Accountants and What They Do for You

As a person with a big heart and a desire to help others, I have searched for a long time for a career that would pay me to help others. I went through a long list of the common careers that help people and studied them thoroughly. As I went through the list, I concluded that none of them suited me. Before beginning at Ivy Tech, I had an epiphany. My career choice didn't have to be the typical "helper career". I could choose anything as long as I tailored it to fit my wants and needs. I plan on pursuing a career in accounting and starting a tax preparation business that is designed to help the needy. I want to do people's taxes for a fee that is lower and based on their income so they can afford it. I finally chose to pursue a career in accounting for the following reasons: it fit my skills and talents, it pays well and has a good employment outlook, and it doesn't require as much education as many careers do.

An Accountant is a person who is responsible in some way for the finances of an individual or organization. They file taxes, keep financial records, and do other tasks related to finances (Bureau). As a person who is strong in mathematics, I knew that I should pursue a career that dealt with mathematics (Learn). I thought about computer programming and engineering, but concluded that they didn't fit my personality as well as I would have liked. When I really sat down and thought about it, I realized that I already possessed the qualities of an accountant. I am an ethical person and I do not like to cheat people or to see others cheat. This is a big deal for accountants because as they fill out federal tax forms, they need to be ethical (CareerOneStep). I am also skilled in problem solving and providing customer service. Accountants need to be skilled in these areas as well (CareerOneStep).

Another aspect of this career that led me to choose it is that it pays well and has a good job outlook. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, an average accountant in the United States earns around $54,600 (Bureau). In Indiana, the average is around $51,000 (CareerOneStep). The salary of Accountants is expected to rise in the future. Within the last 2 years, the average salary has raised approximately $2000 a year (Bureau). Since Accountants are primarily responsible for helping clients file taxes and keep financial records, the job of an Accountant is not likely to decrease in the future. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, the employment rate of Accountants in the United States is expected to rise in the next 10 years (Bureau). The only foreseeable reason that Accountants may not have employment in the future is the increase in financial tools for non-professionals online.

Careers in Accounting often do not require much education. For what I want to do, for example, I would only really require the knowledge of tax filing and businesses. Many clients would probably not appreciate my lack of knowledge in Accounting; therefore, I plan on obtaining at least an Associate's degree in Accounting and possibly a Bachelor's degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most Accountants have at least a Bachelor's degree and a CPA license (Bureau). A Certified Public Accountant, or CPA, is required in every state in order for an Accountant to work for a public corporation or for the government (Bureau). As many business careers require a Bachelor's degree and sometimes more, I believe that Accounting careers do not require too much education for me to complete.