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Alexis Shindledecker
Aughenbaugh
English 12
13 October 2014
Accountant
Ever since I was in kindergarten, I have been asked, What do you want to be when you
grow up? When I was this young, there were two things I wanted more than anything when I
got older. I wanted to be tall, says the 4 11 girl, and I wanted to be in the NFL. Of course this
was very unrealistic, and will never happen! Every year I was asked this question, and my
answers varied year to year. I said things like an actress, an author, I even once said a zoologist!
Then I got older, and I had my heart set on being a nurse. I loved watching those doctor shows
on TV; I just loved everything about it! I never once said I wanted to go into business. I said,
No, that is so boring! Then freshman year came along, and they messed up my schedule, so I
was forced to take Accounting I. It was then that I fell in love with it. I ended up taking all the
accounting and business courses offered here at DAHS. Now as a senior, I was asked one more
time, What do you want to be when you grow up? Now I can answer this question with
confidence. I am going to be an accountant.
Now that I have chosen what I will be doing with my life, I should know what I am
getting myself into. What exactly do accountants do? I know I used to think accountants just sat
behind a desk all day and drank coffee. Clearly I was totally wrong! According to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, accountants do multiple tasks every day. Mostly accountants study different
financial records to preform different tasks. They can help individuals with their taxes, help them
create a personalized financial plan, or they can even just help them become more organized and

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spend their money wisely. Accountants do not just have to strictly deal with individuals, they can
also help different organizations run more efficiently, and help them make different financial
decisions to increase profits and decrease the amount of money they are spending. Accountants
can also help solve different crimes that could occur, such as embezzlement and fraud. They also
have to deal with other peoples financial issues; they can also run their own business! Now that
I know what accountants do, I cannot help but wonder what the work environment is like. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics also gave me the information I was looking for. Accountants do not
just sit behind a desk all day; they also travel to different locations, such as individuals homes,
or the organizations they are helping. They can also work in offices, or even from the comfort of
their own homes! Accountants normally work a forty hour week, but of course during tax season
or at the end of the year they will be putting in a few more hours than normal. As you can tell
just by the different tasks that accountants do, it is a very fast-paced work environment, and
because they are so focused, it is hard to work as a team, so as a result they often work alone.
When considering what degree you want to earn in college, you must consider the skills
and abilities you must have to be able to succeed when looking for a job. As I mentioned before,
I have taken different accounting and business courses before, so I already have an idea of what I
will be dealing with on a regular basis. Some other abilities I will have to have are analytical,
communication, math, and organizational skills (Accounts and Auditors). I must have
analytical skills because they must determine which transaction is documented and where. I have
experience with this, because I did a couple of simulations while taking Accounting III.
Communication skills are also required for this job. I must be able to listen to my clients or
managers to ensure you are doing exactly what they want you to do. Clearly having math skills
are very important as well, because you will be adding and balancing multiple statements. I am

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taking Honors Calculus this year, so I am pretty sure this will be no problem for me. Also when
dealing with these statements, I must be very detailed oriented. Messing up just one number can
throw the whole thing off. I could potentially deal with multiple clients, so organizational skills
are crucial so you do not mix up anyones papers.
Now that I understand what all accountants do, how exactly do I become one? Clearly
taking businesses classes in high school is a wise decision, but where do I go after this? Again,
the Bureau of Labor Statistics had my back. To become an accountant, you are required to earn a
bachelors degree in Accounting. Although this is the general rule of thumb, some employers
prefer you have a masters degree. I also must become a CPA (certified public accountant). We
will get into that later, but for now lets just focus on the actual college part. One thing that is
different from a normal bachelors degree is you must complete 150 hours of coursework, 30
more hours than a normal bachelors degree. Where could I go that will help me achieve this
necessity? There are a couple of schools that can help me! Clarion University is one of those
schools. They offer a four year program, and their prices are not that bad. I went on their website,
and their tuition for four years would be about $19,600, and their room and board would be
about $20,000. That is not that awful! Another college is Slippery Rock University. I visited
Slippery Rock this past summer and fell in love with it! I actually applied and I am already
accepted and enrolled! They also offer a four year program, but their prices are a bit better than
Clarions. According to their website, their tuition for four years is roughly $18,400, and room
and board are about $12,000. Not bad at all! My total cost for four years would be about
$30,400! Of course this is without scholarships, but if I had to pay full price, I would probably
have to take out about $20,000 in student loans. I found a loan calculator online, and with 6.8%
interest, my monthly rate would be $230.16 for 10 years. That really is not bad!

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Even though I took the time to earn my degree, I have to spent more time and money
continuing my education. Like I mentioned before, it is almost required to become a Certified
Public Accountant (CPA). To become a CPA, you must take a four part exam, and you must pass
all four parts within an eighteen-month time period. Most states also require that you continue
your education by taking different classes so you can keep your license (Accountants and
Auditors). There are also different types of certifications you can get, but are not necessary. I
could get my CMA (Certified Management Accountant), CIA (Certified Internal Auditor), CISA
(Certified Information Systems Auditor), ABV (Accredited in Business Valuation), CITP
(Certified Information Technology Professional), or even a PFS (Personal Financial Specialist). I
am not going to get into the details, because again, these are not very important, but still
available to me.
At last, I finally finish my education, but what do I get in return? The average entry
wages for accountants is about $25.23/hour, or $48,330/year (Earnings). This is a pretty good
entry wage! After you have been working for a while, I could earn about $63,000/year. Then
after I have been experienced, I could earn about $84,190/year! These are very good wages, and
it will definitely be worth it! That is, IF I find a job. The demands for accountants are growing at
a slightly higher rate than average (Accountants and Auditors). The average growth is 11%,
and the demands for accountants are about 13%. The need for accountants are growing because
there are more and more corporate scandals, but more commonly, there are more and more
financial crises.
In the end, becoming an accountant will take time and work, but it will be totally worth
it! I know that in the past I was against becoming a part of the business world, but I know for a
fact this is where I belong. I took the accounting and business classes, and loved it, and I just

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know there was a reason they messed up my schedule freshmen year. I may never be that tall,
NFL player like I wanted to be when I was little, or that nurse I always thought I wanted to be,
but I know that I will be happy with accounting. I have the skills that are vital to do this job, and
I also understand everything I am getting myself into. So as they ask me one more time, What
do you want to be when you grow up? I can proudly say that I, Alexis Shindledecker, am going
to be an accountant.

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Work Cited Page
Earnings. Career Cruising. Anaca Technologies Ltd., 2012. Web. 8 Oct. 2014.
<https://www2.careercruising.com/careers/earnings/458>.
Accountants and Auditors. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 2014. Web.
8 Oct. 2014. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-andauditors.htm>.
Tuition and Fees Schedule. Slippery Rock University. Slippery Rock University of
Pennsylvania, 2014. Web. 8 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.sru.edu/financeandadministrativeaffairs/studentaccounts/tuition/Pages/under
gradtuition.aspx>.
Tuition and Fees. Clarion University. Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 2014. Web. 8 Oct.
2014. <http://www.clarion.edu/tuition-and-financial-aid/tuition-and-fees/>.
Kantrowitz, Mark. Loan Calculator. FinAid. FinAid Page, LLC., 2014. Web. 8 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.finaid.org/calculators/scripts/loanspayents.cgi>.