There’s a common misconception about accounting being for those who simply love to crunch numbers and sit behind a desk all day. In reality, accountants hold vast skillsets that help make financial decisions and affect the bottom line. Let’s take a closer look at why accounting is the language of business and how it might be the perfect fit for you.

Variety of job opportunities.
Accounting is the backbone of a company and opens doors in almost every industry. Keeping the books for a company, understanding its financial stance, and predicting future financial positions are all responsibilities that fall on the accountant. Without it, a company simply cannot successfully move forward. Here’s a list of just a few of the career paths that accountants can pursue:

  • Consulting and Advisory
  • Financial Services and Investment Banking
  • Government and Nonprofit
  • Private Industry
  • Public Accounting

As you can see, any industry that requires financial tracking needs an accountant, and their high demand offers many opportunities for growth.

Developing transferable skills.
An accounting degree offers the development of many versatile skills, including:

  • Budgeting
  • Communication
  • Detail-orientation
  • Leadership
  • Organization
  • Problem-solving
  • Quantitative Reasoning

These skills, along with many others, are gained while earning your master’s degree in accounting and continue to develop and sharpen as you move up in the workplace. The range of skills presented shows an accountant’s ability to apply them to different fields, industries, and parts of life.

Stability and growth.
Accounting, being in high demand for any business, provides a stable rate of employment despite fluctuations in the economy. This field also continues to grow through the years. Taking a look at data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the accounting field will continue to grow 10% from 2016 to 2026. This rate is higher than the national average for all occupations! Accounting is a field in which unemployment is not as high a concern given the nature of the job and is another reason why it is such an appealing career choice.

Right fit for you?
If you enjoy working with numbers and organizing data but also solving problems and communicating outcomes, accounting may be the perfect fit for you. To sum it up, accountants determine the financial stance of a company so that it can make forecasts about the future and understand the possibilities of each decision. They also record financial statements of the company and are aware of every transaction that takes place.

Watch this video created by the Texas McCombs Master in Professional Accounting program to learn more about accounting and if it’s the choice for you!

Accounting is more than just looking at numbers all day; it’s about building relationships with people and understanding how to improve on previous decisions for better future outcomes. If you think accounting is for you, learn more about the top-ranked accounting program at UT Austin and visit the MPA website.

The application deadline to start your graduate accounting degree this fall is June 1, 2020! Start your application today!