Fast Facts
Occupation: Accountant
Median hourly wage in state: $16.95-$20.75 depending on location
Likely locations: Corporations, government & private companies
Duties: Tax, auditing, accounting and consulting
Work conditions: Indoors, generally full time
State outlook: 14.7% increase in available positions by 2012
U.S. outlook: 19.5% increase in available positions by 2012
Source: IDES Illinois Career Information System
By Larry Randa
- Competitive starting salaries.
- Job security.
- Tremendous growth potential.
- Sound great?
If so, a career in accounting might be for you.
“In the past, accountants conjured up an image of someone hunkered down in the corner with their green visor playing with numbers all day. It’s far from that,” said Wayne Ebersberger, chairman of the Illinois CPA Society. “Today, computer-based programs do most of the drudgery of bookkeeping that kids and their parents have always perceived was a big part of accounting.”
Ebersberger, a partner with Ernst & Young, says that now more than ever accountants need to possess people skills, and be able to think about and analyze any kind of situation.
“It’s important to understand the bookkeeping aspect,” he said. “But it’s more than debits and credits, and sticking numbers in boxes. That becomes boring.”
“It’s more like taking a look at the numbers being produced to determine how a business can be run better.”
College grads face several choices as they pursue an accounting career: working for a single company or going to work for a public accounting firm. In either case, he recommends getting a Certified Public Accounting license immediately.
“In order to have a good-paying job in accounting, you should be focused on getting your CPA,” he said. “Having passed that test is an automatic recognition that you have certain knowledge that qualifies you to do many different things in an accounting department or in public accounting.”
Ebersberger personally recommends the public accounting route initially.
“These kids face a world in which they will likely change jobs five to 10 times during their careers,” he said. “Each job is a stepping stone, a place where you can learn something and use that knowledge to get a better job.”
“You’ll learn a lot more about businesses in general,” he added. “It’s a better stepping stone and it’s a great career path because you spend 50 or 60 percent of your time out of the office in someone else’s business, interacting with them.”
Entry-level college grads with a CPA who go to work for one of the larger accounting firms can expect a starting salary of between $50,000 and $60,000 their first year. Smaller firms may pay between $30,000 and $40,000. You can expect substantial increases in those figures as you advance in your career as a CPA.
While starting salaries may be even higher for a CPA who works for a private company, it might be difficult finding a position straight out of college because “initial job opportunities are somewhat limited,” he pointed out.
What is Ebersberger’s best piece of advice for today’s high-school students who are interested in accounting as a career? Develop your people skills and learn how to think analytically.
But most of all, he says: “Whatever career you embark on, recognize you’re going to spend a lot of time doing it. It should at least be something that ignites your passion and allows you to get excited and enjoy what you do.”
More information on accounting as a career is available from the Illinois CPA Society by calling 312-993-0407 or going to the Society’s Web site at www.FutureCPA.org.
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