Employment Prospects
Employers
More than 1.4 million people are employed as accountants and auditors. Accountants work throughout private industry, the nonprofit sector, and government. About 31 percent work for accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services firms. Nearly 4 percent work for companies and enterprises. Some work as high school accounting teachers.
Starting Out
Junior public accountants usually start in jobs with routine duties such as counting cash, verifying calculations, and performing other detailed numerical work. In private accounting, beginners are likely to start as junior internal auditors. They may also be hired in clerical positions as accounting clerks, cost clerks, ledger clerks, and timekeepers, or as trainees in technical or junior executive positions. In the federal government, most beginners are hired as trainees at the GS-5 level after passing the civil service exam.
Some state CPA societies arrange internships for accounting majors, and some offer scholarships and loan programs. The Career Paths section (https://www.aicpa.org/career/careerpaths.html) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Web site is a good place for aspiring accountants to visit. It has detailed information on accounting careers and other resources for students.
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