5 answers
Jeska
Student
Morrisdale, Pennsylvania
1
Question
Updated
899 views
what is the main job of an accountant?
Curious to know more about #accounting, would love get perspective from any professionals!
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5 answers
Logan Mitchell
Senior Manager - National Quality Organization - SEC Services at PwC
4
Answers
Florham Park, New Jersey
Updated
Logan’s Answer
Hi Jeska -
Thanks for the question.
There are many ways to answer this question. The short answer is it depends. The two broad tracks to an accounting career.
The first is an accounting for a private company (or government entity). In this track, you are effectively "accounting" for the transactions and operations of the business you work for. This has many offshoots to it as well. For example if you work at a typical manufacturing company you could be responsible for accounting for the costs of production (cost accountant) or you could be part of the financial reporting group preparing the consolidated financial statements. There are many more capacities in which you could work, but hopefully you get the idea.
The second track would be what you'll hear referred to as public accounting. In this track you'd typically work for an accounting firm (usually a partnership) which is hired by companies to assist with their accounting and tax reporting/planning. There are also many offshoots to this including, but certainly not limited to, auditing, assisting with technical transactions, performing financial modeling, tax consulting, etc.
I could keep writing on this subject, but hopefully this is enough for you to get started.
Logan
Thanks for the question.
There are many ways to answer this question. The short answer is it depends. The two broad tracks to an accounting career.
The first is an accounting for a private company (or government entity). In this track, you are effectively "accounting" for the transactions and operations of the business you work for. This has many offshoots to it as well. For example if you work at a typical manufacturing company you could be responsible for accounting for the costs of production (cost accountant) or you could be part of the financial reporting group preparing the consolidated financial statements. There are many more capacities in which you could work, but hopefully you get the idea.
The second track would be what you'll hear referred to as public accounting. In this track you'd typically work for an accounting firm (usually a partnership) which is hired by companies to assist with their accounting and tax reporting/planning. There are also many offshoots to this including, but certainly not limited to, auditing, assisting with technical transactions, performing financial modeling, tax consulting, etc.
I could keep writing on this subject, but hopefully this is enough for you to get started.
Logan
Stefano Tavella
Global Mobility at PwC
6
Answers
Florham Park, New Jersey
Updated
Stefano’s Answer
This depends by the field of accounting that you enter (Tax, Assurance or Advisory).
In the tax industry, I usually work on consulting projects or prepare tax documents (1040, 1040NR, etc). This is in addition to the one-off tasks that occur day-to-day, such as client meetings, volunteer work or billing projects.
In the tax industry, I usually work on consulting projects or prepare tax documents (1040, 1040NR, etc). This is in addition to the one-off tasks that occur day-to-day, such as client meetings, volunteer work or billing projects.
Anna Clegg
Auditor
2
Answers
Salt Lake City, Utah
Updated
Anna’s Answer
As everyone else has said there are so many different careers you can have as an accountant. I work in public accounting as an auditor, where companies hire us to review/test their financial statements to ensure that they are fairly presented and compliant with GAAP requirements. I also work with public clients where we test their control environment to ensure that their controls are robust enough to prevent/detect an error or fraud. What I love about audit is working directly with the CFO, Controllers, and other accounting professionals at my various clients. I also love to learn and it seems like everyday there is more to learn in accounting. With new technology that is being developed daily, I have also been able to learn how to automate part of the audit so that we can focus on providing a quality for our clients.
Ellen B
Accountant
4
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Ellen’s Answer
Hi Jeska - great question! Accounting is more broad field than you may think, and there are a wide variety of jobs you could do as an accountant. There are three main categories of accounting: public, private, and government. In public accounting, you would work for an accounting firm that provides services to business and individuals. In private accounting, you'd work for a company in their accounting department. In government accounting, you'd work for a government agency, such as the IRS or your state's Department of Revenue.
I'm a public accountant, so I can speak more on that. Within public accounting, there are three subcategories: audit, tax, and advisory (think consulting). Although I'm in tax at my firm, I also do work on audits and the occasional consulting project. But the majority of my days are spent preparing tax returns and income tax provisions (the supporting calculation for the income tax lines on financial statements).
Hopefully that gives you a starting point for your research. I'd recommend taking an introduction to accounting class if your school offers it, or even just a general business class. I'd also see if your school has a job shadow program - speaking to a local accountant would be a great way to learn more about the field.
I'm a public accountant, so I can speak more on that. Within public accounting, there are three subcategories: audit, tax, and advisory (think consulting). Although I'm in tax at my firm, I also do work on audits and the occasional consulting project. But the majority of my days are spent preparing tax returns and income tax provisions (the supporting calculation for the income tax lines on financial statements).
Hopefully that gives you a starting point for your research. I'd recommend taking an introduction to accounting class if your school offers it, or even just a general business class. I'd also see if your school has a job shadow program - speaking to a local accountant would be a great way to learn more about the field.
Alice Hensen CPA CGMA
Lead Financial Systems Analyst
3
Answers
Updated
Alice’s Answer
An 'accountant' can have many roles. What I enjoy about accounting is you can take your knowledge/skill and move to different organizations. There are many aspects of accounting, more than just 'crunching numbers' . I have had the opportunity to work in different areas of the business including AR and AP organizations. You have the opportunity to grow in knowledge and skill.
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