Accounting is one of the oldest professions in human history. People have hired accountants since ancient Babylon and Egypt. Accountants are essential to business and our entire economy.
The accountant career path is projected to grow by 6% or more in the next 10 years. The median salary for an accountant is $81,680 (that’s $40 per hour!). As businesses expand into AI and tech, accountants are still needed and relied upon to audit finances. 2025 is a great year to begin teaching students about career paths in accounting.
The CPA Journal reports that accounting is an aging profession, meaning that many accountants are retiring in the next 15 years and not enough young professionals are taking their place.
This article will help high school teachers educate and inspire the next generation of accountants by explaining what exactly accounting is, exploring the benefits, career options, and classroom strategies.
Main Takeaways
- Accounting careers offer job security, strong pay, and a positive job outlook.
- The accounting career path consists of diverse job options.
- Teachers can use real-life scenarios and simulations to engage students in accounting education.
- Future accountants need to have skills such as mathematics, data organization, attention to detail, analytical thinking, and FinTech literacy.
- EVERFI offers a free accounting career course.
Table of Contents
- Why Teach Students About Accounting Careers
- Popular Accounting Career Options
- What Does a Typical Accounting Career Path Look Like?
- How to Discuss Accounting Careers in Your Classroom
- Skills for Future Accountants
- EVERFI’s Free Accounting Career Course for Teachers
Why Teach Students About Accounting Careers
Some people think accounting is all about math, spreadsheets, and calculators. There is so much more in the accounting career path. Accountants have to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills, be able to use state-of-the-art financial technology, and develop business strategy.
A teacher from Tampa, Florida, explains the importance of exploring financial technology (FinTech) in accounting: “We liked diving into the career aspect of the module and giving a different technological angle to accounting rather than just focusing on some of the standard vocabulary.” — Ted Newfrield, Teacher – Hillsborough County School District, Tampa, FL.
Strong Earning Potential
Students can earn a competitive salary in an entry-level accounting position. As they gain experience and their skills grow, accountants can demand six-figure salaries. If they specialize, such as in forensic accounting or auditing, accountants can greatly increase their income potential.
Transferable Skills
Learning about accounting will help students in other ways, even if they decide not to follow the traditional career path. Accounting teaches about critical thinking and problem-solving. You have to be organized and communicate technical content to a broader audience. Whatever career a student chooses, they will use what they learned in accounting. Students who do decide to follow the traditional accountant career path will learn about other fields like entrepreneurship, business management, and law.
Personal Finance
Accounting isn’t just for businesses and governments. Many accountants are making lateral transitions into the financial literacy space because of the growing demand. Students should know that learning about accounting can improve their financial situation. They can even teach others later on!
Popular Accounting Career Options
There are many accounting career options, but three popular ones are staff accountants, auditors, and forensic accountants. You can find these careers in the public and private sectors. Government agencies may use accountants to help monitor program compliance, maintain budgets, and ensure proper use of public funds. Private sector jobs like corporations, small businesses, and accounting firms will utilize these roles to help boost financial reporting, profits, and tax strategies.
Staff Accountant
Staff accountants are typically entry-level finance professionals working for a business, a government agency, or some other organization. Your school or school system most likely has a team of accountants to handle the finances of such a large and complex organization. Staff accountants do everything from bookkeeping, tax recording, budgeting, payroll, presenting financial reports, and conducting financial audits.
Salary Range: $50,000–$70,000
Skills Required:
- Proficiency in spreadsheets such as Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel
- Skills and experience using accounting and finance software
- Certifications like a CPA are usually not required, but are preferred
- Strong attention to detail
- Legal and procedural accounting knowledge
Auditor
Auditors are problem finders and solvers. They scan financial data to make sure organizations are accurately reporting their finances and that they are compliant with state or federal law. Finance auditors are sometimes hired within a company to prevent problems before they become public. Some organizations hire an auditing firm to come in and double-check their work. Sometimes, auditors are sent by government agencies to check in on an organization to make sure they are complying with financial laws.
