To be eligible for a great work as an accountant?
And would you reach work alone, and not need to be around people constantly?
Odd question... but since I worked as an accountant before being a SAHM, I'll bite... Bachelor's degree in accounting as a minimum, bachelor's+30 if you desire to be a CPA.
Masters in accounting, that is what you need if you want flexibility in accounting. Sorry but if you are not CPA eligible you are a book keeper and are paid and managed accordingly.
If you want to work alone you need to add an IT component.
It depends on what you want to do. I would suggest talking to a college admissions counselor to see what programs are available for you.
My hubby has a BS in Accounting and started out with Coopers and Lybrand right after college, then he moved into a position of purchasing, went back to Duke and got an MBA. The only time he worked as an accountant was the first couple of years out of college.
My BS focused on business with a broader base of running a business. I was in outside sales for years after graduating from college.
Move forward, we now own our own business and I do all the accounting and financials and have done this working from home for over 5 yrs.
To be truly qualified, you do need a Masters degree as well as take the CPA exam. The work environment is whatever you choose to make it.
Granted.. you'll probably see ads for people like HR Block who does taxes and hires seasonal help. Personally, I don't think they hire qualified people since they offer to "train" you. Keep in mind, if you prepare someone's taxes and you are working with the IRS, you are responsible and if you just "wing it" and mess something up for someone, the IRS will be coming after YOU as well.
Again, if you don't have the higher education and qualifications, then YES, as someone else mentioned, you are paid accordingly if you are a bookkeeper.
Parenting. This is a parenting web site.
I believe that most people would have a college degree in accounting. But since this is your first question, and you have never posted an answer either, I would question why you have joined a parenting site to look for career advice. While those of us here have many different careers and jobs, if you are specifically looking for career advice, I'd suggest joining a site that is geared at jobs and career change.
The lowest degree you can have and still be employed as an accountant is a bachelors degree. You could start out in a firm to work various accounts.
To be a CPA and be respected in this field you would need at least a Master's degree.
I have a friend who graduated from OSU with his BA from the college of business. He got several good job offers from firms. He selected on in Texas and still works there today. He worked accounts to audit savings and loan company's, audit businesses for theft, etc....his company was hired by other company's to come in, find out where the money was going, then offer suggestions to fix it.
If you want to open your own company or be a contractor I truly don't think anyone will hire someone that does not have at least a Master's degree. If you want to do taxes or something like that then you don't need an accounting degree at all, just a certification of your tax knowledge.
My sister has a BA in something else and recently went back for accounting. It was the MINIMUM she needed to be able to qualify for a promotion into the accounting department. She will likely need more education later.
Freelancing is a whole other matter.
I write about job hunting in the financial profession. The others have given you great advice about the academic requirements, as well as those for certifications.
I want to add that accounting is no longer a job where you're on your own. It's highly interactive now. You need to be able to interact well with other people and have top-notch communication skills. Accountants are key players in the strategic planning and analysis process at companies. Those in public accounting work directly with clients. If you're looking for a job where you can just work independently all day long, this isn't the right field.
My husband has a bachelors of science degree in Accounting. He also has an (MBA) Masters of Business Administration. He passed the CPA examine in between his degrees although he has never worked in accounting but he could have. (My husband started his own consulting firm doing custom software development.).
