1. What Makes Accounting a Smart Choice for High-Achieving Students?
Accounting has long been a go-to choice for ambitious students. Unlike some fields that rise and fade with economic cycles, accounting consistently offers stability, strong earning potential, and a wide range of career paths across industries. Let’s break down why this field continues to attract top talent.
First of all, accounting is the language of business. Every company, non-profit, and government entity needs skilled accountants, auditors, and financial managers. Because this work is so essential, skilled accountants remain in demand in every economic environment, giving graduates a level of job security that few fields can match. In fact, many firms recruit promising accounting students before they even finish college, extending job offers that begin upon graduation. This early recruitment reflects just how critical and sought-after accounting talent is in today’s market.
Accounting graduates start strong, and the potential for earning a six-figure salary is possible, especially with professional certifications like the Certified Public Accountant (CPA). The average annual wage for accountants and auditors in 2024 was around $81,680, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roles like Controller or Financial Manager can command significantly higher salaries.
Beyond salary, an accounting degree can also build crucial transferable skills such as critical thinking, data analysis, organizational mastery, and written communication. These skills open doors to diverse careers beyond traditional accounting, such as finance, consulting, forensics, and technology.
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2. Essential Skill Sets for an Accounting Student
Before you step into a university campus, you should be developing the key abilities of a top accountant, which include:
- Analytical and critical thinking: Students should be able to look at a vast set of financial data and not just report the numbers, but interpret them, spot key trends, and solve complex business problems.
- Attention to detail: Accountants manage financial records and tax compliance, where even small errors can have huge consequences. Therefore, having absolute precision is of utmost importance.
- Technological proficiency: Beyond basic computer skills, you must be comfortable with spreadsheets, database management, specialized accounting software, and data visualization tools.
- Organizational skills: Managing multiple clients, strict regulatory deadlines, and a huge amount of documents requires strong time management and organizational abilities.
3. What Can High-Schoolers Do to Prepare for an Accounting Career?
Take Related and Advanced Courses:
Building a successful career in accounting starts with selecting the right courses in high school, with the intention of developing your analytical thinking, quantitative skills, and communication abilities that top university programs look for among their applicants. Students should prioritize classes in the following areas: Mathematics, Business & Economics, and Technology.
Accounting requires strong logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Therefore, mathematical classes such as Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, and AP Statistics will help students develop their advanced analytical skills, while statistical knowledge, which can be gained through the AP Statistics class, is essential for understanding auditing and data analytics. Courses such as Introductory Accounting, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Business Management provide the fundamental language and context of business and finance, helping you interpret financial results. Modern accounting is heavily reliant on technology and data analysis; therefore, proficiency in spreadsheet modeling is non-negotiable for success. Students can gain these technological skills through Computer Science Principles, Data Management, or Advanced Excel online courses offered by reliable platforms such as Coursera, Khan Academy, or Google Courses.
Participate in Accounting and Business Competitions and Organizations:
Participating in competitive competitions is key to demonstrating your passion and developing skills outside of the classroom. Here are the top four accounting and business competitions and organizations for high school students that are definitely worth your efforts:
- Deloitte High School Accounting Challenge: This challenge uses real-world scenarios to teach students about journal entries, financial statements, and auditing records for errors. Students will learn practical bookkeeping and diagnostic analysis – recording a business’s financial transactions and determining the root causes of financial trends or anomalies.
- Future Business Leaders of America: The FBLA offers competitive events in subjects such as Accounting, Financial Math, and Business Law. It is a precious opportunity for high school students to develop skills in specific technical knowledge, public speaking, and test-taking under pressure.
- DECA: DECA’s competitive events often involve Finance and Accounting career clusters. Students will participate in role-plays and written exams, honing their critical thinking, strategic decision-making, and ability to communicate financial advice clearly.
- Wharton Global High School Investment Competition: While focused on investing, this competition requires teams to analyze company financials in depth, a core skill for auditors and financial analysts.
Doing Internships or Externships:
One of the best ways to show colleges and future employers that you understand the professional world is through practical experience. Students can ask a local CPA, bookkeeper, or business owner if they can shadow them for a week, especially during the busy tax season. Even observing the daily work routine through job-shadowing provides invaluable context. Aspiring accounting students can also offer their services to a small non-profit organization, religious organization, or student club to manage their simple accounts. This provides legitimate, resume-building experience in real-world financial record-keeping.
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4. Take Aralia's Business classes
Aralia’s Competition Prep & Business Classes!
Our business-focused preparation courses are designed specifically for high school students to develop and execute realistic business ideas or ventures that address social issues, just as real entrepreneurs do. Across multiple sessions, students will learn to create comprehensive business proposals and pitch decks, guiding them from the initial creative stage through polished business plan presentations.
Intro to Business Competition
Aspiring entrepreneurs will learn to create, promote, and market a company to win over the judges in a Business Competition. Intro to Business Competition course is designed and taught by an M.B.A. professor and judge of graduate Business Pitch competitions. Topics include the differences between start-ups and small businesses, business ideation, designing business plans, environmental scanning, raising capital, developing budgets, establishing organizational structure, marketing and promotion strategies, persuasive sales pitches, and pitch-decks.
Business Research
This class is for students who are prepping to enter higher education with the hope of pursuing a research field in the context of business research. This course is taught by a scholar-practitioner who has extensive teaching and research experience at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. Under the guidance of the professor, students will write a 15-page paper on business research topics; examples of research topics: The global impact of the “Belt and Road” initiative, China’s 1989 economic reform, How social media makes the world global, Sino-US trade war and more.
