Five of your classmates are discussing alternative career plans. The first plans to become an internal revenue agent because his primary interest is income taxes. He believes that a background in tax auditing will provide him with a better exposure to income taxes than any other career choice. A second classmate has decided to go to work for a CPA firm for at least 5 years, possibly as a permanent career. She believes the variety of experience in auditing and related fields offers a better alternative than any other available choice. The third classmate has decided on a career in internal auditing with a large industrial company because of the many different aspects of the organization with which internal auditors become involved. The fourth classmate plans to become an auditor for the GAO because she believes that this career will provide excellent experience in computer risk assessment techniques. The fifth classmate would like to ultimately become a certified fraud examiner but is not sure where the best place is to begin his career so that he can achieve his long-term goal.

Please address the following in your initial post to this discussion board:

1. What are the major advantages and disadvantages of each of the four types of auditing careers?

2. What do you think is the best early career choice for the classmate interested in ultimately becoming a certified fraud examiner?