Any accountants/advisors on this board?

[LuvingLife]

I had posted a question on the college board but was advised to also inquire on this board as well. I am looking into a possible future of working in a field such as accounting and I wanted to know the nature of the work and what kind of jobs are available for accountants. Is the field diverse, so if I become bored in one area could I switch to another? How demanding is the job, could I work part-time of I had a family and needed the extra income? Do you like the job?

 

If you or anyone you know could answer these questions it's appreciated! TIA!:bigear:

[Starr]

I'll bump this for you. I do think it's a steady and flexible career option.

[DawnM]

It ranges and varies so much! You can do anything from book-keeping to Tax Attorney. Education levels vary as well.

 

My husband is an Accountant. He works for one of the Big 4 firms. He cannot do his job from home, but I am sure that there are some accounting jobs you could do from home. He has done 3 different kinds of accounting since starting so there is some amount of moving around one can do, but then all 3 of those were somewhat similar so movement wasn't difficult. For his job he needed an MA in Business Taxation, and MBA, or an MA in Accounting with an emphasis in Tax.

 

His job in NOT flexible. When the due date is looming, you do the work. If he is sick and misses a day, he has to make it up somehow later as the projects are still his to do.

 

Dawn

[LuvingLife]

I'll bump this for you. I do think it's a steady and flexible career option.

 

Thank you, you're very kind.:)

 

It ranges and varies so much! You can do anything from book-keeping to Tax Attorney. Education levels vary as well.

 

My husband is an Accountant. He works for one of the Big 4 firms. He cannot do his job from home, but I am sure that there are some accounting jobs you could do from home. He has done 3 different kinds of accounting since starting so there is some amount of moving around one can do, but then all 3 of those were somewhat similar so movement wasn't difficult. For his job he needed an MA in Business Taxation, and MBA, or an MA in Accounting with an emphasis in Tax.

 

His job in NOT flexible. When the due date is looming, you do the work. If he is sick and misses a day, he has to make it up somehow later as the projects are still his to do.

 

Dawn

 

Thanks for the input Dawn, I just wanted to hear from someone who went into this field, and I appreciate it. I am considering a buisness field and this may be one of them, thank you again!!

[littleWMN]

My husband is an accountant (not tax). He is the director of finance at a company. He works many, many hours a week (60-100). However, he is high level and it's hard to find jobs at his level that don't require so many hours. It can be flexible. I knew a sahm that did bookkeeping for different companies from home (part time).

[LuvingLife]

My husband is an accountant (not tax). He is the director of finance at a company. He works many, many hours a week (60-100). However, he is high level and it's hard to find jobs at his level that don't require so many hours. It can be flexible. I knew a sahm that did bookkeeping for different companies from home (part time).

 

Thank you, you just made my life much easier!:001_smile:

[Mommyfaithe]

I am not an accountant, but studied accounting...have my AAS in accounting...but that was 30 years ago, when an AAS couldmget you a good job.

 

I have ALWAYS been able to find work...both part and full time. I was able to stay home with my kids and work from home with an occasional ride out to the bank, post office or to drop off the payroll or taxes.

 

I now run the business end of dh's business...doing the invoicing, collection calls, payroll, accounts payable etc. I am what used to be called a full charge book keeper. Then pay is pretty good, the hours flexible ( I worked p/t for another plumber on weekends in his office so I could bring my nursing baby). I also did books for an expensive nursery school in exchange for a small salary and tuition for my kids.

 

It is a good career...I really never needed to become an accountant in order to work and make good money......but, if I had it to do over again, I probably would go for my CPA....and I liked cost accounting over tax accounting.

 

Faithe

[LuvingLife]

I am not an accountant, but studied accounting...have my AAS in accounting...but that was 30 years ago, when an AAS couldmget you a good job.

 

I have ALWAYS been able to find work...both part and full time. I was able to stay home with my kids and work from home with an occasional ride out to the bank, post office or to drop off the payroll or taxes.

