Certified Public Accountant Introduction What draws me into the field of accountancy? Why do I want to launch a career as a certified public accountant (CPA)? What is there about numbers, spreadsheets, profit and loss statements, audits, inventory and fiduciary responsibility that appeal me? In this paper I will describe in detail the reasons why I am attracted to this field. Also, what are the duties and responsibilities of a CPA? How available are job openings for a person with the education and experience to work as a CPA? How well to companies compensate those hired as CPAs? These questions and issues will be thoroughly reviewed in this paper. The Literature on Duties and Responsibilities of a CPA The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition) points out that while most accountant's positions require "at least a bachelor's degree" there will be job opportunities in fact the job picture for accountants is "favorable" for those who have earned "professional recognition" either through certification of licensure, or by receiving designation as a certified public accountant (CPA) (BLS.gov). There are four main fields of accounting and auditing listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: "public accounting, management accounting, government accounting, and internal auditing." CPAs are not limited to a narrow list of activities, in fact public accountants typically work with a "broad range of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting
When people talk about accountant, CPA might be the first word that comes out in the mind. It is true that CPA is the most familiar type of accounting work for most of people. However, accountant is a person who works in accounting area. And accounting includes plenty of different types of jobs. The diversity in accounting attracts my interest and makes me decide to major in it. Since accounting contains many different kinds of works, it offers lots of chances to learn different areas in the economic system and even the whole world market. Lots of choices of different jobs is not the only reason that I am interested in being an accountant. Accountant is also a person who does his job in capital
Therefore, if you are studying accounting in college you should have an idea of kind of accounting field you wish to enter. There is a quote that said, “CPA is always an accountant, but not all accountants are CPA.” Hence, there are a number of accountants who never pass the CPA exam and though they can perform a variety of accountancy task, they are not allowed to perform certain tasks that only a CPA can do. Hence, no matter if you are, a certified accountant or not you there will be a place for you in the accounting field. The larger companies will go out and hire a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in order to maintain some form ethics within the company. However, the small businesses might hire an accountant to perform duties as a managerial accounting, cost accounting, and financial accounting.
II. Main Point #2. Contrary to popular belief, Accountants, and the tasks that they perform, are an important part of most people’s everyday life.
However, with a degree in accounting, there are many career options one can take. For example, one can pursue a job as a Financial Accountant. As a Financial Accountant, the job can consist of preparing financial statement, or running spreadsheets. On the contrary, accounting major can also acquire a license as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). This will allow them to work as an auditor, tax compliance, estate and financial planner. The texts I have selected were written by and for Business majors and all have a common structure and
My goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant, in order to achieve this goal there are many steps. My first step will be to earn and receive my Bachelors in Accounting; I chose to enroll at Colorado State University – Global Campus. CSU-Global has a program of study that matches my needs but also many resources available to the students, including post education employment information. I am excited about this opportunity and plan to take full advantage of my education and the opportunities that CSU-Global has available.
"I check reports for anything suspicious, see what stuff is posted on the ledgers, and write journal entries for transactions, approve invoices, do bond portfolios and reconciliations. I also work in the accounts payable section. I draw cash for bank if the bank needs cash. Sometimes, there are financial statements like income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements to be made that together could be at least 70 pages long." (S. Owens, personal communication, March, 15, 2017).
Financial accounting is another sector that one can venture in. These are the persons who are accountable for the preparation of financial statements of the available businesses or any enterprise. These are the persons who are used to make decisions when there is a merger which is going to take place in any company. This
Education required to successfully support career. First of all, a High School diploma is necessary. Furthermore, according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014), “Most accountants and auditors need at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field” (para. 1).Even more, to achieve greater job opportunities firms take into account the certifications. For example, one of them is to be a certified public accountant, “CPAs are licensed by their state’s Board of Accountancy” (para 4). To obtain this certification, accountants must
As the decision of where I will attend college next year quickly approached, I decided to investigate the major I have chosen, Accounting. Because my goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), I would like to know more of what it entails. Dealing with numbers, and recording and projecting the earnings of a company, accountants are placed with the responsibility of keeping track of the moneys of a business. God has blessed me with skills in the areas of mathematics and organization, which caused me to look for an occupation that utilizes both. Accounting seemed a logical choice since they largely work with numbers and organize their clients' money. In order to become a CPA, one must receive a bachelor's degree and work for a
Answer: CPA – CPA’s need to pass an exam prepared and graded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). They must also meet other requirements such as obtaining a state license and may vary from state to state. CMA’s are management accountants that pass an exam prepared and graded by the ICMA and also meet other requirements. Other management accountants can become a CIA and do internal audits and must complete the IIA exam given by the Institute of Internal Auditors or IIA. Many CPA’s work in governmental accounting and they have essentially the same educational background as accountants in public accounting and management accounting. For academic accounting it is essentially the same testing and qualifications for CPA’s but the accountants work for a two year or four year university.
Accounting is the study of how businesses track their income and assets over time. Accountants engage in a wide variety of activities besides preparing financial statements and recording business transactions, including computing costs and efficiency gains from new technologies, participating in strategies for mergers and acquisitions, quality management, developing and using information systems to track financial performance, tax strategy, and health care benefits management. They perform these vital functions by offering an increasingly wide array of business and accounting services to their clients, in order to provide information to them.
Accountants and auditors help to ensure that firms are run efficiently, public records kept accurately, and taxes paid properly and on time. Accountants analyze and communicate financial information for various entities such as companies, individual clients, and Federal, State, and local governments. The provide accurate information to clients by preparing, analyzing, and verifying financial documents, budget analysis, financial and investment planning, information technology consulting, and limited legal services. They analyze and communicate financial information for various entities such as companies, individual clients, and Federal, State, and local governments (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
The job description would involve the following organization that is looking for Certified Public Accountant or Accounting Practitioner who has an aptitude for mathematics and the ability to rapidly analyze, compare, and interpret figures and facts. The candidate must also possess integrity and the ability to communicate with people and clearly explain the accounting transactions to them. Computer skills in related software are a critical plus.
The primary roles of a public accountant can be divided into three distinct jobs. The first job, and the most commonly accomplished, is known as performing external audits of companies (Public Accountant Job Description). Under Sarbanes-Oxley, United States businesses must submit a full audit of their company's annual budget sheets along with many other financial documents to an external accountant who reviews the documents and certifies that the reports are accurate (Zhang, 2007). The second job that accountants have is offering tax services to the public (Public Accountant Job Description). Often citizens prefer that an accountant complete their taxes annually, especially if that person is self-employed. The third job that accountants complete is consult services. Often corporate and estate-planning law firms willl hire accountants to assist in creating ideal wealth management options for clients and ensure that those options are in agreement with current tax laws.
Accounting professionals are in very high demand. The nature of work in accounting is so vast an individual would have so many different areas of accounting to choose from. Accounting requires people who can work with complex business structures, computer systems, and financial analysis packages. Accounting work further requires an aptitude for mathematics and the ability to compare and analyze accounting data quickly. Accountants also need to have strong communication skills as they must effectively communicate accounting data to their employers and/or clients. The accounting profession also demands a high level of integrity and morality because the financial data prepared by accountants is used by business managers to run their