4 Reasons To Consider A Career In Accounting & Finance
Careers in accounting & finance are hardly seen as the most glamorous things on the planet. Often, you think about some nerdy guy in a sweaty office, pouring over countless receipts and documents.
While there’s no doubt in my mind that this is sometimes the case, careers in this sector should not be shunned. In fact, they should be something that you genuinely consider.
Why?
Here are some big reasons to think about a career in accounting & finance:
You open a window of possibilities
It’s always good to go down a career path that opens many doors for you. When you choose a career in accounting & finance, you do just that. It’s one of those careers where you can pretty much guarantee yourself a job of sorts.
How?
Well, you have countless businesses that are looking for people to do their finances. Business owners need people to manage accounts, deal with bookkeeping, help with taxes, and so on. Therefore, you have loads of opportunities down this particular route.
At the same time, you have even more opportunities to work as a freelancer. You can start your own business and offer accounting & finance services for anyone that needs them. Here, you can cater to the general public and businesses. You double your client pool, meaning you could make a lot of money.
Of course, you could also work for banks and other financial institutions. Depending on the qualifications you get, you might be able to work at your local bank as a financial advisor. My point is, you have loads of possibilities to find jobs or make money on your own!
You develop highly useful skills
Another reason this career is worth your attention is that it helps you develop some skills that are very useful and highly transferable. Some of the key skills you need to have a career in accounting and finance include:
- Numeracy
- Data analysis
- Critical thinking
- Communication
- Business knowledge
- Attention to detail
- Time management
Already, these skills are clearly very useful in a range of other jobs and careers. Not only that, but you should develop a range of technical skills using accounting software. Many accountants or financial professionals have to be adept at using things like Xero, Excel, and Quickbooks. Developing an understanding of these software applications is vital to your role. You even learn how to do things like import data from Xero to Excel for better analysis. It’s all crucial for someone in this career, but you can transfer these skills elsewhere.
It enables you to pursue other career opportunities later down the line. For instance, you could start your own business. This business could have absolutely nothing to do with accounting or finance; it can be something simple, like a small cafe or an eCommerce company. Thanks to the skills you developed in your career, you’re well-equipped to run a company on your own. You know how to handle the financial side of things, which is a massive part of running a business.
Basically, this career path is super impressive because you gain skills that can be used to go down other career paths with ease. Some careers box you into a sector with skills that aren’t transferrable. This is definitely not one of those!
You learn things to help with your personal life
It’s always useful to have a career that benefits your personal life. Right away, accounting & finance jobs are pretty well paid. So, you’re helping yourself financially by pursuing this career path!
However, that’s not what I’m talking about here. More specifically, jobs in this field will benefit you because you learn things that you can use to your advantage. For example, you learn how to be more financially stable and competent. Part of your job will involve learning how to save money or cut down on expenses. As such, you take this knowledge and apply it to your own life, helping yourself save more money week after week.
Moreover, you use the knowledge you gain of the financial market to understand things like investing. People in accounting & finance have a better knowledge of investments and how to make money from them. You can easily spot when something is a good financial decision or not.
That last line is a great way of summing this point up. Having a career in this field will mean you make better financial decisions. Over the course of your life, this can help you in immeasurable ways.
You have a futureproof career
Accounting & Finance jobs are always going to exist. The roles you perform – and the ways in which you perform them – might change, but the jobs always stick around. This is very much an example of a futureproof career.
Why? Because money will always exist. Businesses will always need to manage their books, people will always need help saving money, and taxes will constantly be a thing; there’s no escaping the world of finance. There will always be businesses and individuals that rely on others to help them with their finances.
There’s nothing worse than choosing a career without a bright future. You constantly wake up and wonder if this will be your last week or month in your job. At what point will your role become redundant? In the field of accounting & finance, this is never an issue. You can feel confident that you’re choosing a career with a bright future on the horizon.
As briefly mentioned earlier, another great reason to consider a career in this field is the salary you’ll get. According to data from salaryexplorer, the average yearly salary of someone in accounting & finance is $97,600. That’s pretty crazy, so you can feel fairly comfortable on a financial front – which is always good in an age where the cost of living continues to rise.
In summary, it’s clear that working in this sector can be beneficial for many. While it might not feel like a glamorous or exciting career, it definitely brings some advantages to your life. Instead of turning your nose up at the idea, maybe this is something you finally start considering.
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