While a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is always an accountant, not all accountants are CPAs. To become a CPA, an accountant must take and pass a series of rigorous tests administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. A number of states also require CPAs to pass state exams as well. Accordingly, there are a number of accountants who never pass the CPA exam and though they can perform a variety of accountancy chores, they are not allowed to perform certain tasks that only a CPA can do.

Certified Public Accountants handle a variety of jobs and tasks. They offer basic income tax preparation and advice for a range of clients including individuals, small businesses and corporations. CPAs can also be found performing basic business record keeping, auditing and consulting work. To maintain their license, every three years CPAs must take 120 hours of continuing education courses in order to stay abreast of changes in their profession.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offers opportunities to CPAs. In fact to be considered for a position with the FBI, an applicant generally must be either an attorney or a CPA. Many other federal and state government agencies offer positions for CPAs, as do corporations and small businesses alike. In such areas, CPAs hold positions as controllers, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and even Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

One of the more important roles CPAs can perform is that of a consultant. In this role, the CPA may find himself researching a number of ways to save a corporation or small business money or developing financial plans that allow the business or corporation to look attractive to investors. Like lawyers, certified public accountants are bound by a code of ethics. CPAs must give clients good, sound ethical advice. When CPAs stray from their code of ethics, financial collapse can be the end result--as in the Enron scandal, where a number of Enron corporate executives and CPAs from Arthur-Anderson, a well-known accounting firm, were indicted for illegal and unethical accountancy practices.