Deciding on a career as an accountant can be a smart choice. If you like working with numbers and seeing them all come together to correct conclusions, then accounting could be a rewarding job for you. That being said, there are many directions you can go in this career field, and it helps to know your options every step of the way, from your education to your entrance into the field, to your ongoing career path.
Finding the Right School
The very first thing that you want to do when you’ve decided to pursue a career as an accountant is find the right school for you. If you have a specific direction that you want to go with your accounting career, then you want to try to choose a school that specializes in that area. If you’re up in the air about where you want your career to go, then you want a school that offers comprehensive education courses in this field. Location is sometimes an important consideration too, as are tuition fees. Do your homework and choose what’s right for you.
Deciding Your Direction
Even if you’re not sure what direction you want to go in as an accountant when you first begin your education, you may have a better idea once you start taking courses. There really is no hard and fast rule about choosing your specialty no matter where you are in your education, but it often helps to start with something. Potential employers sometimes look for interests in certain areas. Talk with a school counselor periodically to assess your situation, and always research your possibilities.
Internship and Employment
When it’s time to start your career in earnest, you will hopefully have some choices about where you can do your internship or where you’ll be starting as a full-time employee. This actually is as much of an education as going to school. It is now that you’ll be test-driving different career choices, so it’s okay at first to try out a few different jobs. Just be sure that when you leave one job, you do so in a responsible way, so that you’re not burning bridges or risking bad references. When you find a job that really seems to fit, stay with it for a while; it may be what you’re looking for. Going into business yourself is also a consideration, although it’s usually a good idea to get some company experience first.
Being an accountant can be a rewarding career, both life-wise and financially. As long as you choose the right education and career path in the field, you should be able to reap the benefits for as long as you want.
