I am going to school to become an accountant?

Question

I herd that the rules are changing soon in regard to takiung the cpa in New York any info?
Which web sites would help me get a better picture of what the carrer is all about and what its upts and douwns are

Answer 1

Here's the link for the NY State Society of Certified Public Accountants. They will no doubt have the lowdown on any changes in the rules: http://www.nysscpa.org/

For more information about CPA as a career, see the information in the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook - here's what they have to say about the job:

Nature of the Work [About this section] Back to Top

Accountants and auditors help to ensure that the Nation’s firms are run efficiently, its public records kept accurately, and its taxes paid properly and on time. They perform these vital functions by offering an increasingly wide array of business and accounting services, including public, management, and government accounting, as well as internal auditing, to their clients. Beyond carrying out the fundamental tasks of the occupation—preparing, analyzing, and verifying financial documents in order to provide information to clients—many accountants now are required to possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. Accountants and auditors are broadening the services they offer to include budget analysis, financial and investment planning, information technology consulting, and limited legal services.

Specific job duties vary widely among the four major fields of accounting: public, management, and government accounting and internal auditing.

Public accountants perform a broad range of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting activities for their clients, which may be corporations, governments, nonprofit organizations, or individuals. For example, some public accountants concentrate on tax matters, such as advising companies about the tax advantages and disadvantages of certain business decisions and preparing individual income tax returns. Others offer advice in areas such as compensation or employee health care benefits, the design of accounting and data-processing systems, and the selection of controls to safeguard assets. Still others audit clients’ financial statements and inform investors and authorities that the statements have been correctly prepared and reported. Public accountants, many of whom are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs), generally have their own businesses or work for public accounting firms.

Most accountants and auditors work in a typical office setting. Self-employed accountants may be able to do part of their work at home. Accountants and auditors employed by public accounting firms and government agencies may travel frequently to perform audits at branches of their firm, clients’ places of business, or government facilities.

Most accountants and auditors generally work a standard 40-hour week, but many work longer hours, particularly if they are self-employed and have numerous clients. Tax specialists often work long hours during the tax season.

The whole article is very long and detailed, but it also has much relevant information and several links of interest, so I recommend that you read it - see it here: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos001.htm

Good luck!