For generations, accounting professionals are often depicted and generally seen as faceless number crunchers who would spend the rest of their careers cooped up in their tiny cubicles. They would sit with their calculators or spreadsheets and do monotonous, static jobs. However, that’s far from the truth. Once you pursue a career in this field, you’ll be surprised that accounting calls for much more than a mere knack for math or quantity crunching.
Accounting is an extensive, diverse and competitive industry filled with various career tracks. Each track has its own area of specialisation and exciting opportunities beyond working as traditional business accountants. Here are some examples of the most interesting accounting jobs and careers today that are worth exploring.
Forensics Accountant
Taking a Forensic Accountant role might be the right path for you if you simultaneously have a passion for justice and fighting crimes. Of course, you also have to like juggling numbers. Likewise, note that instead of physical pieces of evidence, you will be hunting for incriminating information for this role. As such, you will examine companies’ financial statements and utilise your accounting skills to provide analysis for certain legal cases. You will also investigate crimes such as instances of fraud or theft.
Sports Accountant
When thinking about accounting, sport is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. However, thanks to the multi-billion dollar industry, has created an increasing demand for accountants to manage the financial records of both major and minor league sports franchises. Suppose you have always dreamed of working for your favourite sports team, but you are not athletic enough; there’s still an alternative to materialising your dream into reality, which is becoming a Sports Accountant instead. As a Sports Accountant, you negotiate salaries, forecast events, work with payroll, create budgets and ensure the team is profitable.
Environmental Accountant
As environmental awareness in the corporate world emerges, environmental accountants are called upon to identify the cost an organisation will incur regarding environmental compliance. That said, if you have a degree in accounting and want to work for a cause involving sustainability, you should consider building a career in this specialisation.
As an Environmental Accountant, you are responsible for developing environmental policies and calculating how much entrepreneurs and business owners will spend implementing and complying with such procedures. In addition, you are also in charge of monitoring the Environmental Management System (EMS) of businesses and generating new ways how they can earn revenues or develop projects while minimising adverse environmental impact.
Chief Financial Officer
If your goal is to lead and act as the “brain” of a company’s entire financial division, being a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) may be the right choice for you! This position can include examining and handling financial risks for an organisation and taking charge of monitoring different departments, including finance and portions of human resources. You will also work closely with the company’s chief operating officer to oversee the company’s budget, financial record keeping and reporting, create economic forecasts and secure funding, all of which will help the company make better financial decisions.
Financial Analyst
Financial Analysts can go by many names, including research analysts, investment analysts, and more. But regardless of what the actual job title is, the description stays the same. You are in charge of tracking the state of bonds, stocks and other investments and interpreting financial data to make recommendations, advice and predictions for big corporations or SME company owners. You also constantly stay up-to-date on all industry trends and market activities and dive deep into the investment options available to help them make the most informed decisions possible, given the current conditions.
Conclusion
Defying the stereotypes, Accounting is not a one-path homogenous industry. On the contrary, this field offers a variety of interesting career options like the ones listed above. So whether you are looking for a traditional accounting position or something more specialised, many opportunities are available today. In the end, the choice is well and truly yours. That said, if you are interested in pursuing accounting, be sure to explore all your options and select the path that best suits your skills and interests. Thanks for reading!
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