What Kind of Degree do you Need to Become an Accountant?
There were times when a couple of certifications were enough to earn you an accounting job. No longer. With competition going up, more and more firms require that their job applicants have at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting or an accounting related field. Apart from just the degree, some of the states will want you to have advanced coursework and skills before you can legally operate as an accountant.
What Degree Do You Need to Get Started
A degree is the best way to begin your journey to being a professional accountant. The degree puts you a step ahead and is the perfect groundwork for subsequent qualifications. A bachelor’s in an accounting related field gives you the perfect foundation. If you have plans to work in management or expand your horizons from there, you could also earn a master’s degree once you’ve finished with your bachelor’s course work.
Even though there are many accounting specific degrees in the United States, it would be wise to choose your bachelor’s with the future in mind. Since accountants are no longer mere number crunchers, you have to go for something versatile, a degree that expands your horizons making you a true asset to any company you work with.
A bachelor’s degree in an accounting-related field is a great place to start. The degree’s versatility will not only prepare you to be an accountant but also give you the background skills you need to earn managerial or decision-making roles in any organization you become part of.
What Do Accountants Do?
Modern day accountants are at the very center of any company’s or organization’s decision making. Since all organizations need finances to operate, no one is better placed to determine strategic decisions than the accountant who can dictate success through proper cash flow and finances management.
The skills you gather as an accountant go beyond the workplace. You can not only work for the government, NGOs, and businesses but also run your own successful venture since you know what it takes to run a financially sound business.
Accountants will:
- Create, keep, and inspect organization’s financial accounts
- Report on financial performances
- Analyze and comment on the impact of decisions, laws, and regulations on organization’s finances
- Take care of the tax returns
- Vet proposed business decisions and offer suggestions to make them more compatible to company financial capabilities
What Are the Possible Job Opportunities?
Even though most people assume or want to work as accountants immediately after finishing their studies, there are more job opportunities that go beyond mere accounting. In essence, accounting is a general term and modern day markets need specific accountants to cater for increasingly specialized needs. Some of the most popular accountant job opportunities include
- Auditing
- Corporate accounting
- Forensic accounting
- Management accounting
- Tax adviser
- Personal financial planning and advising
- Staff accounting
The huge job catalog means that a skilled accountant can work in a wide range of environments. You can be in charge of a casino’s numbers, manage celebrity financial records, take charge of a small or middle sized companies, or even choose to lecture at an institution.
The fact that not all accountants have to dress up each morning in suits and head over to a formal office makes this a very flexible niche as long as you can identify what you want to do in advance.
Are you interested in the world of accounting? If you think you would be at home earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Accounting, ECPI University could provided the educational foundation you need to start your career. For more information, contact a helpful admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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