Accounting and Finance

Businesses run on accountants, and accountants run businesses. As an accountant, you can hold many positions in a company, such as chief financial officer, managing partner, president and many others. Accountants can work in private, family-owned businesses, publicly held corporations, government agencies and public accounting firms.

With knowledge of financial and business analytical skills, accountants are greatly needed to make decisions. The need for accountants has skyrocketed, creating a gap between the number of job opportunities and the number of qualified individuals to fill them. The business world is dynamic, fast-growing and ever-changing, but there is one job that every company needs: an accountant.

Accountants also work on Wall Street, as FBI agents, coordinate movie productions, handle international conglomerates or startups or serve professional sports teams or rock bands.

The key to being an accountant is to be studious, hardworking and trustworthy. Businesses and individuals depend on accountants to help shape the future as influential experts in their fields.

Whether it is maximizing profits, determining investment strategies, analyzing future financing needs or teaching others how to take control of their destiny, accountants are in the right place at the right time to make things happen. Accountants are professionals that deliver value – never underestimate the value of an accountant.

What is the potential for employment or for growth and advancement? Just look at some of the career areas you can explore:

• Assurance services – auditing company financial statements, providing internet security consulting, measuring and evaluating business performance, assisting the elderly and their families with personal management
• Consulting services – providing objective advice and assistance to individuals, businesses, financial institutions, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations
• Information technology services – designing and implementing advanced information systems to fit an organization's needs
• Environmental services – with increasing public interest in the environment, conducting compliance audits and designing systems to ensure compliance
• Forensic services – handling accounting investigations or fraud auditing by examining accounting records, searching for evidence of misconduct and seeking the hiding places of misappropriated assets
• International accounting services – helping business cope with a global economy by understanding and mastering international trade laws and regulations
• Tax and financial planning – working with individuals and companies on matters relating to financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, investments and taxes.