Accountants are More Than Number Crunchers
             As in every business, everyone deals with numbers. From balancing a checkbook, as used in everyday life, to making financial reports, to marketing strategies, everyone uses some form of accounting. A common stereotype of the accounting world is that of a person who crunches numbers all day. However, there is much more to accounting than that. There are many types of accountants, covering a wide range of the business world. Thus, becoming an accountant opens a wide range of career and job opportunities.
             As in most jobs, a wide range of job options is present in the field of accounting. From the bookkeepers and accounting clerks, to the CPA and CMA's, there is an accounting job for everyone. One of the more commonly known accounting professions is the field of public accounting. A public accountant or CPA, does independent work based on fees or as a member of a large accounting firm. Some of the basic tasks of a public accountant include auditing reports and records, certifying financial statements, traveling, and/or formulating budget policies (Cosgrove 5). A private accountant performs similar tasks, only exclusively for one business. This business may be a sole proprietorship such as Mom and Pop's Hotel, or a corporation as large as McDonald's. A completely different field, governmental accounting, would be much more diverse. A governmental accountant may work for the FBI, and do internal auditing, certify legal papers and testify in court. They may also be involved with the law side of the government by catching businesses, which have cheated on their taxes etc. There are also accountants who prepare taxes. They are called Tax Accountants and they prepare income tax returns for individuals as well as businesses. They also review financial records such as, prior tax return forms, income statements, and documentation of expenditures, to determine forms ne...