Careers in Accounting & Finance
An attribute of the discipline of accounting is its development of analytical skills, a quality which applies to many positions not involving accounting, such as in industry or not-for-profit jobs. The following, however attempts to briefly sketch the general types of accounting positions available.
Jobs in Public Accounting Firms |
Jobs in Industry |
Jobs in Not-For-Profit |
Auditing |
Budgeting |
Governmental - e.g. IRS, SEC, federal |
Tax planning and preparation |
Tax planning and preparation |
State / local government |
Consulting Services |
Financial reporting/forecasting |
Hospitals/schools |
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Managerial/cost/budgeting |
Charities: Church, Red Cross |
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Internal Auditing |
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Information System Design |
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Jobs in Public Accounting These forms offer auditing, tax and consultation services to clients form the very small to the worlds largest. The firms providing such services range in size from a sole practitioner to a world wide firm with perhaps 7000 or more employees.
Jobs in Industry Opportunities in industry are wide ranging. Sometimes also individuals began in an accounting or finance (e.g., assistant plant manager) rather than a staff position. Generally, individuals who serve as the senior accountant carry a title such as “Chief Financial Officer” (CFO); positions reporting to this person would be a controller (responsible for the overall operation of the accounting system including financial statement preparation), the treasurer (responsible for safeguarding and investing of liquid assets), and the director of internal auditing (responsible for accounting and administrative controls.
Jobs in Not-For-Profit Organizations The range of types of organizations this might include is extraordinary: a monastery, diocese of a church, museum, FBI, hospitals owned by a local community, city, or state government, as well as the federal government or one of its regulatory agencies.