the business can operate more efficiently.

•Management accountants will analyze all the company’s financial data, budget, plans, and then go over internal reports. This is usually paired with Information Technology (IT), which also checks on securities, accuracy, and compliance.

According to the Bureau of Lab Statistics, the average starting salary is $53,000 and can vary depending on where you get your start, as high as $93,000 per year in some cases. Research and analyze your options. It will pay off in the end.