Career Preparation 1 PDF

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Career Preparation...

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Student Name ACC–250 Date Teacher’s name Career Preparation Essay Accounting was not among the majors I considered pursuing when I graduated high school some thirteen years ago. Some of the things I considered when choosing a degree program were career outlook, earning potential and my love for the profession. My experiences have made me settle with accounting, but there are more career paths in accounting than I thought. I consider factors such as earning potential, career outlook and my ability to use my education to better my finances standing to determine what career path I choose to pursue in accounting. For years, I have been revolving around physical science majors such as Mathematics, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering. All these fields covered most of my requirements, but once I started each of these programs, I realized that the concepts were easy to grasp but I did not enjoy doing the things people in these fields typically do. My experience in the military has been an asset for me as I was exposed to the financial world with no college education and I already work in the accounting department of a military organization while working towards my accounting degree. My decision to major in accounting took years, but I am glad I made the choice. Having a job in accounting without any accounting-specific education and the positive experience I have at my current job played a significant role in my decision to pursue a career in accounting. I always thought that I needed an accounting degree to enter the accounting field, but

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I realize that any business management degree can lead to a career in accounting. I think that a well-rounded accountant should be able to handle any accounting position, so a degree in accounting is necessary to excel. Accounting is like a whole new language, and upon completing the first introductory accounting class, the terminology and calculations give students negative perceptions of accounting. Furthermore, I found out that most of these perceptions are caused by students’ grades in the first accounting classes, credit hour requirements for an accounting degree, and perceptions of having to write a certification examination to perform most accounting duties (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). The accounting career choices I can pursue are budget analyst, accountant (including Certified Public Accountant and Certified Managerial Accountant), and financial analyst. There are several career options for someone with a degree in accounting, but budget analyst, accountant and financial analyst caught my attention when I considered what I need to be successful in these careers. The three main things I consider when making a career choice can only be made possible if I pursue a career as a financial analyst. I want to have a career in accounting but also want to be able to use the skills acquired in my accounting training to run a successful business. Being a financial analyst is the most appealing accounting career for me because it can satisfy my career and personal investment aspirations than any other accounting career. However, all three careers considered (accounting, budget analyst and a financial analyst) have a lot in common ("Accountancy, BS | Degree Details | ASU Degree Search", 2020). Earning potential (annual median salary ranging from $70,500 for an accountant to $85,600 for a financial analyst) and growth 4 % to 6% for all three careers ("All Bright Outlook Occupations", 2020), as seen on the Occupational Information Network website (Onetonline.org, 2020), show that these careers have a bright outlook and therefore worth pursuing.

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There is no specialization at the undergraduate level of accounting, but the career that would serve me the most based on my career and personal aspirations would be a financial analyst. I always knew that being able to employ mathematical reasoning to solve accounting problems was important for success in an accounting career. But being able to better understand and make informed investment decisions makes me love accounting more that I could ever imagine. A career as a financial analyst is the sole accounting career, in addition to the general knowledge about other accounting majors learned by completing the required coursework to get an undergraduate degree in accounting, would give me the knowledge needed to excel as a professional and as a business-oriented individual.

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References Accountancy, BS | Degree Details | ASU Degree Search. Webapp4.asu.edu. (2020). Retrieved 7 March 2020, from https://webapp4.asu.edu/programs/t5/majorinfo/ASU00/BAACCBS/undergrad/false. National Center for O*NET Development. All Bright Outlook Occupations. O*NET OnLine. Retrieved March 7, 2020, from https://www.onetonline.org/find/bright?b=0&g=Go Schoenfeld, J., Segal, G., & Borgia, D. (2017). Social cognitive career theory and the goal of becoming a certified public accountant. Accounting Education, 26(2), 109–126. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/09639284.2016.1274909 In your chosen discipline, there are likely to be a lot of different career opportunities. For this assignment, research three different types of career opportunities in your discipline (e.g., accounting, finance, economics). Using the materials you develop, write an essay of 500-750 words that compares and contrasts three different types of jobs within your chosen discipline. The paper must address the following areas: 1. Discuss which career opportunities in your discipline appeals to you most based on your research. 2.

Explain what you learned from this research.

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Discuss how this information will influence your studies and future career.

The paper may be written in the first person and must be grammatically correct. You must cite at least two external sources. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance....