CAREERS IN ACCOUNTING
ABSTRACT
Many of us probably have made up our minds on which career path to follow. There are
myriad of careers in business that people may decide to follow. One of the career options is
accounting. Accounting is the study of how businesses track their income and assets over
time. Accountants engage in a wide variety of activities besides preparing financial
statements and recording business transactions including computing costs and efficiency
gains from new technologies, participating in strategies for mergers and acquisitions,
quality management, developing and using information systems to track financial
performance, tax strategy, and health care benefits management. The world of management
accounting is evolving rapidly and there is high demand for accountants who are
knowledgeable about these trends.
INTRODUCTION
People planning a career in accounting and auditing should have an aptitude for
mathematics and be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures quickly. They
must be able to clearly communicate the results of their work to clients and managers both
verbally and in writing. Accountants and auditors must be good at working with people,
business systems, and computers. At a minimum, accountants and auditors should be
familiar with basic accounting and computer software packages. Because financial
decisions are made on the basis of their statements and services, accountants and auditors
should have high standards of integrity.
There are many areas in accounting from which a person can choose from such as
auditing, management accounting, forensic accounting, government accounting, and
teaching. In this paper we have discussed about all these careers options in detail. Also
there is section in which we have discussed about training and other qualifications
available for accountant which enhances their knowledge.
KEY ACCOUNTING CAREERS
Auditing and Internal Auditing
Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to
add value and improve an organizations operations. It helps an organization accomplish its
objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the
effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes. Internal auditors
review the reliability and integrity of financial and operating information of an
organization. An internal auditor evaluates the risk exposure relating to the organizations
governance, operations and information systems pertaining to the effectiveness and
efficiency of operations, safeguarding of assets and compliance with laws, regulations and
contracts.
Work in audit involves checking accounting ledgers and financial statements within
corporations and government. This work is becoming increasingly computerized and can
rely on sophisticated random sampling methods. This work can involve significant travel
