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What is an Accountant?
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  • Written By: S.E. Smith
  • Edited By: Bronwyn Harris
  • Last Modified Date: 12 January 2012
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An accountant is an individual who performs accounting tasks for individuals or companies. The exact material that an accountant handles varies depending on the size of the company and the accountant's specialization, but generally includes financial records, taxes, and responsibility for the issuing of financial reports. An accountant is one of the primary figures in a business that he or she works for, whether it is a multinational corporation or a small family owned business. Requirements to become an accountant vary upon specialization and nation, but generally include certification through a professional agency and a basic college degree in accounting and finance.

In a small firm, an accountant may be responsible for keeping all financial records. These records include payroll information, accounts payable, accounts receivable, retail sales, and information regarding investments held by the company. These accounts are kept organized in ledgers which are used to asses the financial health of a company. Ledgers are always kept up to date, and may be consulted by managers and high ranking members of a company when they are making major business decisions.

In larger firms, accountants also perform internal audits, to ensure that the financial records of the company are accurate. Because of bias concerns, an internal audit cannot be handled by an accountant who regularly handles the material concerned, and many companies hire outside accounting firms to perform audits. When this is the case, the company should not be contracted to handle any of the company's other financial material, as this may represent a conflict of interest.

In most cases, an accountant will choose to specialize in a particular field such as audits, book keeping, or taxes. In other instances, an accountant may acquire a wide range of skills to better serve his or her clients. This is common with certified public accountants who handle the books for several small businesses at once. In both instances, the accountant must have strong math skills, as well as an education in accounting.

Depending on the type of accounting being performed, certification by the state may be required. State certification is usually required for accountants who perform audits and other sensitive accounting tasks, while it is not as vitally necessary for accounting clerks who work under certified accountants. Commonly, an accountant is also a member of a professional organization of accountants, and takes advantage of meetings and seminars to keep up with advances in the field.

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anon240126
Post 59
I want to be an accountant. I like the idea of wearing suits and doing math most of my life. What can or what do I have to do to become an accountant?

anon205885
Post 57
well, accounting is what really is being offered in virtual accounting services. The difference is on how the service is being delivered.
anon179079
Post 54
i have only a grade 10 certificate. Can i study to be an accountant?
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anon154140
Post 51
according to others, to be an accountant is very complicated. Is it really true?
anon145381
Post 50
how do i go about studying for this career and how long does it take to qualify for this and where can i study?
anon145314
Post 49
I am a Bcom graduate with a specialization in accounting. I'm not sure that this qualification is enough to become an accountant.
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anon144251
Post 48
am already studying accounting as my first degree. please tell the necessary things to do, to get to the top.
anon132170
Post 45
I am a first year b.com student and i am working as an accountant. i want know how to create a structure in this field. can you guide me?
anon131756
Post 43
I want to be an accountant, but what should i do?
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anon113296
Post 38
am starting a degree course of accounting, so how can i be the best in the course study of accounting?
anon112187
Post 37
I want to know the general rules governing accountants. Could you please help me know them for my research?
anon107000
Post 34
i am very interested to work as an accountant. But how can I do it? --janak
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anon99645
Post 32
I am now working with an organization from France that it is focused on education for all. my position in this INGO is accountant. i want to improve my accounting skills so what should I learn to do it? Thanks.
anon92086
Post 31
i am a not a accountant but i want to know about accountants. Please tell me how they are used in banks and other businesses? thanks.
anon84648
Post 29
if i have diploma in accounting. can i be an accountant and how much will i earn?
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anon84646
Post 28
how do you know that you are a good accountant?
anon71352
Post 27
What are good qualities of an accountant?
anon65711
Post 25
i want to know the major areas under which an accountant can work.
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anon63005
Post 24
i just want to know how much does an accountant get paid? and what do i need to know to become a accountant? help! thank you.
anon56351
Post 22
if i want to be an accountant, what can i do?
anon56022
Post 21
I have shoplifting on my record will i still be able to get a job in accounting with this on my record?

Should i start a different career path?

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anon55937
Post 20
I'm thinking about being an accountant when I grow up (I'm 15) and I want to know if it's hard or complicated?
anon52106
Post 18
Well I'm only 14 and i just want to know what an accountant does, so can anyone help?
anon35461
Post 15
I have a BBA-Accounting degree and am in school now for my Masters -Finance degree. I want to be a CPA and either work in corporate accounting or auditing or forensic accounting at a CPA firm. Will the finance degree help me or hurt me?

Thanks!

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anon33571
Post 14
You will want to go to school and become a CPA. This will allow you to do auditing work for publicly traded companies. It's also the highest recognition for accountants. The best approach after that is to work for a public accounting firm so that you can get a lot of experience doing audits, or tax, payroll, business consulting. A small accounting firm will give you a more well rounded experience, but a Large CPA firm you'll be more respected and have a lot of experience in a small number of duties. If you like numbers and business then you'll like accounting but a lot of business majors really don't like numbers. Too bad it's a required part of every business though. I got a double major in accounting and finance. I would recommended accounting degree with an MBA in Accounting if I were to do it again.
anon32647
Post 13
holder of a double degree, will it be able to put me in a better advantage? if it is, which combination of double degree will u recommend?

or having an honour degree or master degree is better for future promotion & prospect?

anon31117
Post 12
Advantages are that there is a high demand in accounting jobs, and there are plenty of available jobs and usually there is good pay. Disadvantages are that there are long hours and it can be very boring.
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anon23626
Post 10
if i want to be an accountant, how should i do it?
anon22535
Post 9
I know what to do; go to college, but don't major in accounting. It's the best advice ever.
sikkim
Post 7
@anon12001 - i think the 'bad parts' about being an accountant is that the job is relatively narrow in scope. its not easy, but most of the work involves numbers, and accounts, and depreciation.

there are plenty of other jobs with a similarly narrow scope, but if you are a person who likes to do a variety of work, then accounting probably isnt a great fit.

it is important to note that some accountants do get to have a moderate amount of personal interaction with clients or coworkers.

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Accountant
Post 5
A career as an accountant gives you a recognised qualification as a chartered accountant that can always be used to fall back on if you pursue a different career.
anon12001
Post 4
I need the bad parts about this job for a research

anon11022
Post 3
I want to know an advantages of the career accountant. I am doing this career as a research paper. Could you please help me out?
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anon6993
Post 2
if i want to be an accountant, how should i do it?

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