Article:
"Accounting,
Auditing,
&
Finance
Jobs
Description,
Demand
and
Outlook"
by
Bill
Kelter,
Untangled
Web,
Inc.
Qualified
accounting
professionals
are
more
in
demand
than
ever.
Accountants
are
charged
with
ensuring
the
integrity
and
accuracy
of
business
records
and
tax
compliance.
Virtually
every
arm
of
American
and
international
business—private,
publicly-held,
government—is
responsible
for
maintaining
detailed,
official
records
of
all
operational
facets.
ACCOUNTING
&
AUDITING
JOB
DESCRIPTION
There
are
four
major
areas
of
accounting:
Public,
Management,
Government,
and
Internal.
Public
Accounting:
Public
accountants
can
find
work
performing
a
wide
range
of
accounting
services,
including
auditing,
tax,
and
consulting
activities,
as
well
as
traditional
accounting.
They
may
perform
these
services
for
governments,
individuals,
nonprofit
organizations,
or
corporations.
Management
Accounting:
Management
Accountants
are
charged
with
the
recording
and
analysis
of
a
company’s
fiscal
data.
Their
purview
includes
but
is
not
limited
to
cost
and
asset
management,
budgeting,
and
performance
evaluation.
Government
Accounting:
Government
auditors
and
accountants
are
charged
with
the
maintenance,
examination,
and
auditing
of
governmental
agency
records,
as
well
as
those
of
private
business
entities
subject
to
governmental
regulation.
Internal
Auditors:
Internal
auditors
are
especially
important
in
the
wake
of
recent
high-profile
accounting
scandals
and
business
malfeasance.
Internal
auditors
are
responsible
for
evaluating
and
examining
financial
and
information
systems,
management
procedures,
and
internal
controls
to
ensure
accuracy
and
compliance,
and
to
police
against
fraud
and
waste.
All
accountants
must
demonstrate
expertise
at
any
of
a
number
of
commercial
and
proprietary
accounting
software
programs
and
systems,
and
will
also
require
educated
analytical
skills
to
act
as
a
financial
adviser
to
their
clients.
EDUCATIONAL
REQUIREMENTS
A
bachelor’s
degree
in
accounting,
finance,
or
a
specific
variation
on
accounting
or
finance
are
usually
required
for
employment
in
accounting,
auditing,
and/or
finance.
However
accounting
students
can
gain
valuable
experience
and
often
the
inside
track
on
a
position
as
paid
or
unpaid
interns
or
accounting,
auditing,
or
accounting/finance
assistants.
ACCOUNTING
&
AUDITING
JOBS/EARNINGS
OUTLOOK
Accountants
and
auditors
held
about
1.1
million
jobs
in
2002,
according
to
U.S.
Bureau
of
Labor
Statistics,
and
accounting,
finance,
auditing
positions
are
expected
to
grow
at
or
above
average
through
2012.
With
your
bachelors
degree
in
accounting,
you
can
expect
to
earn
a
salary
of
up
to
$80,000.
In
2002,
according
to
U.S.
B.L.S.
statistics,
the
median
salary
of
accountants,
auditors,
and
accounting
professionals
was
$47,000,
with
the
middle
half
earning
between
$37,210
and
$61,630.
The
highest
10
percent
of
accounts,
auditors
and
accounting
&
finance
professionals
earned
nearly
$83,000.
RELATED
POSITIONS
Budget
analyst
Cost
estimator
Loan
officer
Financial
analyst
Personal
financial
advisor
Tax
examiner
Tax
collector
Revenue
agent
Bill
collector
Account
collector
Bookkeeper
Accounting
clerk
Auditing
clerk
Management
analyst
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