Saturday, April 30, 2011

Advancements Within The Field Of Accounting

When considering a degree and career in accounting, many think of long days spent at a desk, scribbling numbers in various notebooks. You may be surprised to know that the fields of accounting and auditing are now much more technical in nature. The paper notebooks have been replaced by databases and information systems, and the types of careers available to those with an accounting degree have grown substantially.
The advent of these more high-tech methods of storing financial information means that accountants and auditors must also be trained to not only work within these types of systems, but may be called upon to help design and build them. A degree in accounting can help prepare you for these new types of challenges and opportunities.
Software and system designers may be adept at designing computers and computer systems, but they often have little to no knowledge of accounting. In these cases, accounting degree holders are often the key to providing the necessary insight to assist designers in creating systems that meet the needs of the accounting world.
Working with information technology firms is not the only new horizon in the accounting and auditing fields, either. With a degree in accounting, graduates also qualify for a career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where they may assist in investigating "white-collar" crimes, such as money laundering.
The field of auditing, which a degree in accounting can also prepare you for a career in, shows rapid growth and higher pay, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Auditors help to ensure that financial statements of companies are free of errors and can help safeguard companies against such illegal activities as fraud.
Another appealing aspect of public accounting is that the actual work may be done from virtually anywhere. With an average annual salary of nearly $70,000, these professionals may choose to work from home, or even while traveling to remote locations. Once the initial face-to-face meetings and groundwork with their clients has been established, they simply need to be able to receive and transmit the necessary information to perform their duties, which can be done from almost any location these days.
Offering even a wider variety of career choices, as well as even higher salaries, becoming a certified public accountant is a very attractive option to many degree holders in the field. Becoming a CPA requires passing a four-part exam, as well as many other prerequisites, but it also opens additional opportunities to those who choose to do so. The added flexibility in career choices and availability of higher salaries makes the additional CPA requirements well worth it to many of these degree holders.

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