The Path to Accounting [Infographic]

Matthew Gates http://notetoservices.com 2m 468 #accounting

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

So you want to be an accountant?

Are you good with money? Are you a natural with a budget? Were you born knowing how to handle your money and always looking at ways to save? There are huge benefits to working as an accountant, and if you are really good, you can start with a great salary. Most corporations do require a professional degree of at a baccalaureate level. With a college degree, you will be able to start at $37,000 a year and work your way up. With age and experience comes top dollar. You will be able to build your reputation as a professional accountant and companies will want to hire you because of your ability to save them vast amounts of money, ultimately earning you upwards of $100,000 a year.

Accountants are able to find the tricks, trades, and benefits of writing off taxes and finding ways for a company to spend money. They allow the company to determine a budget for the fiscal year. The majority of accounts are often offered jobs right out of college.

Accounting is not for everyone. It does involve a lot of math, numbers, and stress. You may cost the business anywhere from a thousand to over a million dollar if you somehow miss a detail, forget a zero, or mess up by not calculating something right. The job can be a stressful one as the company’s budget lies in your hands. On top of dealing with the company, you must also deal with the IRS and your reputation is on the line. If you fail to do proper calculations and miss something, the IRS may fine the company, ultimately leading to your termination, or worse, jail time.  You must be good at paying attention to detail and double and triple checking everything in an efficient amount of time. You may even be required to check the work of others, and are likely to be held accountable for their errors.

If you think accountant is right for you, this infographic may help you understand more about your career choice.

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High Score: x104,000

11% of High School students want to be an account!
52% male
48% female

75% of accounting majors express an interest in math
Projected job growth by 2015 for accounts: 22%

There is a 1% chance of being injured as an accountant

Most CPA Program require 150 credit hours of college coursework and an additional 30 hours beyond the usual 4 years bachelors degree!

Roughly 50% pass the CPA test
Only four states do not require the full 150 hours
– Deleware
– New Hampshire
– Vermont
– Colorado

There are 1.35 million accountants in the US
46% of accounting graduates have already been offered jobs

Accounting Salaries:
Top 10%: $104,450
Median: $60,340
Bottom 10%: $37,690

Matthew Gates is a freelance web designer and currently runs Confessions of the Professions.

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