Helpful Hints for a Career in Accounting

Accounting has never been hailed as a glamorous job, but if you’re good with numbers and you enjoy that sort of thing, it can be a very lucrative career. Plus, as long as there is money in the world, we’re going to need accountants—and you know many of those rich families have old, crotchety accountants who are going to kick the bucket soon anyway, so why not capitalize on that?

If you are going to be an accountant, there are plenty of things you can do to give yourself a leg up the ladder. Here are a few helpful hints you can take with you as you start on this career path.

• Develop a keen eye for detail. You’re going to be looking at a lot of numbers, and one tiny error can mean a huge difference. Get used to looking for discrepancies, little differences, and errors themselves. If you’ve always liked those “I Spy” puzzles (or if you’re older, “Where’s Waldo”), this might be the job for you.
• Love numbers. If you don’t do this, you might not only hate your job—you also probably won’t be any good at it.
• Develop your written skills. Take as many writing classes as you can and really hone in on maintaining good spelling and eloquence. You might even want to shadow a business writer or teacher to get some tips on keeping your writing professional and impressive.
• Develop good communication skills. General communications classes will help you with this, but you also have to have some real people skills; if you don’t like working with people, you may not want this career. Try a few speech or debate classes, and go a bit further and work in student government or local organizations. This will help you learn how to schmooze well. Election campaigns are great for this too; try serving as an intern or a paid worker if the position is available.
• Work on your computer skills. You’ll want to know the latest software, especially if you want to impress new clients. You’ll also want to be a quick typist, well versed in all of the best programs, and generally proficient with the computer itself. Take a few courses if you want; if a business computer course is offered, go for it.
• School is important in this career. While college may be overrated in hundreds of areas, in accounting, you probably won’t get hired without at least an Associate’s degree. Most people will probably want even more educational background than that, so continue to further your education.
• Experience is often wanted, too, though it can be hard to come by; if you have student organizations looking for treasury officers or apprenticeships available to you, be sure to take them. Working at a bank or a tax office may be helpful as well.
• Learn to dress smart! Even if you love wearing your jeans, formal to business casual attire is often necessary when it comes to accounting jobs.