by C M D

Created on: June 02, 2007

Because fortune, fame and glamour will flow your way. Golden doors will open and red carpets will greet your every step. Ehhh....Nope that's not it.

Because it's a rewarding and fufilling career. Well, that could be true but let's face it - it's not like we're saving lives or anything.

However, it is a challenging career that presents many opportunities. The role of the CPA in business today is much more than just a tax return preparer or auditor or bookkeeper. CPAs now have the opportunity to consult on many things to help business owners improve their operations.

Now you may be thinking "but I don't like math". Well, neither do I. Accounting deals with numbers true enough. But much of accounting is how various numbers relate to each other and knowing the rules of how things should be classified. While it's not exactly exciting party talk it can be stimulating office conversation.

The question in every accounting major's mind is whether to go to the Big 4 or a smaller public accounting firm to begin their career. Well, the answer to that question lies in the goals of the particular individual. The Big 4 offer the name recognition and look good on a resume. However, they do also tend to burn through young graduates and don't necessarily provide an overall view. Smaller or mid-sized accounting firms are more likely to be able to provide a more broad hands-on experience and also offer a different working environment.

I have to say I'm somewhat biased on that topic as I went to a small to mid-sized accounting firm upon graduation. And I didn't regret that choice ever. I was able to work on all aspects of a job immediately and within one or two years in the industry I was working as an "in charge" on my jobs and for many of them had the client contact. I believe this provided me with a broad range of experience in a short amount of time.

But another consideration is where you want to go in your career ultimately. Not everyone wants to stay in public accounting for their entire career. While it can offer constant change of work and possibly a flexible work schedule it also entails the dreaded tax season and seasonality of other work that is oftentime unpredictable. The Big 4 may be better suited to prepare someone who intends to be in public accounting for 5 or 6 years and then seek an accounting position in private industry.

And yes, the money in both public and private isn't bad. But in reality, salary is not the only or even the biggest consideration when choosing a career. You have to genuinely like the work. I'm not saying you have to love it and live for accounting and nothing else but you should at least enjoy the work you are required to do to earn a paycheck. That is really the most important thing when choosing a career. And unfortunately, it's trial and error to figure out whether you do enjoy the work. Taking college classes will help to determine that but I also recommend getting an accounting internship somewhere. You should keep an eye out during your internship to see what other people are working on and the atmosphere of the firm and speak frankly to the people you are working with about their perspective on public accounting and their likes and dislikes. Just remember not to base all work experience on things that you do as an intern since the work given to interns may vary somewhat from work performed by actual staff accountants.

So while accolades won't fall from the Heaven and you won't be an instant millionaire, accounting can be an interesting and challenging field for those who are so inclined.

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