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The practice of tracking the financial transactions of businesses is called accounting, and numerous types of jobs are available in accounting for those with the proper training and credentials. This financial discipline is used to manage and gauge a company’s financial health for internal and external stakeholders, and most accounting careers support these functions. Here are some examples of popular accounting career opportunities available in today’s global market place.
Forensic Accountant
Although technology has helped many businesses to grow at rapid rates, it has also enabled some unscrupulous people to more effectively and efficiently carry out fraudulent financial actvities. Business leaders and legal professionals often have difficulty identifying the discrepancies in financial record keeping that would indicate occurrences of illegal financial acts. However, the accounting knowledge, research and problem solving skills of trained forensic accountants lend themselves well to investigating these types of crimes. Specifically, these accountants often apply knowledge of accounting and legal procedures, securities fraud, embezzlement, contract fraud and money laundering to forensic accounting cases. Forensic accountants typically hold undergraduate degrees in accounting, certified public accountant (CPA) licenses and certified fraud examiner designations.
Celebrity Business Manager
Some people’s 15 minutes of fame can turn into lucrative career opportunities for accountants with financial planning experience. Successful entertainers in music, sports and acting get to display their talents while getting paid large sums of money. Most realize that their talents do not extend to money management so they hire competent business managers with accounting skills to handle bill payment and purchases. Good celebrity business managers also identify investment opportunities for clients so that their money can grow and work for them. These business managers often have degrees in accounting, CPA licenses and some are also lawyers.
International Accounting Consultant
Nearly every nation has its own set of generally accepted accounting principles for which their businesses adhere. However, the world of commerce is continually shrinking and economic borders are blurring. Businesses that want to go global or that simply want a presence in another country need to know the accounting rules for operating internationally. These companies hire accountants with education and experience associated with the application of international accounting standards. International accounting consultants usually have graduate level degrees in accountancy that specialize in international accounting as well as several years of experience working as accountants for multinational companies, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Accounting Educator
Accountants who have garnered years of industry experience often seek to take their knowledge and skills into the classroom setting as instructors. Numerous business students choose to major in accounting because of the field’s wide array of career opportunities and relatively high levels of job security. This level of demand for qualified accounting instructors has created plenty of positions in today’s colleges and universities. For example, accountants who have worked extensively as auditors, public accountants or tax accountants can transfer their knowledge to students at the associate, undergraduate, graduate or doctoral levels depending on their own academic and professional credentials. Most accounting educators are CPAs with degrees in accounting; those teaching at the associate degree level usually have at least a graduate level accounting degree. Those accountants with additional niche certifications in areas like fraud examination, financial accounting and management accounting have greater teaching opportunities available to them.
Related Resource: Financial Careers for Best Job Growth
Conclusion
Even though accounting is known to be the language of business, the discipline has also unfairly gained the reputation of being the leading provider of boring occupations. The above described careers emphasize that exciting and somewhat unconventional types of jobs are available in accounting.