Public Accountant

Accounting and finance are at the epicentre of significant developments owing to the privatisation and globalisation of various economies. Public Accountants are masters of the language of business and provide diverse services to protect the public interest. They audit companies such as local businesses or Fortune 500 companies to ensure business decisions that would accelerate growth and even help individuals plan their financial futures.

• Collect, organise, update and track financial information (both physical and digital) for individuals and organisations
• Keep this information confidential unless financial reports regarding revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities are to be prepared for internal use by staff and to meet Government requirements, shareholders and other appropriate entities
• Prepare tax returns to minimise tax liabilities and ensure that income is reported according to the IRS code; liaise with tax accountants to track tax payments and returns; advise clients or management at their firm regarding strategies to limit future tax burden
• Perform regular, detailed audits to ensure accuracy in financial documents, expenditures and investments; oversee ledger reconciliation and manage accounts payable/receivable
• Conduct audits to determine if client organisations or their own employer is following established legal practices and company policies for financial transactions; review and interpret the financial information in the company's records
• Prepare reports with their findings to recommend remedies that will resolve problems and reduce the risk of lawsuits and financial losses due to staff errors or criminal activity
• Forecast revenue and analyse profit margins by frequently monitoring bookkeeping activities; take part in the budgeting processes and brief senior managers on the company's financial status at the time of creating the budget
• Stay informed of changing trends in the industry, in the field of finance and the economy as a whole

Most Public Accountants typically work in an office setting in Government chambers, large firms and corporations and with local businesses. They live close to their work location and may sometimes need to travel to report and account financial activities precisely.

Any academic program that a potential Public Accountant takes up typically requires a period of supervised experience, such as an internship. You may contact accountancy firms and local government agencies to ask about opportunities to gain relevant pre‑entry work experience, such as vacation work, work placements or shadowing other intermediary and senior accounting executives.

As in any career, reading as much as possible about the profession and interviewing those working in Public Accountancy are other important ways to explore your interest.

You must possess a bachelor's degree to be eligible to become a Public Accountant. If you have completed an associate degree, consider applying for a bachelor's program to boost your credentials.

Prospective Public Accountants must have taken some college preparatory courses at high school, such as economics, intermediary and advanced mathematics, business mathematics and so on. To obtain the required body of knowledge and to develop the skills and abilities needed to be successful Public Accountants,
students should complete 150 semester hours of education
, which is 30 hours beyond a conventional undergraduate education.

You may fulfil the 150‑hour requirement in any of three ways, the preferred subjects being accounting, commerce, finance and markets, mathematics and economics. First, you may combine an undergraduate accounting degree with a master's degree at the same school or a different one. The second route is to combine an undergraduate degree in some other discipline with a master's in accounting or an MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree with a concentration in accounting.

The third option would be to enrol in an integrated five‑year professional accounting school or program leading to a master's degree in accounting.

Pursuing an MBA (Master of Business Administration) or master's programs in accounting or…