
Explore career paths in accounting
Becoming an accountant gives you many potential options: types of accounting positions and small and large corporations where you can work.
When you begin learning about the many choices you have, it can seen overwheling to keep the many different types of accounting in mind. There's forensic accounting, public accounting as a certified public accountant (CPA), auditing, management accounting, financial analysis, financial reporting, accounts payable clerk or accounts receivable clerk positions, tax preparation, you can use information technology to work on an accounting system, cost accounting, corporate accounting, personal financial planning; you could analyze budgets, be a certified management accountant or staff accountant, work teaching accounting as an accounting professor, be a controller, certified fraud examiner looking for financial crimes, or even a chief financial officer in larger corporations.
And the choices accounting professionals have for places of employment are just as varied. You could work in the private or public sector, part-time in tax preparation firms, in an accounting firm offering general accounting services to many clients, as a staff accountant on an accounting team within a corporation, in state or federal government performing the yearly internal audit or tasked to review other financial info, in various management positions that must understand financial records, and more.
Each type of accounting carries similar responsibilities, but your employer’s goals may be very different. But, no matter where you are, there are accounting jobs, or jobs in a related field for those who understand good accounting practices, available near you.
