Running heading: HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

How to become an Accountant

Kara Travis
Lees McRae College
April 25, 2016

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

Kara Travis
Lees McRae College Campus
191 Main Street
Banner Elk NC, 28604

To whom it may concern:

I am a student at Lees McRae College and I am working on a business report regarding my
Business Communication class. On the behalf of Lees McRae College Business Administration
Department, they authorize me to complete this report. The report will help me with
communication skills, presenting, writing and preparing for business formal reports. The report I
will be working on consist of me researching companies and positions to find out the steps in
order to be the top notch accountant.

Sincerely,

Kara Travis
Lees McRae College
Business Administration (BA)
Accounting and Finance
Communication Art and Design

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

Contents
What is accounting...5
The Process..5
Qualifications5
Certifications.5
Education/ Degree5
What to study5
What to graduate with...5
Four accounting levels.5
Internship.5
When 5
Where5
What..5
Entry level accounting.6
Starting out after college...6
Connections...6
Middle level accounting6
How well you do6
Time management/ progress..6
Higher level accounting7
Experience.7
Understanding of company7
Final steps.7

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

How to
become an

Accountant
What is
accounting? The
American
Accounting

Association defines accounting as the process of

identifying,

measuring and communicating economic information

to permit informed judgements and decisions by users

of

information (Business News Daily). There are very

little

accounting firm that hire people with associates

degrees.

Higher accounting businesses hires accountants with a

bachelors

degree but some even require a masters degree in

accounting. Most states require business graduates to have a total of 150 credit hours before
graduating. Christopher Ekimoff, the director of FTI Consulting, a global business advisory

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

firm, says, Those three letter [CPA] really make your career. They will identify you in the
market place, in the business world and in your career path as a professional willing to hold
yourself to a higher standard and operate under a set of guidelines and principles that really set
you apart. With that being said, being a CPA is important when finding a job. It will also be
beneficial when applying for a job in the future. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
that 142,400 new accounting and auditing jobs will open up by 2024. This equates to an 11
percent job growth rate (Best Jobs).
The first thing to do to become an accountant is get an internship with a higher level
accounting firm. Most business companies look for accounting and finance interns each year.
Some may even find interns that are focusing in both accounting and finance. The
responsibilities an intern would be in charge of are to post journal entries, assist with audits,
balance sheet reconciliation, credit checks, and data entry, support the payment processing team,
work with the finance team on yearly forecasting efforts and help with accounts receivable,
payable and bank statement reconciliation (Intern Description). The requirements that are
suggested are Microsoft Office, especially excel and word. It is also important to be good at
details, multi-tasking, and goof communication skills. Internships are a lot more important than
one may think. Depending on how good one does at an internship may eventually get a job in the
same position or company at a higher level. When a company sees that you had an internship in
your career field it shows them that you had experience.
The entry level accounting career can be a numerous of choices. The main ones are
accounting assistant, accounting analyst, market analyst, tax consultant, and a few other ones.
These people normally work under the supervisor of the middle level accounting professionals.
The responsibilities include recording general ledger, overseeing accounts payable and

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

receivables, preparing financial reports for the firm, overseeing payrolls, and preparing financial
reports or balance sheets (Accounting Crossing). The people in an entry level accounting job
normally has a Bachelors degree in accounting, a CPA, or even has qualification or certification
in accounting. Most of the time students that graduate from college and get jobs fast normally
have connections in the business world. It also helps when you have an internship background.
The middle accounting career level hierarchy says that the next positions would be
assistant accounts manager, strategic program analyst, tax accountant, revenue cycle executive,
revenue cycle administrator, and contracts and financial manager compliance (Accounting
Career Hierarchy). The middle accounting professionals are mainly the supervisors of the entry
level accountants. Normally their jobs include audits to handling taxes, payroll, analyzing
companys ledges, considering companys overall financial issues and many more. The roles are
a lot more important and extreme compared to the entry level accountants. In order to be a
middle level accountant you need a few years experience as an entry level accountant. Also, as a
middle level accountant you could move up depending on how well you do as an entry level
accountant and the progress you make in your current job. It would be beneficial to have a
planner and plan out your day so that you do not get behind in your job. The middle level
accounting jobs are stable jobs that most people eventually get too in their career.
The highest accounting career level involves around ten to fifteen years of experience.
The career fields involve Accounting director, senior manager, director of cash management,
accounting vice president, and chief finance officer (Accounting Career Hierarchy). This is the
highest level in the career field as an accountant. Their main descriptions involves managing the
senior accounts, managing the companys profits and or losses, and the companies budgeting and
tax considerations are handled by the highest accounting career level. Basically there main job is

