Analysis and Discussion: Accounting Career Prospects

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Title: Accounting Career Prospects
1.0 Introduction
The profession of an accountant is a lucrative, well-remunerated job that offers numerous career advancement prospects and entrepreneurial opportunities for those who have numerical passion and an investigative eye. Just like any other profession, it has merits and demerits, however the career merits far outweigh the perceived demerits. It offers a host of opportunities not only for career growth, but entrepreneurial as well. However, you must pass a particular academic threshold to be enrolled in an accounting program. Needless to say, you must attain certain professional and academic qualifications to join the profession. Though not a glamorous profession, accounting offers unique flexibility and career progression that is not available in other professions. However, before venturing into the profession, a thorough introspection is necessary to determine whether one possesses the needed skills for successful practice. This research paper discusses the accounting career prospects based on primary data that was collected from an interview session with Gregory, a financial accountant.
2.0 Analysis and Discussion
Before making a decision to pursue an accounting career, one must ascertain that they have passion for mathematical computations. Gregory attributes this to the fact that an accountant’s job revolves around working with numbers on a routine basis. Therefore, he says, passion is important for career fulfillment and growth as it will be futile for one to pursue a career that they have no passion for. Passion is the engine that drives every career, so is accounting. According to Gregory, there are specific mandatory qualifications that you need to become an accountant. The most basic requirement for entry level accounting jobs is a bachelor’s degree, or an associate accounting degree. Nevertheless, he observes that possession of professional certifications can be an added advantage, although it becomes a necessity for career advancement. As you gain experience and rise up the corporate ranks, advanced qualifications such as MBA are required. Moreover, there are numerous certification credentials that you can acquire as an accountant. These professional certifications include CMA, CPA, and CFA among others. Gregory states that these certifications are laborious and require much effort and time to complete.
Besides numerical passion, Gregory observes that an accountant needs to be adept at scrutiny and handling routine tasks, and be able to handle pressure and stress. The accounting profession provides multiple opportunities for career growth not found in other professions. However, your career direction, he says, begins to shape as soon as you enroll for a degree program. It is at this time that you decide your degree major and minor. Although the accounting skills cut across the profession, there are also opportunities for specialization. Based on your degree major, Gregory points out that you can choose your area of specialization. On the question of career stability, he is of the view that accounting profession provides a stable and prosperous career as it is a stable an...