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Accounting Degrees Overview

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Are you tired of working at a dead end job? Do you see yourself not getting anywhere in your current profession? Are you looking for a career change? Are you good with numbers and can analyze them? If so there is a great career waiting for in accounting. Even though there have been many corporate scandals involving high-profile accounting firms, there is still a demand for accountants. The accounting profession makes up many areas or classes. Training for these areas has been on the rise more than ever before. Before you decide to embark on a career change by going to college to get your degree in accounting, look at some areas of accounting you can go into that pays very well and is in big demand:

· Certified Public Accountant (CPA): Certified Public Accountants are accountants who have taken at least 150 semester hours of college coursework. This means taking an additional 30 hours beyond the normal 4-year degree program. They have passed a four-part Uniform CPA Examination given out by the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants), and have some accounting experience. CPAs can provide a wide range of services to the general public including auditing, accounting, taxes, and financial advising.

· Certified Internal Auditor (CIA): Internal auditors are used by businesses to validate and certify the financial position of the company is correct. They do this by analyzing the books and making sure every single entry is correct and in the right account. In order to do this work they have to be certified. To be eligible, the internal auditor must have a bachelor’s degree and show proof thereof. CIAs also must have worked for at least 24 months as an internal auditor. CIAs mainly work as auditors for a company.

Certified Management Accountant (CMA): CMA’s are specialized type of accountants who do a service for an employer not the public. To be a CMA, the accountant must be able to master six key areas including business analysis (involving economics, internal controls, quantitative methods, and analyzing financial statements); management accounting and reporting (involving preparing budgets, cost management, measuring performance, and reporting of the company’s external financials); strategic management (involving strategic planning, corporate finance, decision analysis, and investment decision analysis); and business applications (involving all the above and organization management, issues involving behavior, and ethics). CMA’s get their certification from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). CMAs work mainly for employers, but do serve the general public to a limited degree.

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