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. There's a lot to get out of a career in accounting. The basics of how a business works will be learned. The field of accounting offers stimulating and challenging work that is constantly evolving. Because accountants spend a lot of time looking under the hoods of businesses they really learn how business works. It's no surprise that many successful players in business began their careers as accountants. It's also no surprise that most Chief Financial Officers of large corporations have a background in accounting. An accountant is perfectly positioned to become a CFO because he or she probably has the best understanding of what drives business and profits in a company. Accounting offers superb career opportunities in many different areas. After getting a bachelor's degree tests are usually taken to become Certified Public Accountants (CPA) or Chartered Management Accountant (CMA). The field is normally divided into three broad areas: auditing, financial/tax and management accounting. .
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. Audit is the bread and butter work of accounting. This work can involve significant travel and allows you to really understand how money is being made in the company that you are analyzing. Budget analysts run a small part of this branch.