Accounting? Why Major in Accounting?

By: The Accrual Accountant 

Hello future CPAs! This is The Accrual Accountant and welcome to my blog. If you have stopped by my blog this means you are considering in majoring in accounting. I am going to share with you my five best reasons to major in Accounting and why it is a booming industry! 

Reason #1: Job Opportunities 

Accountants are highly needed in any business and you can start making a great starting salary as a recent college graduate. If you live near a city like New York City, Los Angelos or Washington, DC. your starting salary can be between $50,000-65,000 and us accountants love money. If you live in a suburban area the starting salary could range from $35,000-$45,000 depending on the industry. Regardless of the industry you choose, rest assured that you will find a job in accounting. Even as a student, several accounting majors are able to land a paid internship to get their foot in the door. These internships can help you explore the potential industry and career you want to take after you graduate. 

Reason #2: Different Industries Opportunities 

There are several industries accountants can find a job in. Finding your perfect job within the accounting world can be simple as you can join any industry. Several industries include; oil, jewelry, banks, not-for-profit, federal government, state and local government, and private firms. Of course these are just a sample of the many industries you can do accounting in and the accounting is different with every industry.

Reason #3: Different Career Opportunities

In accounting you want to make sure that you pick the right career that works best for your lifestyle. Accounting has a bad reputation with the work hours associated with the career. You can become a tax accountant, federal government accountant, auditor, fraud examiner and a general accountant. The best career path to pick if you already have a family or several obligations that prevent you from working busy seasons or long hours, is a federal government accountant. As a federal government employee you work the maximum 40 hours a week and some agencies have a flex work plan. The flex work plan is that you can work for 10 hour work days for 4 days and have the 5th, 6th and 7th day off. The paid time off, work from home and commute benefits make the federal government a perfect place for an accountant who prefers to spend time with their family than spend time at work. If you are a recent graduate and would like to expand their knowledge and don't mind the long work hours than going to the private industry is the ideal opportunity. You could work closely with the police or detective to detect fraud in financial statement reporting or revenue reporting. You could become an auditor and detect any financial statement or revenue misstatement. You could also be a tax accountant and prepare tax returns for numerous business sectors. The opportunities are endless. 

Reason #4: Tough Major? Be Proud, Not Stressed. 

Another reason several students steer away from accounting is because of the difficulty of the major. Accounting is not an easy major and many business students struggle with the major. You don't need a top notch school like Harvard to land a job in the Big Four or to be successful in accounting. Accounting is a tough major regardless of the school you decide to attend. A major motivator is that since it's a tough major, you get the respect from all the other business students. Other students will respect how tough your struggle is when you are in the library for the second night in the row cramming how to do non-interest bearing notes or how to prepare a multi-step income statement. Never be afraid to state your major with pride as many marketing majors will shiver with their distasteful memories of accounting. 

Reason #5: Accounting? Well...Try It Out! 

Accounting is not meant for everyone and you may feel like the introduction accounting course is kicking your butt, but don't give up. If you haven't taken an accounting course, I suggest you sign up for an introduction course in college and see if it's the right fit for you. I have covered several reasons to consider becoming an accountant. It is not easy when the market is very competitive but when you have that ah ha! moment then you will realize how great accounting is. Explore accounting through an internship and discover if the job is something you see yourself doing. Accounting is much more than adding numbers behind a desk. Many jobs require travel; domestic and internationally, therefore it is important to explore the academic and professional aspects of accounting.

Final Note: Many people keep repeating how robots are going to take over accounting but if that were to happen, it will take many years. In order to be an accountant you need several analytical skills which a robot will not posses. A robot will not have professional judgment like an accountant would. Either way, there will be jobs! There is so many industries that a robot would have to learn. 

Thank you for reading my first blog and I hope you have found it helpful! Please share this blog if you have found it helpful or know of anyone who might find it helpful. 

Comment below your thoughts and my next blog will be coming up soon. 

-The Accrual Accountant