Congratulations on earning your bachelor’s degree in accounting! This achievement has provided you with a solid educational foundation. However, there remains immense potential to elevate your career to new heights in today’s competitive job market. Consider taking the next steps to significantly amplify your expertise, credentials, network, job prospects, and salary.
Continue reading to equip yourself with insider steps that can help kickstart your professional success and maximize the return on your educational investment.
Pursuing a Rewarding Accounting Career
Follow these key steps to build a successful career in accounting:
Step 1: Earn a Master’s Degree in Accounting
One of the best ways to boost your career prospects after a bachelor’s in accounting is to pursue further education. An online master’s degree in accounting, such as an MBA or MS, can open doors to higher-level roles and increase earning potential.
Popular online accounting degree programs teach advanced financial reporting, taxation, auditing, and data analytics skills. Accounting programs also cover broader business topics, giving you a well-rounded skill set. An accounting master’s degree also checks an essential box for CPA licensure in most states.
Step 2: Obtain Professional Accounting Certification
Earning an accounting certification, either in tandem with a master’s degree or on its own, can make you more competitive in the job market. Popular options like the CPA, CMA, and CIA credentials carry significant weight with employers and expand your career opportunities.
The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, in particular, is considered the gold standard in the industry. CPAs have tax preparation, auditing, forensic accounting, and general accounting services expertise. Eligibility varies by state but generally requires 150 credit hours of education plus passing the Uniform CPA Exam.
Step 3: Complete an Accounting Internship
Gaining real-world experience through an internship or co-op placement lets you put academic concepts into practice. Completing one or more professional accounting internships as a student or graduate can better prepare you for entry-level roles.
Pursuing internships in different industries, company sizes, or accounting functions will expand your resume.
Step 4: Build Your Professional Network
Diversifying your professional network is crucial for career success in the accounting field. Consider joining accounting associations, attending local and national conferences, connecting with firms at career fairs, and contacting professors and alums from your college or online degree program.
Building relationships with experienced accounting professionals can open doors to job and internship opportunities, industry mentors, collaborations, speaking engagements, leadership roles in associations, and more. Make networking an ongoing priority throughout your career.
Further Your Expertise with an Online Master’s in Accounting
If you want to expand your accounting knowledge and take the next step in your career, an online master’s degree in accounting can be a turning point. Online accounting degree programs like the Master of Science (MS) in Accounting allow working professionals to upskill with the flexibility of online delivery.
An MS in Accounting sharpens quantitative and analytical abilities through high-level coursework emphasizing critical facets of corporate finance and public accounting. Various online master’s accounting degree curriculum explores financial reporting, business forecasting models, cost analysis, data mining, taxation strategies, auditing, forensic accounting, and fraud examination. This helps graduates qualify for lucrative management-track corporate staff accountants, senior tax accountants, internal audit managers, or controller roles.
Conclusion
Earning your bachelor’s degree in accounting is an excellent first step to joining this high-demand profession. Taking things up a notch by pursuing a master’s degree, certification, internships, and professional networking will help unlock your full career potential in corporate finance, public accounting, government, education, or other industries. Visit Edgewood College’s website to learn more about program specifics, admissions, upcoming start dates, and shaping the strategic direction of organizations through an MS in Accounting.