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

to make the decisions in the accounting department. Some people may even become a CEO of
the company. The higher level accounting position is a big responsibility and they should be
aware of what the company is doing and the plans they plan to achieve in the future.
After researching all the possibilities and different job positions in order to be a top
accountant, I realized I have a long process. Being a college student I still need to get an
internship with a higher level accounting firm. Based on my research the best time to get my
internship will be the summer of my junior year. It would also be beneficial if I get my name out
in the world so that I can have connections when I graduate from college. I have one so far but
just having one is not enough. It would help me to get my CPA licenses and go to graduate
school after college. I am a long way from being where I want to be one day. The skills needed
can be very complex but if you study hard in college and pay attention in your internship it will
help in the future. The only way I will get there is to work hard, learn how to manage your time,
be active in the work environment, and have good communication skills.

Executive Summary
What is accounting? That is the question everyone going into that career field should
know. It is important to know what you are studying and the degree you need to have in order to
be able to work at the job you dream of. The process of becoming an accountant can be a lot
more difficult if you do not do research and see what all one has to put into the work. In order to
get the highest accounting job it is important to get an internship, start out as an entry level
accountant, work your way up to be a middle level accountant which involves managing, and
eventually become the highest accountant. It is important to know what you are going to be

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

doing in the near future. The internship is the number one step in deciding whether or not that is
what you want to do in your future. It will also help you get a job when you start applying.
Believe it or not, most people end up working for or with the same company they did their
internship at. When you do get a job right out of college it is a good thing to have connections.
Most people with the connections have an easier time finding jobs and getting hired. In order to
boost yourself to a middle level accountant job, experience is a key factor along with
management. Depending on how well you do in the environment and with your job is whether or
not you will be moved up. As for the highest level of accountants, knowing the company is the
biggest factor. You need to have a good understanding on their mission and what they plan to do
in the future. Accounting and moving your way up on the ladder can be a complicated task, but if
you work hard and learn skills and tools throughout you career it will help you be a successful
business professional one day.

References
Marci Martin, (2015, October 8). What is accounting. Business News Daily. Retrieved from
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2689-accounting.html
(2013). Accounting Career Hierarchy. Hierarchy Structure. Retrieved From
http://www.hierarchystructure.com/accounting-career-hierarchy/
(2015). Entry Level Accounting Jobs Description. Accounting Crossing. Retrieved From
http://www.accountingcrossing.com/job-description/4114/Entry-Level-Accounting-Jobs/
(2016). Accounting Overview. Best Jobs, US News. Retrieved from
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/accountant
(2016). Finance or Accounting Inter. Internships.com. Retrieved from
http://www.internships.com/employer/resources/internships/accounting

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

Appendix

Internship: A company is looking for a Finance/ Accounting intern. The student filling
this position will handles a wide range of important duties. The requirements involved
should be a Business, Finance, or accounting major with skills in Microsoft Office
applications.
Entry Level: work under the middle level accountants, and are normally hired right out of
college. They work typical office hours and uphold the financial records for the company.
Middle Level: Supervisors of the entry level accountants. Their job duties vary depending
on the type of management they are placed in. They mainly follow job profiles.
Higher Level: Must have years of vital experience in the specific field. The duties
involved are complex and are based on the company as a whole. They are basically the
decision makers of the company.

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

10

Index
A

Entry Level: Page 6

Accounting: page 5

Executive Summary: Page 8

Appendix: Page 10

Experience: Page 7

Authorization: Page 2

Final Steps: Page 7

Certification: Page 5

Connections: Page 6

Graduate: Page 5

Education: Page 5

Higher Level: 7

HOW TO BECOME AN ACCOUNTANT

11

Reference: Page 9

Internship: Page 5

Table of Contents: Page 3

Management: Page 6

Table of Figures: Page 4

Middle Level: Page 6

Title: Page 1

Qualifications: page 5

Understanding: Page 7