Are you looking for a list of the best paying careers? Better yet, where does an accountant careers rank? Recent forecast list positions such as Civil Engineer, Nurse Anesthetist, Physician Assistant, and a Management Consultant. What about the best paying careers in the field of accounting? While this list is not comprehensive, here is a list of some of the better paying career in accounting
Best Paying Careers
Chief Accounting Officer (CAO) – sure, this could go without saying, but a CAO can make a nice living in the field of accounting. Don’t get hung up on the title because it can be called lots of different names. Director of Accounting is another example. In fact, last year CNN Money listed Accounting Director as #19 on the highest paying careers you can pursue. Top of the scale was around $179,000 on average and the median salary was $112,000 nationwide.
Accounting Firm Partner – Depending on the size of the accounting firm, it could take awhile to elevate to accounting firm partner status. Still, Firm Partners make a nice paycheck. On the other side, many of them put in a lot of hours especially during busy season (also referred to as tax season). You must have both a love for numbers and a love for people to really make a long-term go of it in public accounting.
Controller/Finance Director – Not to minimize the role of a CFO or CAO, but in my experience the Corporate Controllers of the world are the ones that roll up their sleeves and work in the nitty-gritty most of the time. They are heavily involved in the month-end close and being sure that the nuts and bolts of the accounting process are being done correctly. Controllers are one of the best paying careers in accounting as well. If you enjoy the “hands on” aspect of accounting a Controllership might be the best fit for you.
Audit Manager/Internal Audit – Internal audit is a big deal for companies every since the institution of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). They are usually one of the higher paid accounting jobs due to the fact that many of them require and extensive amount of travel. It is not unusual for some companies to have their Internal Auditors travelling up to 50-75% of the time.
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Forensic Accounting - while there are not as many forensic accounting positions available as some of the others mentioned, it is sill a highly paid position. The high pay comes as a result of it being considered high-tech or extremely specialized. It takes a patient individual who really has a mind for digging into the details. It is not for everyone, but for some it could be a perfect fit.
While there are many other positions that I could have included, these are some of the higher paid positions in accounting that I have seen and or worked on as a Recruiter in the accounting & finance field. As you can see there are many options for pursuing an accountant career.
What are the best paying careers in the field of accounting in your opinion?
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Jonathan is an Executive Recruiter/Career Coach that has successfully placed hundreds of Accounting & Finance Professionals. If you are currently struggling in your career, he is available on a limited basis for personal 1-on-1 career coaching and for resume makeovers.
