Accountants work with the financial records of businesses or individuals to prepare financial statements. They compile, analyze and interpret business and financial records such as income statements, balance sheets, cost studies, and prepare tax returns in order to provide their clients with advice on financial matters. They also provide consulting services to companies and advise on different areas of business management (SIGI, Accounting). Accountants work in four basic fields. They work in public, management or government accounting or in the internal auditing service. Some career pathways could be: business, information management and marketing.
Skills Used:.
The average accountant must possess strong skills in problem identification, information gathering, solution appraisal, and the management of financial resources. They must also have medium skills in reading comprehension, active listening, writing, speaking, mathematics and monitoring (Choices, Accounting).
Work Conditions:.
Most accountants spend the whole day in the typical office setting with minimal physical demands. Near vision and speech clarity are medium level physical factors that are significant to this occupation (SIGI, Accounting).
Education / Training / License:.
A bachelor's degree in a related field will do sometimes. Most employers will prefer applicants with a master's degree in accounting. A license is required to be a CPA (certified public accountant) (Occupational, Accounting).
Outlook / Salary:.
The number of job openings for 2000 to 2010 is large for accounting. A total of 33,000 job openings are available annually (Choices, Accountant). The outlook is very stable, which is hard to find in the job market we are currently experiencing. The employment change from 2000 to 2010 is estimated at +18.5% (Choices, Accountant). In 2000, the entry level average earnings for Florida were $30,826 (annual) (Choices, Accountant).