Accountants play a vital role in the world of business. They are responsible for keeping accurate public records, recording financial transactions, and making sure payment is rendered to and from vendors and business partners. Due to recent corporation scandals, an increasing number of accounting personnel are employed to watch for any mismanagement of funds or fraud, and to ensure company compliance to tightening federal regulations regarding accounting and financial reporting practices. Typical daily duties include analyzation and verification of financial data and reports, and communicating their findings to management.
Is accounting a good fit for you?
For those who enjoy working with numbers and achieving 100% accuracy in their work, the field of accounting offers vast opportunities. Accountants and bookkeepers must quickly analyze and interpret data and have strong critical-thinking and reasoning skills. Professionals in this field should have at least a basic understanding of business and information systems and be familiar with standard accounting software programs. Strong communication skills are important, since accountants need to present numerical data both verbally and in written form to executives and clients.
Accounting — Career Paths
Every business must keep track of monetary transactions. Larger companies typically have an entire department of accountants and accounting support staff specializing in a single area (such as accounts payable or payroll), while smaller companies may have one or two professionals taking over many different accounting duties. The Herzing University Associate of Science in Accounting program will prepare graduates for entry into many areas, including:
Accounting Clerks – Duties for clerks are usually specialized in a certain area of accounting, such as accounts receivable or accounts payable. Entry-level clerks may monitor loans, post transaction details, total accounts, and determine/apply interest charges.
Auditing Clerks – Auditing Clerks are the quality control measure for accuracy of transactions posted by other employees. They will compare figures and postings to make sure there are no errors or discrepancies.
Bookkeeping Clerks – Bookkeepers record the daily transactions in a general ledger, keeping track of all payment and receipt entries (debits and credits). This often includes preparing bank deposits, preparing invoices, and keeping track of overdue accounts. They may also generate reports or charts of this data for management.
Payroll Clerks – These professionals are responsible for ensuring employees are paid properly. This requires checking employee time cards, taking out the appropriate taxes and benefit/other contributions, and verifying that vacation and sick time are accruing correctly.
In addition, students may choose electives in a specialty area to become eligible for specific positions or companies.
Work environment
Accounting professionals spend most of their time at a desk on a computer. They may work part or full-time depending on the employer’s needs (about a quarter worked part-time in 2006). Full-time employees typically receive a comprehensive benefits package including health care and retirement savings plan(s). There may be overtime required when fiscal deadlines such as tax time and year end approach. Professionals in this field may need to take precautions against eye strain and carpel tunnel syndrome, symptoms which occur more often for workers spending many hours at a computer.
Career advancement
Employees in this field can advance through a number of avenues. As a clerk, obtaining a certification from an industry organization will demonstrate to employers that the clerk has been recognized by professionals in the accounting field for their knowledge and commitment to the profession. Advancement can also occur by taking a supervisory role and managing others in the department, or moving to a different company where there is opportunity for greater responsibility and therefore a higher salary. Lastly, some accounting specialists use this position as a stepping stone while continuing their education to become an accountant or auditor.
Get Certified!
Many accounting certifications are available – each specializing in a particular area – from a number of professional organizations. As a graduate of the Diploma or Associate program, you will immediately qualify for a number of certifications, including:
ADP Certified Payroll Specialist
Certified Public Bookkeeper
Fundamental Payroll Certification
Choose a campus below that offers this program to get more details.
