The accounting profession has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, with new avenues opening up to an increasing number of job prospects. Accountants and auditors held about 1.3 million jobs in the US in 2006, according to figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). What's more, the BLS predicts that accounting jobs will increase by a staggering 18% from 2006 to 2016, with factors like increases in businesses and changing financial laws being the most prominent drivers of this growth. The following article explores the broad choices and specific paths one can now choose to follow in an accounting career.

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	One can commence his or her accounting career as a staff auditor or a tax consultant.

The world is battling a recession, corporate profits are tumbling, and many business tycoons are redefining their companies’ missions. Accountants and financial advisors are the professionals these captains of industry rely on for charting ways out of tough financial straits. As such, today’s tough business environment provides accounting professionals with great opportunities to carve out niches for themselves on the basis of their expert number-crunching abilities. John Rossheim, a senior contributing writer for Monster.com, notes in a recent article that many observers posit that with the economy healing from recession and new management strategies coming into vogue, the accounting profession is on the upswing.

If you are an accounting grad interested in the field of public accounting, then you will be pleased to know that there are a broad range of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting jobs available. One can commence his or her accounting career as a staff auditor or a tax consultant. Most of these type of accounting professionals are certified public accountants (CPAs), many of whom work as external auditors or in public accounting firms. Some of them are also finding work these days in the up-and-coming field of forensic accounting, which requires a sound understanding of finance and law to thwart white-collar crimes, such as embezzlement, and contract disputes.

Those interested in the field of corporate accounting should know that at least one to three years of experience are required to make a mark in the field. Corporate accountants record and analyze the financial information of their employer companies and also take on other responsibilities, such as the preparation of annual budgets, cost and asset management, and the preparation of financial reports. Within a few years, one can usually move up the ladder to positions such as senior level auditor, senior tax accountant, or senior in management accounting. Later on, one can aim for managerial positions in the company or even opt for lucrative offers from other employers.

Government accountants are accountants related to the government sector who examine and analyze government records or audit private businesses that have to conform to government rules and regulations. Some of these accountants work as Internal Revenue Service agents or in budget analysis or financial management and administration. These jobs are typically awarded to those who have significant experience in private sector companies and in various fields related to accounting.

Accountants are also sought out by many for advice about taxes, managing personal assets, investing, and maintaining domestic budgets. Fortunately, a number of accounting software packages have made the lives of accountants much easier of late. Also, the generally tedious work of managing data and records has also become less complicated.

The salary structure in the accounting profession is attractive and should please even entry-level accounting grads. And of course, any accountant can go beyond an entry-level salary by harnessing his or her accounting skills to make his or her compensation much more lucrative. It is recommended, finally, that an aspiring accountant gain good work experience, acquire varied knowledge in different accounting areas, and continue to improve in all regards in order to stay a step ahead of other job seekers.

Bring Order and Structure to Your Accounting Job Search

In an orderly and structured fashion, we consolidate all of the accounting jobs from every accounting firm career page, company and organization career page (and every other job site we can find) so you know about all the accounting jobs and can make your important personal career decisions in an objective and rational way. We are a "good citizen" in the accounting community and have high research standards and know you too have high standards for your career. As an unbiased research company with a profound respect for concrete facts and information about job openings, we are loyal to our members and do not accept any money from advertisers for job postings. We give you the tools to follow through and pursue your career options in a stable, practical and down-to-earth manner.

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