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What can I do in order to become a successful accountant?
Does the college I go to really matter with my career choice?
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13 answers
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Matt’s Answer
Hi Adib, great questions. Regarding your first one, the first step to becoming a successful accountant is majoring/concentrating in accounting at college and doing well in your classes. It also helps to join an accounting club or society on campus, as they can provide guidance when you start applying for internships (which generally lead to an entry-level role upon graduating). Once you graduate and land your first job in the accounting field, you'll have the opportunity to build your technical skills and gain work experience, which will open up doors for future opportunities. From there, a combination of a strong work ethic, willingness to learn, people skills, and a bit of luck will shape your success as an accountant.
As for your second question, the college you attend won't necessarily define your career path, but it certainly will impact the ease with which you get there. Many accounting firms recruit from specific “target” schools, so attending one of those will make the recruiting process smoother. That said, plenty of accountants have built successful careers coming from smaller or lesser-known schools; it will just take a bit more networking and persistence to break in.
As for your second question, the college you attend won't necessarily define your career path, but it certainly will impact the ease with which you get there. Many accounting firms recruit from specific “target” schools, so attending one of those will make the recruiting process smoother. That said, plenty of accountants have built successful careers coming from smaller or lesser-known schools; it will just take a bit more networking and persistence to break in.
Bruce Lane
I am a CPA and now work in Software Sales with Microsoft.
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Bruce’s Answer
There are a lot of attributes to becoming a successful accountant and these differ by the career path that you are seeking. As an auditor, industry knowledge and audit procedure education is very important and can distinguish you from others early in your career. As a tax preparer, keeping up to date on tax law or pending laws and other economic news and education can be very helpful in your career development. Basically having a world and industry view of your work is very important along with technical education.
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Wong’s Answer
Hello Adib. To become a successful accountant, you need to follow a clear path and build strong skills along the way. After high school, you will need to earn a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field like finance. In college, it is important to work hard, understand the basics of accounting, and gain experience through internships. These internships can help you learn how real businesses work and make connections that may lead to a job after graduation.
One important step in becoming a successful accountant is passing the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam. This certification is highly respected and can lead to better job opportunities and higher pay.
As for the college you attend, it can matter, but it is not the only thing that affects your success. Going to a well-known school with a strong accounting program can give you more opportunities, especially when it comes to job placement and networking.
In short, to become a successful accountant, focus on your education, earn certifications like the CPA, and gain real-world experience. While the college you attend can help, your effort and attitude are even more important.
One important step in becoming a successful accountant is passing the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam. This certification is highly respected and can lead to better job opportunities and higher pay.
As for the college you attend, it can matter, but it is not the only thing that affects your success. Going to a well-known school with a strong accounting program can give you more opportunities, especially when it comes to job placement and networking.
In short, to become a successful accountant, focus on your education, earn certifications like the CPA, and gain real-world experience. While the college you attend can help, your effort and attitude are even more important.
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Sunanda’s Answer
The best way to be a successful accountant is on the job training at an established accountancy firm. A through learning at college and applying the skills in real life environment can not only accelerate the learning curve but would be helpful throughout the career journey.
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Adrian’s Answer
Hi Adib,
This is a great question - and I am very delighted to hear that you are keen to pursue a career in accounting! It is truly a rewarding field for someone who is inclined to problem solving, analytics and translating insights into action.
Based on my experience, to be successful in the accounting field - you can consider the following immediate steps that you can take as a college going student:
1) Join Career Fairs / Student Clubs: Do explore potential roles in career fairs / employer college recruiting presentations early. Accounting is an industry with various sub-specialties: Audit, Accounting, Transactions Advisory, Tax, Forensic Accounting, etc. This will help to further sharpen your focus in your career planning!
2) Focus on practical experience via Internships: Practical experience is highly valued by employers - having an internship experience in one of the public accounting firms for example, will be a differentiating factor in your future job search as this means that you are already familiar with project cycles, workflows, accounting concepts, etc. compared to other fresh college graduates.
3) Prepare yourself for Accounting Certifications: As mentioned by other professionals in this thread - accounting certifications such as CPA are critical to your long-term career success! Do explore other certifications such as CMA (Certified Management Accountant) or CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) if you are keen in the fields.
4) Equip yourself with practical skills: Building Visualization Dashboards (such as Power BI), Excel and Financial Modelling skills will be key in building your accounting career. You can learn these in parallel with your college courses (or the college courses will incorporate some of these technical skills as parts of their learning outcomes).
As for your question on whether the college you go to matter in your career - in my experience, both Public Accounting Firms (e.g. the KPMG, PwC, EY and Deloitte) and firms in the industry value your working / practical experience and skills rather than which college you attended. Hence, my advice will be to focus on gaining practical experience via internships, regardless of the college you attend. However, you can also consider college with strong focus / long history of accounting programs!
This is a great question - and I am very delighted to hear that you are keen to pursue a career in accounting! It is truly a rewarding field for someone who is inclined to problem solving, analytics and translating insights into action.
