Accountants occupy essential roles across multiple industries, as businesses work to comply with new regulations and adapt to changing system implementation. Talent, however, is often in short supply, causing firms to improve their pay, benefits and additional perks to win over top candidates.
With a high salary potential and employment opportunities in the public and private sectors, an accounting career path is a worthwhile option to consider. As digital transformation enables the automation of routine tasks like data entry, accountants increasingly focus on strategic work, navigating data analytics, cloud-based systems, and emerging tools and technologies. A growing number of firms place a premium on soft skills, which include business acumen, problem-solving, critical thinking and communication.
Developing this combination of technical, strategic and soft skills is critical to success in an accounting career. Advancing one’s education is also necessary for certification and advancement into certain roles. Accountants can develop this unique skillset, gain cutting-edge industry expertise and earn the respected credential needed for advancement with the online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Accounting program from Florida Institute of Technology.
Accounting Career Paths by Industry
One important distinction in selecting a career path is determining whether to work for a single company in a specific industry, or a company that supports others with accounting services. Both the public accounting career path and the private accounting career path offer plenty of options; aspiring accountants simply need to understand how the career paths differ and which is the right fit for their individual strengths and goals.
Public Accounting
Public accountants typically work for accounting firms, providing a variety of services ranging from auditing, tax, and forensic accounting, as well as advisory and consulting services. The Big Four public accounting firms — Deloitte, Ernst and Young, KPMG and PwC — often attract top talent.
Public accounting jobs entail a variety of tasks, longer work hours, and can also include travel. A dynamic environment requires public accounts to be quick to learn and adapt.
The entry-level role in public accounting is a general accountant, followed by a senior accountant before moving up into leadership positions. A top job in public accounting is the elite partner role.
Private Accounting
Private accounting is typically more routine, both in terms of tasks and hours. Private, or corporate, accountants typically travel less and focus more on helping their company comply with new regulations, as well as overseeing system implementation.
Job titles can include accountant, senior accountant, analyst, tax manager, tax director or auditor. Top jobs in private accounting can include chief accounting officer (CAO) or chief financial officer (CFO).
Forensic Accounting
Forensic accountants blend their accounting background with investigative skills to support litigation or crime investigations in an accounting context, typically helping to investigate crimes like embezzlement or fraud. Forensic accountants can work in several industries: In public accounting as part of a forensic accounting division, in consulting as part of a risk management consulting team, or for other organizations including law firms, law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, government organizations, or financial institutions. Generally, the job title in the forensic accounting career path is auditor.
Government Accounting
Government accountants ensure individuals and corporations are compliant with taxes, disclosing as required and releasing accurate financial statements. Typically, government accountants start as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Financial Accounting
Financial accountants work for one organization or business creating financial reports for external stakeholders, including creditors, taxing agencies and stockholders. These reports, which assess fiscal performance, can include balance sheets, profit and loss statements, and cash flow statements.
Management or Managerial Accounting
Like financial accountants, managerial accountants also prepare reports that assess fiscal performance. However, managerial accountants focus on internal stakeholders, creating reports to help business leaders plan, budget and drive higher performance.
Tax Accounting
A tax accountant specializes in tax-related accounting, which includes preparing quarterly or annual tax returns for businesses or individuals at the local, state and federal level. The tax manager is the highest position in this path, which generally begins with tax accountant.
Internal Auditing
Generally employed in large organizations, an internal auditor helps to ensure the company is compliant with any state or federal requirements, funds are being managed responsibly and honestly, and resources are used effectively. This can also include auditing the organization’s transactions. Internal auditing careers generally begin with an internal auditor position and advance to managerial roles.
Career Stages and Levels of Accounting Positions
Entry-level Accounting Careers
Generally, an accounting career begins with the following roles:
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- Cost accountant
- Junior internal auditor
- Junior staff accountant
- Payroll administrator
- Audit associate
- Accounting trainee
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Mid-level Accounting Careers
Mid-level accounting careers typically entail some leadership responsibility, such as being a supervisor or manager. Other job titles include:
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- Budget director
- Financial data analyst
- Controller
- Treasurer
- Income tax accountant
- Internal auditor
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Senior-level Accounting Careers
Many top executives in C-suite roles have experience in accounting, financial or internal auditing. Senior-level accounting careers in the public accounting sector can include partner, and on the private accounting side, job titles include:
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- VP of Finance
- Chief Financial Officer
- Chief Cost Accountant
- Chief risk officer
- Certified Public Accountant
- Director of Accounting Operations
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Accounting Education Requirements
Accountants and auditors must typically hold at least a bachelor’s degree, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Some employers prefer to hire accountants with a master’s degree, and some prefer specific certifications. Certifications, in turn, often require advanced education beyond a bachelor’s degree.
Given this, aspiring accountants may be able to get entry-level jobs with an associate degree, and entry- to mid-level positions with a bachelor’s. Moving further up the accounting career ladder usually means expanding one’s education and certifications.
A master’s degree in accounting prepares professionals for highly technical roles, whereas a program like Florida Tech’s online MBA in Accounting blends the study of advanced accounting principles and practices with core coursework on strategic business management fundamentals across a range of business processes.
While earning an MBA in accounting, students hone their understanding of real-world business scenarios, refining how to apply key business concepts and use specialized skills as they design a fully integrated business plan. Students must also be able to conduct cost allocation, understand absorption cost systems, and use decision and control models.
An MBA in accounting provides a springboard for additional professional certifications, including the CPA exam. The MBA also provides the broad strategic management and organizational behavior expertise that professionals need to excel in upper-management and executive leadership roles. With an MBA in accounting, professionals are equipped for mid- to senior-level positions, including senior budget analyst, director of accounting operations, certified public accountant and chief accounting officer.
Career-advancing Accounting Certifications
In many cases, earning an accounting certification can boost job prospects and provide candidates with a competitive edge. In some cases, these are mandatory. For example, any accountant who files a report with the Securities and Exchange Commission by law must be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
In order to become a CPA, professionals must pass a national exam and meet other state-specific requirements, which almost always require candidates to have 150 semester hours of college coursework completed. While a master’s degree isn’t required, the hours requirement is 30 hours beyond a typical 4-year degree. A specialized master’s degree may conveniently satisfy this requirement.
Even professionals who aren’t legally obligated to become CPAs will elect to do so to help win clients or improve job prospects. In some cases, employers will pay for the costs associated with the exam.
The CPA is the industry standard for many areas of accounting. Yet unique accounting specializations have their own targeted, in-depth certifications, as well as their own education and experience requirements. Other certification examples include the following:
- Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
- Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA)
Accounting Salary
The median annual salary for accountants and auditors was $81,680 in 2024, according to BLS data. The top 10% of earners made more than $141,420 per year. Other accounting-related median salaries according to the 2025 Robert Half salary guide include the following:
- Forensic accountant: $105,500
- Property accountant: $78,250
- Corporate controller: $184,250
- Director of accounting: $164,250
- CFO – corporate accounting: $268,250
Is an Accounting Career Path the Right Choice?
Accounting provides a diversity of potential career specializations for those with the drive, technical proficiency, strategic thinking, expertise and skills to excel. Earning an online MBA in Accounting from Florida Tech offers advanced skill and technical proficiency development as well as the education and knowledge needed to gain industry certifications and work in managerial and leadership roles. For those who love translating numbers and analysis into insight, strategy and solutions, an accounting career — boosted with a specialized MBA — can be an excellent fit.
Learn more about Florida Tech’s online MBA in Accounting program.
