Accounting Careers

Accounting Careers Overview

If math is your game and you like crunching numbers, you might want to look into accounting careers. Accountants spend their days examining financial statements, reviewing accounting systems and books and organizing financial records. Some accounting jobs are specialized, such as tax preparers, public accountants or auditors. Other types of accounting careers focus on risk management or are in specific sectors such as healthcare. You can even earn a living sharing your knowledge in accounting if you opt to teach accounting or auditing at a university.

Accounting Education

You may have aced mathematics in high school, but most accounting careers require a bachelor's degree in accounting, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Once you have your degree, you can increase your odds for gaining employment if you get certified in a particular field of accounting, such as becoming a Certified Public Accountant. You can take it a step further and get a degree in a specialized area such as internal auditing. Don't despair if you only have an associate's degree. If you also have experience, some employers will take you on and give you a chance to prove your skills while on the job.

Accounting Job Market

The job outlook for careers in accounting is good. In 2012 there were 1,275,400 auditor and accounting jobs in the U.S., with an expected increase of 13 percent by 2022. Part of the projected growth is associated with an anticipated growth in the economy, but more strict regulations and laws in the financial arena are also expected to increase accounting job numbers as companies increase internal precautionary measures to ensure they comply with the rules.

Accounting Salaries

Accounting salaries differ based on the types of accounting jobs people work at, but overall the median wage is around $63,550 as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2012. That's a nice comfortable salary range, but you can earn up to six figures, around $111,510 if you set your sights on entering the top 10 percent.