CPAs and potential CPAs have a variety of career paths from which to choose. Within public accounting, you can work for any sized firm, ranging from a large, international CPA firm to a small local accounting practice. Within the firm, you can work in such areas as audit, tax and management consulting. The same holds true in business and industry, where you can choose careers in companies of all sizes, working in diverse areas such as financial accounting and reporting, management accounting, financial analysis and treasury/cash management. Within government, you can create a path to success at either the federal, state or local level. Non-profit organizations and education also offer many diverse opportunities.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 15.7 percent growth for accountants between 2010 and 2020, which is much faster than the average growth for most other professions. An additional 190,700 accounting and auditing jobs will need to be filled during that time period

The following is a listing of some accounting opportunities

• Forensic and Valuation Services
• Taxation
• Fraud Prevention, Detection & Investigation
• Audit
• Business and Industry
• Government
• Personal Financial Planning
• Employee Benefit Plan Audit
• Information Technology (IT)

Directions

1. You are to find an accounting career that interests you and provide the following:

   • A description of the responsibilities of the job. What tasks you would be doing
   • What are the qualifications for the job
   • Why you are interested in this type of work
   • What is the beginning salary?
   • What is the average salary range
   • What do you need to advance in this career path
   • Anything else you would like to add.