Based on my experience, to be successful in the accounting field - you can consider the following immediate steps that you can take as a college going student:
1) Join Career Fairs / Student Clubs: Do explore potential roles in career fairs / employer college recruiting presentations early. Accounting is an industry with various sub-specialties: Audit, Accounting, Transactions Advisory, Tax, Forensic Accounting, etc. This will help to further sharpen your focus in your career planning!
2) Focus on practical experience via Internships: Practical experience is highly valued by employers - having an internship experience in one of the public accounting firms for example, will be a differentiating factor in your future job search as this means that you are already familiar with project cycles, workflows, accounting concepts, etc. compared to other fresh college graduates.
3) Prepare yourself for Accounting Certifications: As mentioned by other professionals in this thread - accounting certifications such as CPA are critical to your long-term career success! Do explore other certifications such as CMA (Certified Management Accountant) or CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) if you are keen in the fields.
4) Equip yourself with practical skills: Building Visualization Dashboards (such as Power BI), Excel and Financial Modelling skills will be key in building your accounting career. You can learn these in parallel with your college courses (or the college courses will incorporate some of these technical skills as parts of their learning outcomes).
As for your question on whether the college you go to matter in your career - in my experience, both Public Accounting Firms (e.g. the KPMG, PwC, EY and Deloitte) and firms in the industry value your working / practical experience and skills rather than which college you attended. Hence, my advice will be to focus on gaining practical experience via internships, regardless of the college you attend. However, you can also consider college with strong focus / long history of accounting programs!
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Echo’s Answer
Hi, Adib, Thanks for the great question. It is a typical question that we would ask ourselves before applying for college. Nowadays there are a lot resources that you can leverage to experience how does an accountant work and what are the necessary knowledges and skills that you need. and there are also a lot of tools out there that you can try to help you get a more practical sense on how to be a successful accountant. Would suggest that you try those before you decide whether accounting is the major that you would like to pursue or not. Then you can decide which school that you would like to go within your budget. Hope these are useful for you.
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Anthony’s Answer
The college you attend matters far less to your career than you might think. Yes, you need a school with a solid accounting program to earn your degree, but the name on the diploma isn’t what defines your success. True success, whether measured by income, impact, recognition, or fulfillment starts with mindset. Show up every day with curiosity, positivity, and a willingness to learn. Those qualities aren’t taught in any classroom; they’re choices you make.
Maximize every opportunity your university offers, and doors will open. For me, starting as an intern at a public accounting firm was a game-changer. Public accounting exposes you to diverse industries, helping you discover what truly interests you. Following those interests keeps you motivated and engaged, and that’s the foundation for a successful career.
Maximize every opportunity your university offers, and doors will open. For me, starting as an intern at a public accounting firm was a game-changer. Public accounting exposes you to diverse industries, helping you discover what truly interests you. Following those interests keeps you motivated and engaged, and that’s the foundation for a successful career.
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Don’s Answer
Hello Adib,
There are many steps you can do to become a successful accountant. It can include getting an education like bachelors and masters degree, it can include getting internships/experience, working on your skills like communication and growing your knowledge of financial concepts while also getting things like certifications and building your network. These are many different things that you can look at and improve on in order to grow as a person which will help you as an accountant. Hope you are able to become an accountant and find a good opportunity!
There are many steps you can do to become a successful accountant. It can include getting an education like bachelors and masters degree, it can include getting internships/experience, working on your skills like communication and growing your knowledge of financial concepts while also getting things like certifications and building your network. These are many different things that you can look at and improve on in order to grow as a person which will help you as an accountant. Hope you are able to become an accountant and find a good opportunity!
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David’s Answer
While work experience is certainly important, so is the college that you attend. Going to a well known school is something you will always have on your resume and that can help at any point in time in your career if you find yourself looking for a job with another firm or company.
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Nick’s Answer
While attending a prestigious college can help, you can still become very successful without it. Working hard to build your skills and network will enable you to succeed in the industry, beyond what just a nice college name will do.
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joel’s Answer
Hi Adib, you will find need to graduate with the relevant qualifications to land a job.
This means that you will need to invest time and effort into doing well in school and then making the same effort to secure an internship or accountancy related job.
The choice of college will matter, but to lesser extent than the effort that you put in to do well in school and beyond - doing these will open up more career options to you wherever you choose to pursue your education. All the best!
This means that you will need to invest time and effort into doing well in school and then making the same effort to secure an internship or accountancy related job.
The choice of college will matter, but to lesser extent than the effort that you put in to do well in school and beyond - doing these will open up more career options to you wherever you choose to pursue your education. All the best!
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Tapiwa Frank’s Answer
Success in accounting comes from strong skills, experience, and certifications like the CPA. College helps, but your effort and performance matter more than the name of the school.
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Kexin’s Answer
Hi Adib, in addition to having hard skills like an accounting degree and CPA, strong communication is key. Accountants often work with different departments in a fast-paced and changing environment. Being solution-oriented will make you stand out. To improve these skills, get involved in group activities at school. Join case competitions, attend student organization events, or take classes that require teamwork. This will help you become more comfortable with uncertainty.