 

I now run the business end of dh's business...doing the invoicing, collection calls, payroll, accounts payable etc. I am what used to be called a full charge book keeper. Then pay is pretty good, the hours flexible ( I worked p/t for another plumber on weekends in his office so I could bring my nursing baby). I also did books for an expensive nursery school in exchange for a small salary and tuition for my kids.

 

It is a good career...I really never needed to become an accountant in order to work and make good money......but, if I had it to do over again, I probably would go for my CPA....and I liked cost accounting over tax accounting.

 

Faithe

 

Faithe, thank you for going into so much detail, I think I may go for accounting, it sounds like a job I will enjoy and there seems to be a lot of diversity in the field which means I won't become too bored. Thank you again, my decision has now become a lot easier to make.:)

[AngieC]

Accounting is a huge field and there is a lot of variety from corporate to public to more bookkeeping-like work.

 

I worked as an investment account for many years for a big investment firm. My job was not a 40 hour a week job and when deadlines were looming (month end/year end close) you were expected to get the job done. However, there are also plenty of people working for the company in accounts payable/receivable, billing and such that were straight 40 hour a week jobs. You could definitely find bookkeeping jobs available part-time.

 

My advice would be to do public accounting (preferably decent sized firm) for a few years and pay your dues and that will open up a lot of doors for you in the accounting profession.

[LuvingLife]

Accounting is a huge field and there is a lot of variety from corporate to public to more bookkeeping-like work.

 

I worked as an investment account for many years for a big investment firm. My job was not a 40 hour a week job and when deadlines were looming (month end/year end close) you were expected to get the job done. However, there are also plenty of people working for the company in accounts payable/receivable, billing and such that were straight 40 hour a week jobs. You could definitely find bookkeeping jobs available part-time.

 

My advice would be to do public accounting (preferably decent sized firm) for a few years and pay your dues and that will open up a lot of doors for you in the accounting profession.

 

Thank you Angie, I really appreciate your advice, I like what you wrote and I agree. Thank you for your help!:001_smile:

[LizzyBee]

I am a CPA in public accounting. Most of my work is tax-related. There is a shortage of CPAs, which means I have job security and make good money. Because of the shortage, most firms have gotten way more flexible than they used to be. There are deadlines to meet, but I can work flexible hours and from home. There are a lot of part time and seasonal jobs available in public accounting. I like public accounting because of the variety of tasks and clients that I work with. A large part of my current job is bankruptcy accounting and taxation, a specialized area that is often like solving a mystery.

 

Some jobs available under the umbrella of accounting include:

Tax accountant

Auditor (audit clients)

Internal auditor (work for one company)

Controller (manage accounting functions for one company)

Analyst (use financial reports to develop recommendations for change or investment)

Sales and use tax compliance

Property tax compliance

State income tax compliance

Accounts receivable specialist

Accounts payable specialist

Payroll specialist

International taxation

FBI agent

IRS agent - audit or compliance

IRS agent - criminal investigation division

State revenue agent - processing tax returns, auditor, etc.

[sbgrace]

I asked my husband who has a CPA is an examiner in an auditing/public accounting field. He does like his work.

 

He said there is variety of options from acting as an accountant for a business or non-profit, audit work, tax, etc. As far as getting bored and switching fields he thought you likely could but it might be a little harder as accounting is so broad that you tend to need to specialize in an area and, further, those who have an aptitude for certain work might not find other types of accounting as good a fit. As far as flexibility it probably really varies based on the type of accounting you are doing and work that provides flexibility now might change by the time you are ready to enter the field.

 

Your goal would be to become a CPA. That opens options and is where the demand is found. He would encourage you to master basic accounting concepts (debits and credits, accounting equation, etc.) now so that the beginning courses in college, which tend to be fast paced and "weed people out" or at least did when we were in school, aren't overwhelming.

[LuvingLife]

Thank you all so very much for your help and advice, I am really liking the field and will probably be able to start shadowing those who work in Accounting. The tips are helpful and appreciated!:001_smile: