Have you been thinking of a new career path? Trying to decide on what you want to do as a profession can seem like a daunting task. Maybe you like the idea of working with numbers but you don’t like the idea of filing taxes. Well, you may be surprised to learn that you can become an accountant without ever touching a W-2 or 1099. If a company works with money in any way, it needs an accountant on staff. Here are some examples of accountants who do more than just taxes.
Investment Accountant
Investment accountants generally work for brokerage and asset management firms in the fast-paced fields of finance and investment. Their knowledge of stocks, bonds, currencies, precious metals, ETFs, and other investment vehicles is profound.
Their primary responsibility is to maintain their clients’ investments while adhering to state regulations. They also play a role in helping to develop a firm’s key financial strategies. Investment accountants must hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or business, and many go on to earn their CPA credentials.
Management Accountant
Business leaders need to know the status of a company’s financial health and how it could be affected when making important strategic decisions. Management accountants provide the information so these decisions can be made about the future of the company.
Aside from possessing the ability to organize information and present it to business executives, some common duties for the management accountants include:
- External financial reporting
- Risk management
- Budgeting and planning
- Profitability analysis
- And much more
To become a management accountant, you must earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting and you must pass the certified management accountant (CMA) exam.
Cost Accountant
Cost accountants help businesses improve processes to save money. They examine every expense associated with a company’s supply chain to conduct a profitability analysis and prepare a budget.
After analyzing every cost related to materials, labor, production, shipping, administration, and more, they compile the information and present it to business leaders.
While cost accountants should possess strong statistics and math skills, they must also hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance, and it is recommended to hold a CPA credential or Certified Cost Accountant (CCA) accreditation.
Forensic Accountant
Known as the detectives of the accounting world, forensic accountants analyze financial records to ensure they are compliant with standards and laws. They are also brought in to uncover errors, omissions, or even fraud.
If you love working with numbers and are a bit of an investigator, becoming a forensic accountant may be the perfect career path for you. Working in the investigation or litigation support, forensic accountants can often serve as expert witnesses in court proceedings.
Forensic accountants must hold a bachelor’s degree in accounting and most earn a CPA credential. You could even consider becoming a certified fraud examiner (CFE).
Government Accountant
The government needs accountants to keep track of money. Whether it’s the federal government or state, county, city, or district governments, they all need an accountant.
These are the accountants that make sure your hard-earned money, as a taxpayer, is spent wisely and sensibly. Some government accountants are employed by agencies like the IRS and they are responsible for auditing individuals and private businesses.
Government accountants must earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting and some will hold a master’s degree in accounting or business administration.
Auditor
Auditors are generally brought from outside of an organization to analyze numbers for an organization, from commercial businesses to non-profits, without any preconceived bias. These organizations are required to conduct an annual audit to ensure records are precise.
Typical tasks of an auditor include:
- Organizing and maintain fiscal records
- Inspecting account books and accounting systems
- Examining financial statements
- Assessing financial operations to provide recommendations for improvement
If you want to become an auditor, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Earn an Accounting Degree at Florida National University
There are many more different types of accountants who do more than just taxes. But now that you know you’re not limited to just filing taxes, are you ready to take the next step towards a new career? FNU offers the following accounting programs:
- Bachelor of Science in Accounting
- Associate of Science in Accounting
- Associate of Arts in Accounting
Contact Florida National University at 305-821-3333 for more information on our accounting programs.
