Partner Article

How to get into accounting

An accounting degree is an obvious and incredibly useful qualification for a career as an accountant; it is the start of a wide ranging career that can range from personal accounting to the management of stocks and shares. However, when faced with such a professional career choice, it is easy and totally understandable to become slightly intimidated. When I was first faced with this question, me and a few colleagues (one of which is currently still studying an accounting degree) got together and discussed how best to approach it. The most useful thing we could think of, particularly for those considering an accounting degree, is to discuss the skills that are required for a successful career in accounting alongside how they can be nurtured before and during your degree course. Predictably, mathematics is an important aspect of any accountants skill set; unavoidably, you will be dealing with numbers on a daily basis regardless of which particular area you go on to practice. An accountancy degree will teach you all of the skills you need to know for this, but obviously any pre-disposition towards mathematics is useful, along with a good degree of competency. However mathematics is not the be all and end all so to speak, with many employers taking into account other transferable skills that should be nurtured in kind.

Logical thinking and prioritisation are another essential aspect that will undoubtedly be highly prized in any accountant; a large aspect of the job can be the assessment and prioritisation of various expenses, an activity that requires rational and clearly justifiable consideration, of all the relevant factors. An easy way to develop this skill is to take the opportunity where possible to take up an organisational role; start a small informal business with friends, run a fundraiser etc. All of these activities encourage you to prioritise spending and budget effectively, along with having the additional advantage of demonstrating your skills to any future employers.

Organisation is another important skill that should be practised, as you will be expected to juggle large volumes of work and information at times; computer literacy in programmes such as Microsoft Excel is essential and you should do your best to practice this wherever possible. Most schools will have a room with computers and learning to use a spreadsheet alongside basic computer literacy can make you a very attractive candidate.

An accountancy degree will offer you all of these skills to some degree although this may vary depending on the institution and particular course that you opt for; financial courses can vary immensely and it is often wise to compare them to find out which is the best fit for you and your interests. Services such as getarealdegree.com are useful for this and will let you match up the course best to your skills and interests. However, just because a degree may facilitate the development of some of these skills, it does not mean that you should show some independent motivation and practice them yourself.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jake Styles .