Career 411: Accounting
Friday, October 17. 2008
With the cost of degrees at an all-time high, a degree in accounting remains a worthwhile investment. A bachelors degree in Accounting is designed to prepare a college graduate for entry level accounting positions in profit, not-for-profit, and governmental environments, while establishing a foundation of courses for students who wish to continue their education to become a Certified Public Accountant (C.P.A.) or Certified Management Accountant (C.M.A.).
Whether online or full-time, a degree in accounting is designed to provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for a successful, lucrative accounting career. A 21st century bachelors degree in accounting should incorporate the principles and industry-relevant technology for those wishing to enter positions in the accounting, information systems, and management analysis areas of business, and include courses focused on general and cost accounting principles as they apply to business operations, along with 21st century business ethics.
An associates degree would familiarize the student with the accounting professional's year, incorporating financial statements, taxes and payroll, financial investments, management and marketing, and computerized accounting. The program emphasizes the positions such as junior accountant, accounts payable/receivable clerk, bookkeeper, payroll clerk, or administrative assistant.
To enter this career you must be numerate and highly organized. The modern accounting professional must be comfortable with accounting methods, organizational behavior, management skills, statistics and business, strategic goals, e-business and the role of technology. Look for an online course that covers this and provides certification and the future will look bright.
Whether online or full-time, a degree in accounting is designed to provide the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for a successful, lucrative accounting career. A 21st century bachelors degree in accounting should incorporate the principles and industry-relevant technology for those wishing to enter positions in the accounting, information systems, and management analysis areas of business, and include courses focused on general and cost accounting principles as they apply to business operations, along with 21st century business ethics.
An associates degree would familiarize the student with the accounting professional's year, incorporating financial statements, taxes and payroll, financial investments, management and marketing, and computerized accounting. The program emphasizes the positions such as junior accountant, accounts payable/receivable clerk, bookkeeper, payroll clerk, or administrative assistant.
To enter this career you must be numerate and highly organized. The modern accounting professional must be comfortable with accounting methods, organizational behavior, management skills, statistics and business, strategic goals, e-business and the role of technology. Look for an online course that covers this and provides certification and the future will look bright.
Navigating the real world can be overwhelming for a new college graduate. You made it through college but now the real test begins—finding a job! Even if you aren’t driven to achieve CEO status, every young professional is proud to know that they are self-sufficient and moving forward. But how do you get there if you have no experience or perhaps never even had a job before? Never fear. There are things you can do to show potential employers that although you’re new to the game, you take your future very seriously and you are worth a second look. All it takes is a little more homework.
Thank you to Brad Karsh of JobBound for alerting me to the fact that September is International Make Over Your Resume Month (seriously!). In honor of this occasion, here are my top 13 resume tips for college students and young professionals, adapted from my book, Getting from College to Career: 
As much as we may complain about our own healthcare system, it may never be more apparent to you how much we take for granted until you head off to a foreign land and find yourself in need of medical care. Many regions where students choose to study have similar healthcare procedures and facilities to what you’ll find here, but there are also many areas where there are huge differences in how even your basic healthcare needs are met.
College textbooks have always made up a large chunk of the expenses students face every semester. Textbooks, which are already extremely expensive, seem to go up in price just about every day. To prove this point, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index stated that Textbook prices are increasing at more than four times the inflation rate. Also, other research performed by different state PIRGs show that publishers are exploiting the system and continue publishing new editions of their expensive textbooks that are only marginally changed and edited in an effort to make the cheaper used books obsolete. This practice forces the student to go out and buy the more expensive new edition.
Here on Study Hacks we spend a lot of time trying to separate truth from fiction when it comes to building a successful student career. As you know, it’s one of my great beliefs that much of the stress experienced by students is unnecessary. Indeed, the entire Zen Valedictorian Philosophy is premised on the idea that most people have no idea what makes a student impressive. 
The Pay for College Blog just posted an article about how hundreds of students received bad loan checks from their private student loan company, Astrive. This mistake on Astrive’s part has meant lots of students have gone without loan funds to pay for college-AND they’ve had to pay fees for the bounced checks! 
Let's begin with some general advice: Beware of Sticker Shock