Accounting Career Path
Accountant Career - From Time-Location Flexible Education Options, to Top of Profession
In US, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) requires a required and regimented educational background to launch accountant career. You don′t need to have a certified public accountant (CPA) to practice accounting. But it is best to get one so that you can get higher salary and higher seniority for holding the position.
CPA usually requires 24 units or approximately 8 course of accounting courses spanning knowledge from financial accounting, tax, auditing and so forth. Getting 24 units are actually easy. All you need to do is to sign to online universities of your choice or local colleges and you can finish course works at your pace as short as 1 year.
Time Flexible Education & Training Alternatives for Accounting Career
You can pack 3 classes per semester for 3 semesters of a year. With flexible online learning, accounting degree is within reach in 1 year. It is very possible especially you elect to have online education option where you have time & location flexibility. Getting an accounting degree becomes very possible even when with a day job. But online education where you attend lectures and doing homework and finishing exams at your own time, finishing an accounting degree becomes very probable.
Not all CPAs have accounting degrees but it is certainly highly important and relevant. In fact most CPA would take classes required without actually getting a BS or MS in accounting since they already have a prior undergraduate or graduate degree. But the knowledge required is all the same with or without the degree. One of my friends finished her accounting degree in one year this year. She was a marketing major in business school and now she is on her way to be a CPA. What a career change!
CPA also requires a few years of practical training to official crown you with the title of CPA although AICPA would allow you to take the CPA exams before having the practical training. Getting the requisite CPA training in the forms of accounting degree or course units is crucial!
If you do have the education to pursue the career in accounting, then don’t be afraid to start at the ground floor. Get your accounting degree 1st then, you can always work your way up to a better paying position. In some cases, you may be able to even start your own business and work for yourself. The accounting career is full of different positions that you could decide to take advantage of.
Specially you may choose to be one of the following high paying, extremely stable positions including bookkeeper, accountant, auditor, tax accountant, international tax accountant and many other specializations. So accountant career eventually advances to the level of financial analyst or even controller to manage the books for an entire corporation.
Another great advantage to the accounting career is that the pay can be very good. This is just as much of a prestigious job as other high paying careers that you have ever heard of. An accountant’s job may consist of analyzing budgets, keeping track of a company’s finances, accounting, auditing, pension investments, and much more. This career can be very rewarding and exciting.
Then there is stability of the job. A company will rarely let go of an accountant who is day job is to monitor and knows the details of finance of a company. Entrusted with such great responsibility, the job stability is fairly secure.
