Career Overview: Auditor Accountant

According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the average accounting auditor earns over $54,000 a year. Public accounting auditors often work for companies like Ernst and Young that inspect other companies to make sure that their financial methods and records comply with the laws. There are also internal auditors that check that the company's financial records are in compliance before the outside auditors come in.

To be public accountant, you need at least a 4-year degree in accounting, and some states require additional education. Once you become an accountant, you need to keep up with all of the new accounting laws, to make sure that companies comply with them.

Characteristics of an accountant

Accounting is a hard major. Most people who succeed in accounting pay close attention to detail and are comfortable working with numbers. Auditors interact with workers at client companies, so interpersonal skills are also very important. Auditors often need to conduct interviews with the clients. Additionally, public accounting firms promote accountants who bring in more business. A successful accountant needs to be friendly and good at networking to help bring in new clients.

Studying to be an auditor

Before you can be an auditor in a public accounting firm, you need to complete the requirements needed to get a certified public accounting license-CPA. All of your education in accounting should lead you towards this goal. In the last couple of years, CPA regulations have changed, and most states now require 150 hours of education instead of 120. That means you need to study accounting for five years instead of four.

Usually, you will study accounting as an undergraduate, and then get a master's degree in accounting to complete the five-year requirement. However, you can also get an undergraduate degree in something else, and then get an accounting master's degree. However, you will have to study your master's for an extra semester or two, to take the core classes.

Many colleges offer undergraduate degrees in accounting. According to US News & World Report, the top four undergraduate business programs are the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in first and second place, and then the University of California- Berkley and the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor tying for third place. The top three master's programs in accounting, according to US News and the Public Accounting Report, are the University of Texas- Austin, the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, and the University of Illinois.

Finding work in as a public accounting auditor

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for accountants and auditors should grow faster than other areas through the year 2014. The industry is growing, thanks to new laws that require more extensive auditing. Also, internal auditing is growing due to companies that need an expert to help them comply with the new laws.