Nature of Work

The definition of an accountant is a person whose job is to keep or inspect financial

accounts, but their job is much more complicated than that. Here is a list of just a few things

accountants are required to be able to do:

Determine, maintain, prepare, and process payroll

Interact with auditors during audits

Explain invoices and policies to staff, vendors, and clients

Prepare and review budgets, revenue, expenses, payroll entries, invoices, and other

documents

Analyze revenue trends, recommend budget levels, and ensure control over spending

Supervise financial data and reports for the company's automated financial systems

Resolve discrepancies

Recommend, develop, and maintain financial databases, computer software systems, and

manual filing systems

Working Conditions

Accountants mainly work in offices, but there are some cases where an accountant can

work from home. The majority of their day is spent sitting at a desk. An accountants work is

quick-paced with a deadline. Their work needs to be precise, because errors can cause a loss of

money. Accountants mainly work as an individual, but there are occasions they may have to

work in a team of accountants, with their client, or with an auditor.

Employment

Currently in Missouri, there are around 26,000 accounting jobs. Every year, around 900

of those jobs are open for hiring. There are multiple places in Missouri someone can work as an
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accountant. Since accounting is the language of business, almost all business are willing to hire a

needed accountant. In Missouri, the city with the most available accounting jobs is St. Louis. St.

Louis offers over 11,000 accounting jobs, and has over 400 openings annually.

Training

To be an accountant, a high school diploma is required. A bachelor's degree in

accounting is also needed. It is also recommended an individual either double major or minor in

a field similar to accounting, like finance or business. Internships are helpful ways to be

introduced into the business/accounting world. So, if possible, try to get an internship.

Qualifications and Advancements

Most accounting jobs require the completion of the training described above. Different

businesses have different requirements that need to be met to account for them. If an individual

started in a lower level accounting job and wishes to advance to a higher position, like CFO,

there are also certain things needed to be done. To advance, experience is key. Obtaining a CPA,

which requires 30 additional hours to that of a bachelors degree, is a good first step. An

individual should be well known, with good relationships, and skilled. The job of CFO is not

handed to an individual, however. They have to work for it.

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Job Outlook

The national employment of accountants is set to grow 11% from 2014-2024. This is

faster than the average employment rate for all occupations, which is only 7%. With the increase,

there will be over 140,000 national accounting jobs available by 2024. Missouris employment

rate of accountants is a tad lower, at an 8.2% increase from 2014-2024. This increase, however,

is still larger than normal, and will add over 2,000 accounting jobs in Missouri alone in 2024.

Earnings

The average salary for an accountant is around $67,190. The best-paid earn around

$118,930. The lowest-paid earn around $41,400. The average starting salary for an accountant is

about $53,000. The more experience a person has in accounting increases the chances of them

earning more. The size of the company or business they work for also affects the size of their

salary. If they work for a small starting business, they will most likely earn less than they will

accounting for a multi-billion dollar business.

Related Occupations

There are multiple occupations related to accounting. A financial analysts job is very

similar to an accountant. A financial managers job is also similar, but they only work with a

company's budget and investments. A budget analyst is also like an accountant, but they only

work with budgets. Auditing is also an occupation similar to accounting. Auditors are

accountants for companies that require financial assistance.

Justification

I had many reasons for choosing accounting. In Missouri connections, my interest profile

labeled me as conventional, and described me as someone who would like work that follows

set procedures and routines. Accounting was one of the jobs that went with a conventional
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person. My career clusters two highest careers were those in finance and business management.

Accounting falls in both of those subjects. I also take accounting 1, and am fairly decent at it.

Ive always been a math person, too. These are the reasons I chose accounting as my career.

Potential Training Sites

An accounting job typically requires a bachelors degree. A bachelors degree requires

around 120 semester credit hours, and typically takes around four years to obtain.

Required Classes to major in accounting:

Accounting Communication Internship in Accounting

Intermediate Accounting Auditing

Advanced Accounting Analysis of Financial Statements

Business Law International Accounting

Cost Accounting Tax Research Seminar

Individual Income Tax International Taxation

Missouri State, School of Accountancy

901 S National Ave, Springfield, MO 65897

Yearly Tuition: $20,036

Admission Standards: High School Diploma, GPA above 2.00

Washington University, Olin Business School

Snow Way, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130

Yearly Tuition: $50,650

Admission Standards: GPA - 4.11, average SAT - 1510, average ACT - 33

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University of Missouri, Trulaske College of Business

403 Cornell Hall, Columbia, MO 65211

Yearly Tuition: $27,964

Admission Standards: GPA - 3.54, Average SAT - 1220, average ACT - 26

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WORK CITED

https://portal.missouriconnections.org/

http://www.accounting.com/states/missouri/

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm