Accounting as a Prospective Career
Accountants are the people who keep track of the bottom line for businesses or organizations. Although accounting has a reputation for being boring and uncreative, it can be a fulfilling and secure line of work. In most accounting positions, there are substantial opportunities for advancement and promotion, leading to well paid careers with a high degree of responsibility.
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Activities
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Accountants can be found working in any field that involves finances and bookkeeping. These fields include taxes, auditing, accounts receivable departments within corporations and research and development. Some accountants also work as teachers within academic settings, while others set up their own agencies and work as self-employed agents. Most accountants specialize in a particular sub-field of accounting, because of the breadth of the field and the amount that there is to know in any given part of it. An expert on corporate taxation will have a very different skill set than an accountant who works in public sector funding.
Job Prospects
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Because bookkeeping is so central to the functioning of the economy, there is always a need for good accountants. While a particular accountant may sometimes find it challenging to land a job in the particular sub-field that he prefers, he will almost certainly be able to find employment of some kind that uses his accounting skills and training. Even a difficult economy can sometimes provide work for accountants as individuals and businesses take steps to rework their budgets and keep themselves afloat.
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Advantages
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Job security is a major advantage of a career in accounting. Barring total incompetence or moral turpitude, an accountant who does her job is fairly secure. This isn't to say that accountants are immune to layoffs, but they are less likely to lose their jobs in an economic downturn than people who work directly in manufacturing or customer service. Good remuneration is another advantage of a career in accounting. Accountants' pay can range from $35,000 to $51,000 per year, according to PayScale.com. Accountants with extensive experience and management positions make more than this.
Disadvantages
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Accountants are sometimes required to work long hours, particularly around times of tax deadlines and during business acquisitions or mergers. When dealing with problematic situations involving millions or sometimes billions of dollars, there can be intense pressure on accountants to get work done quickly and without error. This level of stress can detract from the enjoyment of this career. For people who enjoy exercise and physical activity, the long hours at a desk in front of a computer that accounting requires may be a major drawback to this line of work.
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References
- Photo Credit accounts book image by Roadknight from Fotolia.com
