A career in accounting is a very popular pathway for workers young and old. In truth, it’s one of the few jobs that I remember being suggested to me by my careers advisor back in school. While I didn’t follow that pathway in the end, it’s certainly one I considered.

As with any career path, there are positive and negatives to accounting. I analyzed them quite extensively before falling into writing. Subsequently, I can certainly empathize with anyone that is considering this type of job.

Here are the most significant things I discovered. Hopefully, they’ll help you too.

The Pathway

I think one of the first things that anybody asks of any career is “how do I get into it?”. As far as accounting is concerned, the reality is that you will need to go back to school. For many, this can be quite off-putting. However, an online MBA in accounting can open up those opportunities while leaving you enough room to do other jobs in the meantime.

The negative side of this coin is that it does mean you’ll be doing a temporary job that offers no long-term investment. On the brighter side, the rewards once you achieve your goal are huge.

Competition

Although further education is needed, accounting is a popular choice. After all, it’s one of the few jobs that offers guaranteed longevity. Companies and individuals will always need financial advice. The opportunities are there, but then so is the competition.

In truth, the best advice anyone can give you is to understand the methods behind landing your dream job. Finding work as a graduate isn’t always easy. But even if you start at the bottom, you can take pride in knowing that you are working your way towards a brighter future. If you have the talent, you will reach your destination.

Fluctuating Workloads

If you work for a company’s internal accounting team, you’ll be guaranteed work throughout the year. If you take the route of starting an accounting business, you could encounter a severe fluctuation in the amount of jobs you receive.

Companies and self-employed people will leave you inundated with work when tax returns are due. This is great if you need the extra work, but rubbish if you like to go on vacation around this time of year. As long as you build a loyal customer base, work shouldn’t become too slow at any stage of the year. Nevertheless, whether you’re too busy or not busy enough, you will encounter bouts of frustration.

Flexibility

On one hand, all areas of accounting adhere to some fundamental principles. Then again, it is a sector that offers variety too. The fields of financial, management, auditing and taxes all offer slightly different challenges. As an accountant, switching between the various areas can prevent the boredom.

Perhaps more importantly, there’s flexibility to take your work anywhere. If, for whatever reason, you want to move location, you know that accountants are needed all over the world. Even if you never use it, knowing that this security it there is a massive plus. In truth, those same benefits were a key factor in my decision to become a writer.