Off the Ledger
Your days as a college student are almost numbered. The working world is calling. As you get ready to embark on your career, you have to be thinking, “What am I going to do when I graduate?” “Is a job in public accounting right for me?”
Where do you want to go?
You have so many options. Big firm or small? How do you decide? Where can you go to get the real, honest look at a career in public accounting? What is it REALLY like to be an intern? What will my life be like as a staff accountant?
See your future...
At Porter Keadle Moore, LLP (PKM) we’re here to help. We’ve created this blog site just for you! To help you find answers to these and other questions about working in a public accounting firm. Real interns and brand new staff accountants chronicle their experiences with our firm. Read what they have to say. Ask questions, share your opinions and we’ll respond.
The Variety of Work in Public Accounting
Terry Ammons - Partner
As an accounting graduate (or soon to be) considering employment with a public accounting firm, what type of work can you expect to perform throughout your career? While traditional accounting services (audit/assurance and tax compliance and consulting) still lead the way, the following outsourced services are quickly growing in response to today’s business environment:
Fraud/Forensic Accounting - with accounting scandals still making the headlines and fresh in the minds of business executives and corporate boards, the prevention, detection and investigation of financial fraud is in high demand.
International Business - as the trend toward a truly global economy continues with multinational organizations importing and exporting goods and services between the U.S. and countries around the world, there is an increased demand for knowledge and a melding of international accounting standards.
Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Consulting - corporate governance has opened up a new world of opportunity in the area of documentation and testing of internal controls over financial reporting.
Management Consulting - as executives get busier and busier and face increased pressure to differentiate their organizations, many look to external sources for assistance with financial planning, operational and strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions planning and due diligence.
Technology - accounting and technology make a great combination as organizations seek help from business consultants on their IT hardware and software solutions and keeping them secure.
Whatever you may face working in public accounting, I can assure you, it won’t be boring!
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