Among the most popular internship jobs new accountants include those for CPA or certified public accounting firms. Many certified public accountants actually have their own businesses, while others work for public accounting firms.
In fact, accounting jobs are among the most popular in the financial industry. Job interns in the accounting industry sometimes go on to work for those employers they've interned for once they've graduated from college. Even if they don't, though, jobs in the accounting industry remain plentiful even in times of economic stress — in fact, this may be one of the job areas that is somewhat "recession proof" simply because people need more help with finances in times of financial stress, not less.
What do you need to do to get into accounting internship jobs?
To get an accounting internship job, you will need to get a degree in accounting or in a related field. First, in high school, take math courses and learn to work with numbers. (Of course, this assumes that you’re good with numbers overall.) Many colleges offer degree specifically in accounting or in finance. Either of these degrees should suffice to help you get an accounting job once you graduate.
While you're in school, you can get an accounting internship in the summertime between classes, or even as a part-time job during classes, as long as your grades are good and you clearly show a talent for the profession. Once you graduate, you should take the exam for and earn your CPA certification (this isn't always necessary, but it certainly shows that you are serious about accounting as a profession, and it will open up the job market for you in many ways, too).
Do you need more education?
You're not going to need more education beyond being in the process of getting your bachelor's degree in accounting or related field to get an accounting internship job. However, to stay in the accounting field, not only is it a good idea to get your CPA or other related certification, but it's also a good idea to get your master's or even your doctorate degree. These degrees really put you on the cutting edge when it comes to competing for jobs in the accounting industry as you move through your career.
Moving up in the industry
After you've completed an internship and graduated from college, and gotten a degree (perhaps including an advanced one) as well a CPA certification, you're probably going to start out as a junior accountant or an assistant to a more senior level accountant. However, as you move up in your career, you can move into managerial or senior-level accounting positions. Eventually, you may want to become a consultant and hang your own shingle in the accounting field.
Working for yourself
Many accountants (especially CPAs) eventually become consultants and begin to work for themselves after they've spent some time in the industry. This is a good idea if you are very self-directed and responsible. However, be aware that there are some caveats to this. When you work for an employer, you are generally going to get benefits including retirement, such as a 401(k). In addition, all of the overhead costs are taken care of, such as office rent, various and sundry supplies, staffing costs, and so on.
When you work for yourself, you'll need to take care of all of these costs yourself. This is not to say that this is a bad thing and there are certainly benefits to working for yourself that can't be had when you work for an employer. However, just be aware that you are going to have to absorb these costs yourself. This means there's a bit more pressure on you to bring in a certain dollar allocation you may not have in a regular "employee" accountant's job, where clients may simply be assigned to you.
Therefore, it's wise to begin to plan for this early on if you think this might be something you'll want to pursue. One good way to do this is to get an internship with an employer who began his or her own firm. This is a good way to learn from the bottom floor up what it's like to go out on your own once you've had some experience. Perhaps your employer would even be willing to share his or her experience with you so that you have some pointers when it comes time to branch out on your own.
Again, that doesn't mean you'll necessarily branch out on your own, either. It's simply an opportunity you might want to take should you decide it's for you. Many CPAs especially do hang out their own shingles eventually as they advance in their careers.
Compensation and job outlook
Relatively recent strengthening of accounting laws and greater accountability for businesses in their financial doings means that accountants from every sector of the financial world (including forensic accounting) are going to be in great demand for the foreseeable future. The average median salary for accountants in every sector of the accounting industry was about $54,000 as of 2006.
