From the time I was three years old I have loved math. Being home-schooled, I started adding in first grade at the age of three. I kept up with my sister until sixth grade when we entered public school and were placed different grades because of my age. I’ve always wanted to pursue a career that requires math skills. A couple of years ago, my parents told me that a good career choice that includes math would be an accounting. I enjoy working with computers and numbers. I like the idea of an indoor working environment. I chose to research this occupation because I plan to enter a career that resembles this very closely.

The work environment, as I said above, is mainly indoors. Accountants and auditors have a lot of contact with clients. In some cases, auditors may interact with clients more than accountants will. Both will work with them one on one about their financial position. These sorts of occupations are needed more in the urban areas where there are businesses, companies and wealthy citizens. This career may require more than fifty hours of work per week, especially from January through April due to tax preparation season.

To be successful I would need to develop many skills and abilities such as visual acuity, patience with clients, computer and communication skills. Auditors also need to be able to sit for long hours, to reason and solve problems using math and science. Perhaps the most important skills are the ability to manage tasks and people as well as to accurately visualize situations and solutions. Accountants and auditors may advance to positions with more responsibility or perhaps even open their own firm. About eleven percent of accountants and auditors are self-employed.

To work as an accountant or auditor, I will have to earn at least a bachelors degree majoring in accounting. Then to advance to a certified public accountant (CPA), I will have to complete a five-year, one hundred and fifty credit hour accounting program, have public accounting experience, and pass the uniform CPA examination. Depending on what kind of accounting is available, I will have to study for two to five years. Two-year programs are available at community colleges and private business schools to prepare me for becoming a bookkeeper or for entry-level accountant jobs. For professional accounting or auditing jobs I must obtain a bachelors degree in accounting which may take a four-year program at a college or a university.  In this four-year plan I will have to take one year of accounting courses, one year of general business courses, and two years of liberal arts courses. If I wish to become a CPA, I will need to complete an additional thirty hours of study in accounting. These extra courses will prepare me to take the Uniform CPA Exam and to work independently as a public accountant. To gain more experience before advancing I would take internship programs during college or in the summer. Generally, beginning public accountants will work under a licensed CPA for at least a year to gain even more experience required for the CPA license.

While in high school, I will want to take business classes, computer and information sciences classes, English language and literature classes, marketing classes, math classes, and social sciences and history classes. Business management and computer courses will be helpful if I hope to become self-employed.

I want to attend the University of Texas in Austin. The total cost for tuition, books, and on-campus room and board for me, being out of state, will be $29,340. Requirements for this school are a high school diploma, ACT or SAT test results, and other additional requirements may include a minimum high school GPA, letters of recommendation, a personal essay, high school courses, and additional tests. The application fee for this particular school is $60. I will also have to submit a writing sample and my transcript.

On average the yearly wage for Montana is $42,230. The average yearly wage for the U.S. is $52,210. Some areas are better than others. Urban areas will most likely provide more opportunities for success.

I think that this occupation is right up my alley. I believe that I will enjoy it very much and be successful as well. I learned that there are so many opportunities open to me and it’s all my choice of how I want to proceed through my future.