College and Career Decisions: Money, Money, Money, Money

Are you graduating from high school, or are you a college student faced with career decisions? Choose a career option in a field that you will enjoy. Many people enjoy working with money. If you feel at home in the financial kingdom you should consider some of these careers recommended by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

If you like keeping track of money, consider a career in accounting. Accounting continues to be the one field growing at a rapid rate. Apparently, there are never enough bean counters. If you enjoy balancing your checkbook, keeping meticulous records, and dealing with taxes accounting is the field for you. Accounting records are vital to every business. Decision makers use them to determine how well their business is performing, and to make buying and selling decisions. Accountants need a bachelor's degree in accounting. Upon completion accounting majors take a test for certification. Accountants can expect to make between $39,000 and $88,000 a year.

Closely related to accounting is the job of an auditor. Auditors are usually senior accountants who have been promoted to auditing positions. Auditors make sure the company books are kept accurately. Auditors may supervise the accounting department, or they may work for a lender or insurance company and audit the books of company clients. This provides the company assurance that its clients are complying with all necessary policies and procedures, to keep risks down.

This is closely linked to the job of an actuary, who studies risks, to determine which course of action will best save money for their company. Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators all work together toward loss prevention. Financial managers, sales analysts, and underwriters all perform different duties, but also work toward the same goal. Their objective is to ensure the company's financial stability. Tax examiners and tax collectors do the same thing for the federal government.