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Colorado State University Global
Undergraduate
Graduate
Industry Certification & License Prep
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Teaching and Learning
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Recently we discussed what you can do with a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Accounting, and today we’ll talk about how to launch a career in this exciting field.
This post will cover whether or not accounting is a good industry to specialize in, what accountants do every day, and how to significantly increase your chances of successfully breaking into the industry.
We’ll also provide you with an overview of what to expect from a career in accounting so you can make an informed decision on whether or not this is the right career for you.
After you’ve learned everything you need to know about launching a successful career in Accounting, fill out our information request form to receive additional details about our online Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Professional Accounting programs.
If you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.
There are three excellent reasons to think about becoming an accounting professional:
If you’re thinking about a career as an accountant and wondering whether or not this is a good career to specialize in, the answer is definitely yes.
Accountants are in charge of monitoring the financial health of the company, performing critical tasks like budgeting, journal entries, creation of financial reports, and ensuring the company is in good financial standing.
Generally speaking, it is an accountant’s job to compile financial reports and ensure taxes are paid on time. Still, they may also be tasked with providing ideas for strategic investments and analyzing the success or failure of past investments.
These professionals work in various settings as accountants are a necessity in virtually every industry. From healthcare to manufacturing to technology companies, accountants are required to oversee the financial side of a company. However, no matter what industry an accountant works in they tend to share a number of key responsibilities.
Typically, accountants are in charge of tasks like:
As you can see, accountants are responsible for a wide variety of tasks and play an absolutely critical role in the success of a company. Some of their tasks also cross over into other disciplines such as operations or marketing, as an accountant must oversee the costs associated with other departments, and because of this, you can think of an accountant as having to wear many hats.
This is due to the fact that accountants frequently need to be able to see the larger business picture, so they can understand how everything fits together to ensure the business is running effectively and efficiently.
Here are some of the specific skills you should consider developing before embarking on a career in accounting:
When working as an accountant, you may also have the opportunity to specialize in various areas, like financial accounting, forensic accounting, or managerial accounting.
If your interests lie on the operational side of the company, then you might want to concentrate on managerial accounting to better understand how financial decisions are made to improve the profitability of the organization.
If you want to hone your skills in more specific areas within the general accounting profession, you might also want to consider studying some other areas of business that are important to this career, like:
No matter which type of accounting you choose to do, one thing to keep in mind is that it might be difficult to achieve success in this field without first developing a strong understanding of the basic accounting principles.
While this is a fantastic career path with numerous opportunities for growth and advancement, you may have trouble getting a job or maintaining a successful career trajectory without first completing a related degree program.
In short, most likely. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, candidates for jobs in accounting typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field like accounting or finance; master’s degrees are common and sometimes preferred by employers as well.
If you decide to pursue a career in accounting, obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting would be the perfect way to enter the industry, and if you are looking to get one of the better jobs or a role in management or leadership, then you should consider completing a Master’s Degree in Professional Accounting.
No matter what your long-term career goals might be, the best way to start a career in the industry is to first develop a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of accounting, and getting a degree is the best way to do that.
Completing your degree is the best way to develop the essential skills, knowledge, and abilities required to succeed in the industry, and it’s also the best way to signal that you are qualified and prepared to provide real-world value to any organization from your first day on the job.
Once you’ve earned your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue a variety of interesting, challenging, and exciting roles in the accounting industry, including jobs like:
These are just a few of the many roles that you can pursue with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
In reality, earning your bachelor’s degree will make you eligible for countless jobs in a variety of different industries.
The short answer: all sorts of things!
Completing a Master’s Degree in Professional Accounting will make you eligible for a wide variety of jobs in the public and private sectors, including positions like:
Again, these are just a few examples of the types of jobs you could get after earning an accredited master’s degree in the field.
The reality is that after a master’s degree, you’ll have the opportunity to explore many different career paths in an industry that is seeing excellent growth.
Getting your degree is definitely the best thing you can do to establish a career in accounting, but there are other things you can do to improve your knowledge, skills, and especially your resume.
To begin, make sure you’ve worked on developing some of the most essential skills for accountants, including both hard and soft skills needed for this challenging industry.
Hard skills are those that can be easily measured and quantified, such as preparing and interpreting financial statements or experience using accounting software.
For this field, hard skills include things like:
Soft skills are more difficult to quantify, but no less important, and include more general skills such as the ability to communicate with team members, or effectively manage your time.
Here are some of the most important soft skills for accountants:
As you can see, the skills required for a successful career in accounting are quite diverse, but with proper education and training, you’ll be on your way to a rewarding and successful career in this growing industry.
One other thing you may want to consider doing before attempting to break into the industry, or when trying to advance your career, is completing relevant certification programs.
Certain certifications can help show employers that you have the specific skills and abilities needed for certain positions in the field, and there are a variety of certifications that you might want to consider completing here.
According to Indeed.com, the most important certifications for people working in accounting include:
Keep in mind that these certificates are not essential to starting or advancing a career, but they could be valuable for enhancing your skills, abilities, and resume, especially for certain positions.
Yes, you should definitely consider getting your accounting degree online.
Online programs offer numerous benefits, including allowing you to learn from anywhere with no need to relocate or commute, and many online programs offer the same high-quality education as traditional in-person schools.
CSU Global’s online programs offer maximum flexibility since they were designed to be completed online from the ground up. To make our programs as convenient as possible, we offer several excellent benefits, including:
Thanks to these benefits, studying online with us could make it much easier to juggle your studies with existing work and family responsibilities.
If you’re looking to get your degree, but you’ve already got a busy schedule, then you should definitely think about studying online at CSU Global.
Our 100% online Degrees in Accounting are both regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and designed to provide you with the foundational knowledge, skills, and abilities you need to become a successful accounting professional.
Both our Bachelor’s and Master’s programs were designed to be completed entirely online and they provide far more freedom than traditional, in-person programs.
Each program also holds excellent rankings from third-party organizations, and our alumni report fantastic results from the job market as well.
Our Bachelor’s Program in Accounting holds several excellent rankings and acknowledgments, including:
Our Master’s Program in Accounting also holds several excellent rankings, including:
Furthermore, you can count on your degree earning the recognition you deserve, as CSU Global itself is widely regarded as an industry leader in higher education, having recently won several important rankings, including:
Finally, we offer competitive tuition rates and a Tuition Guarantee to ensure that your affordable tuition rate won’t increase for as long as you remain enrolled as a student, which protects you from the rate hikes that are common at other schools.
To get additional details about our fully-accredited online Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Accounting, please give us a call at (800) 462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.
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