What is an Accountant?
- MEDIAN SALARY
- $70,500
- UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
- 1.8%
- NUMBER OF JOBS
- 90,700
An accountant is a person who keeps or inspects financial records. They're numbers people who excel at organization and detail-oriented work. Since they deal with money – sometimes significant amounts of it – accountants must also possess a high degree of integrity. And because they're constantly interacting with clients, accountants should be effective communicators.
Whether it's the money-laundering stoner in "Weeds" or the dorky auditor in "Parks and Recreation," pop culture tends to portray an unsavory picture of accountants, but this profession doesn't deserve such a bad reputation. Accountants make a pretty good living, and they have a lot of job security. After all, as long as people make money, they'll need other people to handle it for them.
Patty Pogemiller, the managing director of global talent experience for Deloitte, one of the world's "Big Four" accounting firms, writes in an email, "Problem solving skills are essential in a client business like professional services. Employers are looking for people who demonstrate an ability to think analytically and approach a problem in a structured and methodical way. Can they objectively analyze and solve an issue? And once they have a solution, they must have the ability to communicate it to others – their clients, managers and fellow team members."
In addition to preparing taxes for individuals, public accountants can also perform audits, prepare taxes and provide consulting for corporations, nonprofit organizations and governments. Internal accountants create processes to find and eliminate financial waste and fraud. Management accountants record and analyze financial information. Government accountants – at the federal, state or local level – maintain records of government agencies and audit private businesses or individuals whose activities fall under government regulation or taxation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6.4 percent employment growth for accountants between 2018 and 2028. In that period, an estimated 90,700 jobs should open up.
Whether it's the money-laundering stoner in "Weeds" or the dorky auditor in "Parks and Recreation," pop culture tends to portray an unsavory picture of accountants, but this profession doesn't deserve such a bad reputation. Accountants make a pretty good living, and they have a lot of job security. After all, as long as people make money, they'll need other people to handle it for them.
Patty Pogemiller, the managing director of global talent experience for Deloitte, one of the world's "Big Four" accounting firms, writes in an email, "Problem solving skills are essential in a client business like professional services. Employers are looking for people who demonstrate an ability to think analytically and approach a problem in a structured and methodical way. Can they objectively analyze and solve an issue? And once they have a solution, they must have the ability to communicate it to others – their clients, managers and fellow team members."
In addition to preparing taxes for individuals, public accountants can also perform audits, prepare taxes and provide consulting for corporations, nonprofit organizations and governments. Internal accountants create processes to find and eliminate financial waste and fraud. Management accountants record and analyze financial information. Government accountants – at the federal, state or local level – maintain records of government agencies and audit private businesses or individuals whose activities fall under government regulation or taxation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6.4 percent employment growth for accountants between 2018 and 2028. In that period, an estimated 90,700 jobs should open up.
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