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Job Description
Organize and maintain financial records. Prepare financial reports. Compute taxes owed, prepare
tax returns and ensure taxes are paid on time; monthly, quarterly and yearly. Examine financial
statements are accurate and comply with laws and regulations (GAAP/IFRS) Find and suggest
ways to reduce costs, enhance revenues, and improve profits. Some other skills that are useful
are writing skills, communication skills, organizational skills, math skills and analytical skills.
There are several different career paths someone can take when considering an accounting
career. The four main careers are public accountant, management accountant, government
A public accountant can have their own business or work for public accounting firms. These
accountants perform a wide range of jobs. These include auditing a companys financial
information, preparing tax returns, and preparing financial reports. These accountants can work
Management accountants record and analyze financial information for their companies. The
reports created by this accountant are used internally. They may help with a companys budget,
government regulations and taxations. These accountants are employed by federal, state, and
local governments and ensure that moneys received and spent follow the laws and regulations.
Internal and External Auditors perform similar tasks. Internal auditors work for a specific
company and look for ways to eliminate fraud and ensure that the financial information follows
GAAP and IFRS guidelines and regulations. External Auditors are employed by an independent
company and will have more than one client. They will examine the financial information from
a client to ensure regulations are followed but also inform investors that the statements have been
required if an accountant is providing information to the SEC. Applicants need at least 150
semester hours to qualify to sit for the CPA test. Because of this, schools may combine their
bachelors and masters degree programs to meet this requirement or a student will complete a
masters degree after receiving their bachelors.[ CITATION USDL \l 1033 ][ CITATION
Uta17 \l 1033 ]
CPA Examination
The AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) provides the CPA test for all 50
states. There website states, The Uniform CPA Examination protects the public interest by
helping to ensure that only qualified individuals become licensed as U.S. Certified Public
Accountants (CPAs). Individuals seeking to qualify as CPAs the only licensed qualification in
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has published the median wages across the country:
Government 65,820
The lowest 10% averaged $42,140 and the highest 10% averaged $120,910[ CITATION USDL \l
1033 ]
In the state of Utah, the average salary for an accountant was $62,300 in 2014. [ CITATION
Dep15 \l 1033 ]
Career Outlook
The outlook for accountants is high. U.S. Department of Labor reports that accounting jobs will
grow by 10%. [ CITATION USDL \l 1033 ] Companies and individuals will always need the
services of an accountant to recorded incoming and outgoing monies and to help prepare
Accounting jobs needed in Utah are being projected even higher than the nation. According to
the Department of Workforce Services, CPAs will have the best prospects.[ CITATION Dep16 \l
1033 ]
Ernst an& Young for 3 years. His title is: Audit Assurance, Senior 3.
Accounting auditor entry level pay for Ernst & Young is $52,000. At Ernst & Young auditors are
promoted every year or two. Each employee also receives a pay increase each year between
One of the main responsibilities of Spencers job is testing a customers balance sheet to ensure
that the customer is following GAAP and/or IFRS regulations to report revenues, expenses, and
liabilities correctly. He also creates statements for investors insuring that they can rely on the
companys financials, correcting grammatical errors in a customers financial reports and footer
notations.
Spencer also trains new auditors. This is one of the aspects he likes most about his job. He gets
to ensure that these new auditors understand what is required of them and how to complete their
new responsibilities. He also enjoys watching these men and women grow and attain ownership
of their projects.
The biggest surprises in his profession, and ones that he hadnt been prepared for were first, how
much writing was involved and second, how important a knowledge of Excel is. With the
number of reports and memos that are written each day it would be a good idea to take a creative
writing class in college. An accountant also uses Excel when preparing some reports and having
Some other skills that are crucial in this profession are the ability to problem solve and the ability
to create meaningful relationships with co-workers and customers. These skills are important
when there is a conflict or there is a question that comes up during an audit. If there is a good
relationship and the customer or co-worker trusts that youre not looking to blame but that you
will explore and question things that look incorrect or need further clarification, questions are
I enjoyed interviewing Spencer and really got a better understanding of his career field. There
were many aspects that I hadnt considered. Such as the need to take a creative writing class and
One of the biggest pros is the outlook and continuing need for this occupation. Accountants will
never become obsolete. The beginning wage is appealing along with the many different kinds of
accounting jobs that are available. For me another pro is the opportunity to work part-time or
from home depending on the company and area of accounting I may choose.
For the cons there is the possibility of extremely long hours that may be required at the end of a
quarter or year-end for a business. After interviewing Spencer, I realized that there is also a form
of paying your dues before moving up into a company. This may not be all bad, but I want to
I feel that I have a good fit with an accounting job. I have the necessary math skills and am
working towards an accounting degree. I also have many years of bookkeeping experience to add
to my qualifications. I enjoy working with people and dont mind long hours if they are only for
a few weeks each month or year. After interviewing Spencer Bowman though, I realized that I
would not want to be an auditor. I would like to explore more about a specific department like
accounts payable or payroll. After interview someone who is in the career path that Im
considering, I feel that my eyes have been opened to additional pros and cons in the accounting
field. For me, the pros outweigh the cons. The industry is recession resistant and seems to be
Department of Workforce Services. (2015, June). Retrieved from State of Utah, Median Annual Wage
detail: https://jobs.utah.gov/wi/data/occupation/occupationalwages.html
Department of Workforce Services. (2016). Retrieved from Accountants and Auditors Occupation
Outlook: https://jobs.utah.gov/jsp/utalmis/#/occupation/13-2011.01/outlook
Top Accounting Degrees. (n.d.). Retrieved from What does and Accountant Do:
https://www.topaccountingdegrees.org/faq/what-does-an-accountant-do/
U.S. Department of Labor,. (2017, October 24). Retrieved from Bureau of Labor Statistics:
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm