Apr
25
Careers in Accountancy
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There are a lot of different careers in the accountancy field. It ranges from bookkeeping, auditing, until you reach the position of financial officer. As the position title goes higher, you can expect higher salaries. However, in order to achieve these positions and professional designations, you need to get an accountancy degree.
One of the very important milestones in the life of an accountancy graduate is becoming a CPA or Certified Public Accountant. How can you be a CPA? Firstly, you need to finish college, majoring in accountancy. A CPA exam is conducted and you have to pass it. If you want to be part of CPA firms, you need to comply with certain employment experience and requirements which could take about 2 years. after completion of the requirements, you will given a certification as proof that you’re already a CPA. Now, you can offer accounting services to people.
Being a CPA is merely a stepping stone to an accountancy career. Controllers are the chief accountants of certain companies and offices. They are in charge of supervising the accounting system of the business. Controllers see to it that the business follows tax laws to maintain its legality and they are also responsible in preparing the business’ financial statements.
Aside from the tasks mentioned earlier, controllers also take charge in budgeting and financial planning. Businesses, big or small, need accountants. However, in the case of very small businesses, owners can do the accounting tasks. Bigger or larger businesses need accounting personnel to handle all the accounting works. As the business expands, it needs to hire additional employees. It is also the task of the accountant to determine if the company can afford to hire additional employees without negatively affecting the growth of profits.
Accounting involves a lot of paper work. Professional accountants need to prepare tax returns which are very much complicated than income tax returns of individuals. The chief accountant of the company is also responsible for setting broad objectives for the company’s growth and development. Their aim is to gain more profits because this will be the proof for the success of the business.
Being a CPA, a professional accountant, or a chief accountant are just few of the many careers in accountancy. There are still other careers out there that you can pursue for as long as you’re a graduate of accountancy. How can you find the many careers in accountancy?
That’s very simple. You can start by logging on to the internet. There are specialized websites that offers job opportunities in accountancy. You can search these sites and find a job opening that you can qualify for. Make sure that you send your complete resume to the employer or the employment agency. If you do qualify for the job, you will be notified or informed.
In choosing among the careers in accountancy, you have to know your strong points and weak points. That way, you can choose a career that best suits your capability. You must always remember to choose a career that you like. If you love your career, you will not ask for anything else; you will be contented.
Start now and look and look for a career in accountancy while you’re still young. New accountancy graduates are produced every year and so you mustn’t lose hope if you still don’t have a career right now. Exert some effort and time and soon you will have a rewarding career.
Apr
19
Career Path Divergence – Navigating The Ten-Year Fork In The Road
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After working with engineers and IT professionals for over ten years, I have noticed a consistent pattern in career paths of these types of professionals. The career paths are generally similar in that the first three years are spent breaking into their career fields, learning skills, gaining additional training, and establishing their professional reputations. Between three and seven years, they begin taking on supervisory roles such as team lead, group leader, or functional supervisor. From seven years to around ten years (often as late as twelve years) into one specific career path, engineering/IT professionals have established their skills, and are honing their leadership skills.
Somewhere around the ten-year mark, however, they face a choice that seems to be consistent across industries. These professionals often face a choice between the skills-based side of their professions or taking the management track. This time of choice can be a very difficult period for professionals since the decision they make will directly impact the rest of their careers.
Each track offers different benefits and opportunities. The professional who chooses to take the skills-based career path would expect to advance his/her skills to the specialist/expert level. Engineers or IT professionals who take this path might eventually gain patents in their work, earn a reputation as a national expert in a particular skill or hone in on a special direction of their skills that requires advanced education. Many times, professionals who choose this track become consultants who provide special knowledge in specific skill areas.
Benefits of selecting the skills-based career path are more inwardly focused than the management track. Rewards for choosing this path include opportunities to work on the cutting edge of technology and emerging trends; opportunities to delve deeply into development of new technology; and study/research opportunities that are available only to high experts in a specific niche. Many return to academia to gain a PhD in their particular area of interest. Monetary rewards vary but are greatest in the consulting arena where specialist command very high rates for their expertise.
A good example of an engineer who chose the skills-based track is a former client of mine who designed elevators. He was an expert in elevator design, held several patents and was known well throughout the small industry of elevator companies. One of his early accomplishments included design work on the visitor center elevators of the Hoover Dam. When he came to me for services, he was transitioning from design leader to consultant in order to maximize his earning potential. He was also ready to start thinking of partial retirement and wanted to work less while still pulling in equal income.
This particular client had faced the decision around the twelve-year mark in his career to continue on the skills-based track or go toward management with one of the large elevator manufacturers. His true love was design and not managing people, so he selected the skills-based track.
The management-based career track offers different rewards and a more traditional career path. Professionals who select the management track find they move away from the day-to-day use of development skills and spend more of their time managing tasks, teams, and business operations. They lose touch with the particular skills of their industry and concentrate on bigger picture tasks. Professionals who choose this career direction often decide to obtain an MBA around the ten-year mark in order to boost their travel up the management ladder, a ladder that ends at the top of the corporate structure as CEO, CIO, or President.
The rewards of the management track are more capitalistic in that the salaries are progressively larger, the benefit packages riper, and the obtuse status positions are more obvious on the management track. Individuals who select this track tend to be less interested in “how things work” than in “winning”. The management track is the most traditional and well-known, thus often is what is selected by professionals regardless of whether they have the abilities or desire to be managers.
Professionals facing this fork in the career path often experience feelings of confusion and anxiety without really knowing why. Career coaching can be very valuable at this point to professionals who are facing a change in direction and are not sure which path to select. Professionals who work with a career coach will come away with a clear view of their personal career style, their goals, and can be confident in any decision made concerning the direction of their career.
Life is full of decisions. Many have to be made on the fly, by the seat of the pants, and with fingers crossed. Career choices generally carry the luxury of advance timing and the opportunity to consider all options completely. Are you facing a fork in your career road? Take your time and consider all your options. Make your decision based on what is best for your career, your personality, and your life.
Apr
2
Re-Discovering Your Career Passion
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Do you ever feel like you’ve lost touch with the enthusiasm and passion you once felt about your career?
Remember when you were just starting-out at your first job, or you were a recent graduate? You probably thought that any job would be available to you; that every employer would want to hire you. You were excited about your prospects and believed that you had something wonderful to share.
But now that you’ve been in the work-world for quite a while, and have had a series of jobs with several different companies, have you become cynical or resigned in your work-attitude? Are you unsure as to which direction to turn next?
As a professional Career Consultant, I have found that this loss of career passion and enthusiasm is very common – and it’s one of my most troubling observations.
To address this problem, I came up with an amazingly simple three-part exercise, which I use with my clients. It helps them understand why this has happened to them, and what steps they need to take to re-discover their career passion.
If you’re thinking, “It’s too late for me,” I’d like to challenge you on that assumption. Allow me to show you how, by performing an internal evaluation and re-visiting your true priorities, you really can re-discover the career of your dreams!
Ready to get started?
Complete the following sentences without “over thinking” your answers. You may list multiple answers for each of the items below. Be sure to keep your responses focused only on the career/work aspects of your life:
1. In my free time, the activities or hobbies I like to do best are …
2. Whenever I go to a bookstore, the section(s) I always seem to be drawn to are …
3. My closest friends work in the following fields/businesses or professions …
4. The kinds of environments I feel most comfortable working in are …
5. My friends/colleagues/family have often told me that I should be a …
6. The things that have always motivated me most are …
7. I have often been praised for my work in …
8. If I were to get involved in volunteer work (unpaid), I’d like to work in the field of …
9. I love to …
10. I am passionate about …
11. I am excited about …
12. What I really like is …
13. My greatest contribution is …
14. I am particularly good at …
15. I am known for …
16. I have an exceptional ability to …
17. Colleagues often ask for my help with …
18. I would feel disappointed, frustrated or sad if I couldn’t do …
At this point, I suggest you go back and carefully review your answers to the questions above. Refer to those answers as you respond to the four final questions below. Be as thorough and detailed as possible with your responses:
19. What do my answers above tell me about my core values, interests, and motivational patterns?
20. Where in my work do I still find real energy and enthusiasm?
21. What implications do these answers have on my current and future career choices?
22. What is one thing I can do right now to enhance or change my current career situation?
Your answers to all these questions are important for several reasons. First, they point to your natural talents, gifts and skills.
Secondly, they point to areas where your own internal satisfaction will most likely match your external success – professionally, financially, and as a “whole human being” who is able to bring your complete self to the work.
And, finally, your answers will highlight the critical areas on which to focus your next career move – those areas where your talents and passions intersect with market demand!
Now that you’ve performed this brief internal evaluation, ask yourself this final question: Is your current career direction aligned with your true gifts, goals and passions?If not, remember: it’s never too late to correct the problem – as long as you have the right resources and support!
So, if you’ve been feeling resigned or cynical in your work-attitude, I urge you to take responsibility and take action NOW. Leverage the resources that are available to you, and commit to improving your career situation. You CAN STILL re-discover your career passion!
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Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2006, Ford R. Myers and Career Potential, LLC.
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