Planning For Your Second Accounting Job

Abstract

For many accounting students the focus of their fourth or fifth years is finding a job to start them on an exciting and financially rewarding career. Colleges provide significant guidance and direction to these students in the form of internship assistance, resume writing workshops, interview practice, networking events and career guidance. At most campuses public accounting firms are the most visible representative’s students encounter and these firms provide many students their internship and first full-time opportunities. Since Colleges strive to meet the needs of their customers much of the Career Planning focus is on public accounting and certification as a CPA. However, most students are faced with careers that span 40 years or more and few new graduates spend an entire career with their first employer. At some point they find themselves in the job market because of a desire to relocate, to pursue better opportunities, to achieve a better work/life balance or because of corporate reorganizations. Being in the job market with the wrong set of credentials will limit an individuals employment opportunities and lengthen the time required to find an appropriate job. To get a sense of the skills that may be in demand in the future it is helpful to know the degrees and certifications employers are looking for today. Using the on-line job search data bases in four major markets (New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles and Denver) we tabulated the credentials and advanced degrees most often referenced in employment advertisements. These four markets are each serviced by a major newspaper that provides job seekers with free on-line access to jobs advertised in their paper. In addition, these cities are located in states that have implemented the 150 hour requirement (New York and Texas) and in states that have not yet implemented the 150 hour requirement (Colorado and California). The search results can serve as a guide for students and educators who want to be aware of the most sought after credentials and certifications in the current job market. This information may be useful in curriculum decisions and career planning guidance. Information on the most sought after certifications including links to the organization that sponsors the certification, requirements of certification and experience and continuing education requirements is also provided.