Jobs in accounting

What can you do with an accounting degree?

Business School Professional Accounting postgraduate students walking in an office

What can you do with an accounting degree?

Do you have a flair for numbers and interest in business? With a career in accounting, you can channel your skills to help people achieve their financial goals, and support businesses to grow. Accounting careers and jobs in accounting offer endless opportunities.

Skills in accounting are in-demand, and will set you up to thrive in a fast-changing world – this is why the National Skills Commission has predicted strong future growth in jobs for accountants. Let’s take a look at what you can do with an accounting degree.

Why study accounting?

Studying accounting is more than just numbers, bookkeeping and budgeting – it’s the art and science of creating business insights. You can then help businesses use those insights to create sustainable value. When you study accounting, you’ll learn to:

Measure, estimate, and report business value
Tell stories by interpreting and communicating business outcomes, prospects, and challenges
Advise on complex business, taxation, and regulatory matters
Co-create strategies for future success
Enhance the reliability of business information
Leverage financial and analytical technology to improve business insights
Work with a professional conscience and integrity.

The skills you gain through an accounting degree set you up for a versatile and successful career. You’ll learn a unique mix of technical, analytical, advisory, communication and leadership skills. These skills are valued across, different businesses, government, not-for-profit organisations, and in a wide range of sectors. They are skills that will set you up to be future-focused and aligned with developments in technology and industry.

Careers in accounting

When you study accounting, your skills will be in demand in, tax jobs, auditor jobs and finance jobs, as well as exciting careers in business and innovation. Whatever your path, you’ll be supporting others to create sustainable financial value and achieve their goals. Here are just a few of the jobs you’ll be prepared for if you study accounting.

One of the great things about being an accountant is that you can specialise in a number of areas. Depending on whether you’re interested in how businesses operate, resolving financial problems, improving performance and productivity, or other financial and business activities, here are some of the roles you’ll be set up for.
Help businesses and individuals record and analyse financial information, and to prepare financial documentation such as tax returns.

Investigate the finances of a business or individual to establish facts and collect evidence, especially in situations of dispute or where a crime may have occurred.

Analyse financial and other information to help a business manage risk and make key business decisions.

Like the name suggests, tax accounting focuses on accounting work related to tax. Think quarterly reporting and annual tax returns for business and individuals.

Many accountants choose to become a licensed CPA as a mark of high professional competence. It indicates a soundness in depth, breadth and quality of accountancy knowledge.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Senior Financial Accountant

Accounting Manager

Graduate Accountant

Bookkeeper

Accounts Officer

Accounts Receivable Officer

Accounts Payable Officer
Careers in auditing are popular among accounting graduates. What does an auditor do? They inspect financial records and documents to ensure they’re accurate and that a business or individual is complying with the law.
With a unique set of skills including technical financial expertise, adaptive thinking, leadership, and communication, qualified accountants can easily transition into other financial management, general managerial, financial planning, financial services, business services and business advisory roles. Specific roles include:

Business Analyst

Corporate Recovery Specialist

Financial Analyst

Chief Financial Controller (CFO)

Finance Manager

Management Consultant

Tax Specialist

Do you want to become a certified professional accountant?

UNSW Business School's redesigned postgraduate degree, the Master of Professional Accounting (Extension) offers a CPA specialisation that will prepare and support you to sit the CPA exams. The degree will assist you to acquire this important accreditation as well as all of the knowledge you'll need for a successful career in accounting.

Professional accreditation

It’s important to note that to work as an accountant you’ll need professional accreditation. UNSW offers a fast-tracked, industry aligned path to professional accounting accreditation and is recognised as an approved tertiary institution for the purpose of membership qualifications with the following professional organisations:

This means that when you study an accounting degree at UNSW, you will have covered the competency areas required for accreditation and membership with these organisations. Depending on which accounting program you study, you may still need to sit exams with the institute or organisation. Once you pass their exams and gain your accreditation, you can work as a professional accountant.