Accountants and auditors prepare, analyze, and verify financial reports and taxes, and monitor information systems that furnish this information to managers in business, industry, and government. The major fields of accounting are public, management, and government accounting, and internal auditing:

Public accountants, or CPAs, have their own businesses or work for public accounting firms. They perform a broad range of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting activities for their clients, who may be corporations, governments, nonprofit organizations, or individuals.

Management accountants—also called industrial, corporate, or private accountants—record and analyze the financial information of the companies for which they work. Other responsibilities include budgeting, performance evaluation, cost management, and asset management.

Government accountants and auditors maintain and examine the records of government agencies, and audit private businesses and individuals whose activities are subject to government regulations or taxation.

Internal auditors verify the accuracy of their organization's records and check for mismanagement, waste, or fraud.

Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are an organization's financial record-keepers. They compute, classify, record, and verify numerical data in order to develop and maintain financial records.

 

Colleges Offering Degrees in Accounting Programs

 

• El Paso Community College
• New Mexico State University
• Park University
• Sul Ross State University
• University of Texas at El Paso
• Webster University

 

WORKING CONDITIONS

Accountants and accounting clerks work in a normal office setting. Self-employed accountants and bookkeepers may be able to do part of their work at home. Accountants and auditors employed by public accounting firms and government agencies may travel frequently to perform audits at clients' places of business, branches of their firm, or government facilities.

Most accountants and accounting clerks generally work a standard 40-hour week, but many work longer, particularly if they are self-employed and free to take on the work of as many clients as they choose. Tax specialists often work long hours during the tax season. Accounting clerks may work longer hours to meet deadlines at the end of the fiscal year, during tax time, or when monthly and yearly accounting audits are performed. Billing, bookkeeping, and accounting clerks in hotels, restaurants, and stores may work overtime during peak holiday and vacation seasons.

Accountants, auditors, and clerks who review detailed data may have to sit for extended periods of time. As the majority of accounting clerks use computers as part of their daily routine, these workers may experience eye and muscle strain, backaches, headaches, and repetitive motion injuries.

 

GENERAL ABILITIES AND SKILLS

Persons planning a career in accounting should have excellent computer skills and an aptitude for mathematics; be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures quickly; and make sound judgments based on this knowledge. They must be able to clearly communicate the results of their work, orally and in writing, to clients and management.

Accountants, auditors and accounting clerks must be good at working with people as well as with business systems and computers. Accuracy, organization and the ability to handle responsibility with limited supervision are important. Accounting clerks must be careful, orderly, and detail-oriented, in order to avoid making errors and to be able to recognize errors made by others. Perhaps most important, because millions of financial statement users rely on their services, accountants, auditors and clerks should have high standards of integrity. They must be honest, discreet and trustworthy, because they frequently come in contact with confidential material.

 

NATIONWIDE INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

As the economy grows, the number of business establishments increases, requiring more accountants and auditors to set up their books, prepare their taxes, and provide management advice. As these businesses grow, the volume and complexity of information developed by accountants and auditors on costs, expenditures, and taxes will increase as well. More complex requirements for accountants and auditors also arise from changes in legislation related to taxes, financial reporting standards, business investments, mergers, and other financial matters. In addition, businesses will increasingly need quick, accurate, and individually tailored financial information due to the demands of growing international competition.

The changing role of accountants and auditors also will spur job growth. Accountants will perform less auditing work due to potential liability and relatively low profits, and less tax work due to growing competition from tax preparation firms, but they will offer more management and consulting services in response to market demand. Accountants will continue to take on a greater advisory role as they develop more sophisticated and flexible accounting systems, and focus more on analyzing operations rather than just providing financial data. Internal auditors will be increasingly needed to discover and eliminate waste and fraud.

Virtually all job openings for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks through the year 2006 will stem from replacement needs. Each year, several hundred thousand jobs will become available as these clerks transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. Turnover is lower than among other record clerks, but the large size of the occupation ensures plentiful job openings, including many opportunities for temporary and part-time work.