I was about to complete my last year of college as an English/Teaching major when I decided to change to Accounting. After a semester of student-teaching, I realized teaching wasn’t the right career for me. In 2017, I researched different career fields and found accounting, which had beat out engineering and nursing as one of the fastest growing career fields. The more I researched and considered accounting, the more it seemed that an accounting job was the right fit for me.

Accounting is a challenging subject. As my college advisor told me: “It is going to be really hard, but it will be worth it.” Although I have yet to graduate, I can tell this is true. The experience I have had so far with those involved in accounting—classmates, teachers, and the employees of Ketel Thorstenson, LLP—have proven to be hard-working, passionate, and friendly people.

Christopher Wardell, CPA and accounting instructor at Black Hills State University, sees two changes emerging in the accounting industry: accelerating globalization and continued technological breakthrough. According to Wardell, “With those trends in mind, the most significant way that the accounting industry is changing is the increased expectations that are being placed on us to help businesses manage the challenges they are facing in a quickly changing world.”  Luckily, colleges are taking these changes into account for the accounting curriculum. “As faculty members, we understand that our accounting graduates need to possess more than just knowledge of the accounting and tax rules in order to succeed in today’s changing accounting industry. We approach this on one hand by incorporating activities into our classes that focus on the value-added assignments that our students will likely take on in practice, focusing on areas such as research and writing skills.”

In addition to the typical careers people associate with accounting — bookkeeping, tax accounting, etc. — there are many other careers out there that are directly related to an accounting degree. You can be an auditor, a consultant, or an advisor. You can also be a forensic accountant, a financial analyst, or an actuary. After researching accounting jobs for a class project, I discovered that the number one degree the FBI considers when hiring is accounting. This degree is also a great way to enter the business world; we learn all the financial information necessary to keep a business happy, healthy, and thriving.

Accounting, although not seen as glamorous, still has much to offer as a career. If you like to work hard and play hard, build close relationships both professionally and personally, and feel successful in your career, an accounting job may just be for you.