Salary Range: $55,000–$85,000+ (senior auditors earn $100,000 or more)
Skills Required:
- Same or similar skills as a staff accountant listed above
- Certifications like a CPA are often required, but not always
- Strong ethical and legal judgment to report incorrect information
- Strong communication and reporting skills
- Analytical thinking and familiarity with financial statements
Forensic Accountant
Forensic accounting is about investigating financial crimes. These accountants find out problems such as fraud (lying about how much money their business earned) or embezzlement (people stealing money from their business). Accountants are often hired by government law enforcement agencies or lawyers to help solve financial crimes.
Salary Range: $60,000–$100,000+
Skills Required:
- Advanced accounting skills and experience
- CPA certifications are usually required for all public and private organizations
- Must have an investigative mindset
- Understand legal procedures and laws
- Advanced financial and data analysis skills
What Does a Typical Accounting Career Path Look Like?
- High school: Students should learn and master the basics in math, accounting, personal finance, economics, and business.
- College: The formal part of an accounting major’s career path would begin here with an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance. These are typically essential for entry-level roles in accounting. Students could gain experience as interns or volunteers. The Big 4 accounting organizations (Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young, PwC) hire aggressively from colleges, which can be a great opportunity for pay and career building!
- Early career: Successful companies seek to hire recent college grads to bolster their junior accountant and associate ranks. During this time, accountants can earn certifications like CPA, CMA, or CFA to add value to their skill set.
- Mid-career: Accountants can move up into leadership positions or transition laterally to other areas in finance, like running their own business, becoming a partner, or consulting elsewhere. After 5-10 years, junior accountants can become senior managers, controllers, or finance directors.
- Further career advancement: Skilled and highly experienced accountants move up the ranks in a business and get promoted to senior partner, finance controllers, or CFOs, where they are put in charge of all the finances of an organization. Some executive-level finance positions are often tapped to become the head of the entire organization!
How to Discuss Accounting Careers in Your Classroom
Accounting can be fun to teach if you use proper resources and engagement techniques. Leesa teaches accounting in California, and she said: “My students’ eyes were opened to the fact that accounting is so much more than just ‘number crunching’. They were surprised by all of the possibilities!” — Leesa Rankins Moore, Teacher – Riverside Unified School District, Riverside, CA.
When teaching about career paths in accounting, try these tips:
- Use interactives and simulations. Design a simulation for students where they can run a small business and track the expenses and revenue.
- You have to make it relatable. Engage students by using budgeting tools for a class or school event. They can even design a personal finance budget.
- Use technology to expose students to FinTech. Introduce students to software such as QuickBooks or Excel.
You can find more tools, resources, and strategies by exploring EVERFI’s free course Accounting Careers: Limitless Opportunities.
A teacher in Albany, GA, reported this about the course: “I love that the Accounting EVERFI Course is short and impactful. It has changed my students’ worldview about the nature of Accounting careers. Most of all, they have the opportunity to apply for a $5000 scholarship” — Lorraine Montague, Teacher – Dougherty County School System, Albany, GA.
Skills for Future Accountants
Students will need to obtain skills in math, analytical thinking, attention to detail, and FinTech proficiency.
Math and Analytics
Accountants need to be able to use math skills to complete budgets, do taxes, and forecast financial data. Students can focus on algebra and statistics to gain an advantage in this area.
Attention to Detail
Anyone working with financial data needs strong attention to detail. Accuracy is important when designing budgets and producing financial statements. Students can practice reading simulated financial statements to find problems.
Financial Technology
Most accounting is done using FinTech tools and software. Students can practice with some of the basics, like spreadsheet templates and QuickBooks. Many companies use proprietary and custom tools for their business needs, so a student will need to be able to adapt. FinTech has been using more AI-driven tools as well, which students will need to be aware of.
EVERFI’s Free Accounting Career Course for Teachers
Inspire future accountants in your classroom by using EVERFI’s free course on accounting careers. The course consists of lesson plans, interactives, projects, case studies, real-world scenarios, and more. The course works great as a standalone career readiness lesson series. You can also use it to help make your accounting and business curriculum more engaging. Teachers can guide students through the accounting course to show them that an accountant career path is both financially rewarding and full of challenging opportunities!
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Jack Woerner is a personal finance educator and consultant. He is a former high school personal finance and economics teacher. Jack designs financial curricula for organizations all over the globe. He has written guides, articles, and blogs as well as ghostwritten several books about financial literacy. Jack is passionate about teaching personal finance to everyone.