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How To Move Into Accounting From Another Job

17th Mar 2018
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Accounting remains one of the most exciting fields for new professionals to join, largely thanks to the rapidly forthcoming technologies that are set to upstage the industry and open a new field of opportunity for the next generation of workers. Moving into the accounting industry is easier said than done, however, and for you to make a successful transition into your new career field, you’ll need to rely on expert tips and know what common missteps to avoid.

Here’s everything you need to know about becoming the next top accountant, and what you should start doing to prepare yourself if you’re sick and tired of your current profession.

Starting your new career off on the right foot

To successfully transition into accounting from another profession, you’ll need a certain set of skills, not to mention a level of dedication that ensures you can compete with other aspiring accountants as the industry is being revolutionized by disruptive technologies. Before you even begin considering quitting your current job to pursue a career in accounting, you should ask yourself what your motivations are; for instance, if you’re motivated primarily by financial concerns, you should understand that while accountants can make quite a nice living for themselves, they need more than a drive that pushes them to create wealth to succeed in their industry. To make it as an accountant, you need to enjoy analytical work, understand a slew of emerging technologies, and above all else, be a people person who’s capable of dealing with clients who won’t always be easy to handle.

The hurdles standing in your way shouldn’t be discouraging you, but rather should serve as a foreshadowing of what’s the come if you’re to make it in this lucrative albeit competitive industry. Becoming an accountant demands that you attain some serious qualifications, meaning you need to carefully review what specific skills you’ll need, as well as what courses you must pass. If you still feel up to the challenge after realizing what qualifications you’ll need to pursue, you can get down to the actual nitty gritty work of preparing yourself for a new and exciting career.

After you’ve decided which qualifications you’ll be pursuing, and decided what your analytical strong points (and weaknesses) are, you should start considering your employment options. Do you have dreams of working for one of the Big Four one day? Perhaps instead of becoming a practicing member of one of those firms, you’d rather go into private industry and work for whatever company you can market yourself to. This is no small decision; while you can always adjust your course, where you initially aim to be employed after gaining your credentials will decide quite a bit about how your accounting career plays out.

To ensure you don’t switch careers only to stumble and fall thanks to disruptive technologies that are reshaping the accounting industry, you’ll also need to beef up on the facts surrounding the most recent innovations, and how they’re shaping the accountants of the future. Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can become well-versed with exciting technologies like big data analytics and machine learning, which will prove indispensable to your career down the line if you master them now.

Understanding the accounting industry of the future

Tomorrow’s accounting firms won’t look anything like those that are currently flourishing in the market; revolutions in machine learning have automated many processes that were once handled by new accountants, and the rise of big data has upended accounting perhaps more than any other industry. You don’t have to be a tech guru to understand the basic principles of these technologies, nor do you have to get a computer science degree to attain the necessary skills to manipulate emerging software technology to benefit your own career. Simply start reading up on the basics behind formative technologies that will shape accounting’s future and help you set up a company in the USA, like artificial intelligence, and you’ll have the basics covered by the time you attain your qualifications.

Not all of the advice you need to heed is specific to accountants, either; changing your career is no small feat, meaning you should review ways to cope with sudden career changes to cover all your bases and ensure you’re not making simple mistakes that others in your place have suffered from before. Above all else, try not to panic, and understand that you’ll need a cool head to succeed as an accountant. Your new career has many exciting opportunities in store for you, but you’ll only be able to realize them with strong analytical skills and a commitment to doing the homework you’ll need to finish before you can make it in the big leagues. Get started studying up on the future of the accounting industry now, and before you know it you’ll be certified and working your way to the top of the accounting food chain.

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