Accountant
What is it like to be an Accountant?
Accountants apply their specialist accounting knowledge to analyse, interpret, audit, prepare reports and provide advice on a person’s or organisation’s financial information. Accounting disciplines are vast and can range from financial and corporate accounting, taxation law, corporate planning, government, management accounting and taxation.
Accountants work in a variety of settings including chartered accounting firms, large multinational organisations, private businesses, universities, government organisations (tax department, audit officer, treasury, local government), financial planning companies, investment companies and financial institutions (banks and building societies).
For more information about a career as an Accountant, visit the Job Outlook website.
This data shows historical and projected employment levels (thousands) for this occupation. Data should be used as a guide only. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey.
This data shows median weekly cash earnings for the occupation, before tax and not including superannuation. These figures are indicative and cannot be used to determine a particular wage rate. Data should be used as a guide only. Source: Based on ABS Characteristics of Employment survey, August 2015, Cat. No. 6333.0, Customised Report.
Is it right for me?
The success of an Accountant is heavily dependent on their passion for mathematics, as well as interest in analysing and solving problems. You will have great organisational skills and be very discrete when dealing with confidential information.
Other key skills and attributes include:
- good communication skills
- good presentation skills
- able to build rapport with clients
- professional and ethical
- able to work as part of a team.
To become an Accountant
To be able to become an Accountant, your study options will change based on your previous study experience or your preferred study pathway:
USQ Recommends
You may be able to put the credit you earned from your TAFE (BET) studies towards your degree. This may shorten the length of time you'll take to complete your degree. Take a look at our Credit Calculator to see.
USQ Recommends
If you are already a graduate in accounting from an overseas university, we recommend that you obtain a qualification assessment from CPA Australia before applying to us. It is possible that you may be required to complete fewer courses to achieve associate membership. These can be studied through a Graduate Certificate in Business. If you are an overseas candidate seeking membership of your home country accounting body, full members of CPA Australia and/or ICAA are usually offered reciprocal membership. This is a fast-track to becoming a qualified accountant in your home country.
Professional Accreditation
Graduates of the Bachelor of Business and Commerce (Accounting) or Master of Professional Accounting will meet the educational entrance requirements of both the CPA Australia and Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, as long as a certain list of subjects are studied.
This provides Associate membership of CPA Australia, eligibility to study the CPA Australia professional exams and eligibility to study the CAANZ professional exams.
Successful completion of the Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) or Master of Professional Accounting can qualify students for exemptions from the Fundamental level (9 papers) of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) exams. For further details please refer to the ACCA website.
Accounting major students who complete a Finance minor will meet the educational entrance requirements of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia).
