A Career In Accounting

Accounting is the process of keeping and maintaining financial accounts and can be traced back thousands of years. Accountants specialize in the accounting process and are needed in most industries. There are very few professions that play a more important role in business than accountants. Accounting can be broken down in subfields or different jobs and are regulated by many organizations. Both standards and ethics play an important role in protecting the best interest of a client. Accountants are indispensable in many industries retail, non-profit and food service are three industries that involve accounting work. In a retail environment accounting is important to determine if they have enough cash and products on hand. Proper accounting …show more content…
Some types of accountants are CPA, CIA, Managerial and Government most require at a minimum, a bachelors in accounting or a related field. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) are certified through the state. Each state has its own requirements with most requiring at least 150 hours of college courses. CPA’s are also required to take an ethics course/exam, as well as passing the CPA exam. Certified Internal Auditors (CIA) work internally. CIA’s are usually required to possess either a four year post-secondary degree, two years education with five years accounting experience or seven years’ experience in addition to passing the CPA exam. Managerial accountants (CMA) specialize in the internal accounting needs of an organization. CMA’s must possess a bachelors in accounting and pass the CPA exam. Government accountants are referred to as Certified Government Financial Managers (CGFM) and can be employed at the local, state or federal level. CGFM’s must have a bachelor 's degree in accounting before applying for the CGFM Program. CGFM’s must meet four requirements, ethics, education, experience and examinations (AGA, …show more content…
Because accounting jobs have varying requirements there are many professional organizations and certification’s that are relevant to the field of accounting. For instance a CPA license is a certification strictly related to the field of accounting. CPA licenses are handled by the State Board of Accountancy. The State Board of Accountancy is a government organization. Professional organizations handle most non-governmental accounting certifications. An example of a professional organization is the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants also known as ALCPA. Members of the ALCPA must take one-hundred and twenty hours of appropriate education over a three year period ("What Accountants and Auditors Do",