WHY ACCOUNTING? Accounting 1 – Mrs. Pfahler

What is a CPA?  Certified Public Accountant –  A CPA is an accountant who has satisfied the educational, experience and examination requirements of his or her jurisdiction necessary to be certified as a public accountant.  CPAs audit financial statements of both publicly and privately held companies. They serve as consultants in many areas, including tax, accounting, and financial planning. They are well-respected strategic business advisors and decision makers.  CPAs work for public accounting firms — small, medium and large; and for companies in business and industry. Their roles range from accountants to Controllers, to Chief Financial Officers for Fortune 500 companies, and advisors to small neighborhood businesses

Pizza eating. Whale watching. Punk rocking. Whatever your interest, you can turn it into a career in accounting.  Have the itch to work in Hollywood? Countless career options await you in entertainment.entertainment  If you live on the cutting edge, see what options exist for you in technology.technology  Behind every sports team, network and event are the accountants and CPAs making it happen. Discover your opportunities in sports.sports  Seriously, what does our country do with all that money? Find out with a career in government.government

More Careers  The world needs more do-gooding accountants and CPAs. See your options in non-profit and education.non-profit and education  Were you born to bust bad guys? Find your career in criminal investigation. criminal investigation  Even the business world has room for the eco-friendly. Take a look at accounting careers related to the environment. environment  If your bags are always packed for your next destination, read up on careers that tap into your love of travel.travel  Love to eat, shop and be merry? There are closets full of opportunities for you in food and fashion.food and fashion The FBI loves accountants – It employs 1400 of them!

Salary & Demand  Every business, organization and overpaid celebrity needs a CPA.  From the smallest start-ups to the biggest government agencies to the Paris Hiltons of the world, every moneymaking body requires the skills of a CPA. The CPA credential is highly respected and internationally recognized. To a potential employer, it means high ethical standards, valuable experience, a superior education and crazy good skills. And employers are willing to pay for that.

You can kiss minimum wage Goodbye! Take a look at the average salaries for college graduates in public and private accounting. Keep in mind if you also have a CPA license, you’ll make 10-15% more when you start out.average salaries

You’re hired  CPAs are consistently well paid because they’re in high demand. And when you’re in high demand, you can count on career stability, a competitive salary and lots of chances to advance.  Just how popular will CPAs be in the future? The Department of Labor and Statistics predicts employment of accountants and auditors will grow faster than average for all occupations through the year 2016, mainly because accounting and auditing regulations are getting stricter and the economy will continue to expand around the globe.  The best job opportunities will be for accountants and auditors who have an accounting degree and CPA license.

Will I be good at this? Tutoring one of your classmates Working as an editor on your school paper, yearbook or other publications Training a new employee Serving as an officer in student government or other after-school clubs Organizing a dance or other event Acting as captain to one of your high school's sports teams Working as a camp counselor or scout leader Work in a team environment (for a class project, club, sport or job) Make presentations and speeches (in class or outside of class) Write for your school publication or your own blog Participate in any kind of public speaking organization (such as a debate club) Act in your school plays, perform comedy sketches or play in a band Create Web pages Try computer programming — in class, through a club, or on your own Connect with other people on social networking sites Keep things organized electronically (such as your digital music collection or friends' digits and addresses) Keep track of your savings and spending using accounting software Read or watch the news and stay interested in what's going on in the world Play strategy games to build your decision-making and strategic thinking Focus hard on classes like economics, English, history, math and physics Work on logic problems Create or maintain schedules for groups of people (for work, clubs, etc.) Come up with creative ways to solve ordinary problems

Proof that you will not be chained to a desk.  Years ago, someone started a rumor that accountants sit in a cubicle all day, crunching numbers in total isolation. But nothing could be further from the truth. As a CPA you’ll work with people from all over the place, with all kinds of interests beyond numbers.

You'll work with people just as smart, funny and fascinating as you are.  Assignment – Due Wednesday!  Go to accounting/real-life-cpas/ accounting/real-life-cpas/  Read about 2 accountants that you find interesting. Write down their name, company working for and an additional 5 facts about each from their bio.  Jot down accomplishments, responsibilities, and anything you find cool and interesting about each person.