Starting a Career in Accounting

Accounting is an exciting and growing field, with many specialties expecting growth over 20% in the coming decade. There are so many options—you can be a staff accountant (the cornerstone of any company), or pursue fraud investigations as an auditor. Knowing all of the accounting degree basics, and what you want to do with your accounting degree, will help you with course selection.

Let’s start with your interests. What types of things excite you? What types of jobs or careers appeal to you? Don’t feel restricted by the expectations of others—let your hopes and dreams soar when considering these ideas.

Now, let’s look at your abilities. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? What kind of skills do you have? Look at the courses you took in high school. What were your best subjects? Is there a pattern there? What kinds of extracurricular activities did you participate in while in high school? What kinds of things did you learn from part-time or summer jobs?