When pursuing the career path of an accountant, it’s only natural to wonder what a regular day’s work might look like. One of the greatest appeals of the profession, however, is the plethora of branches of accounting—a tax accountant’s day would look different from a public accountant’s day, and similarly, no two accountants’ days are identical even if they were both tax accountants. Accounting is very much a profession that takes into account—if you’ll pardon the pun—how every person is different, and that includes in the field of accountants themselves.   So then how is it possible to get a feel for what the day-to-day work of an accountant will be? Even with the many diverse fields to choose from in accounting, all accountants use similar skills and take to similar tasks in their daily work. With this in mind, here are some common skills and tasks you can expect to see in your future job as an accountant.  

Thorough, Precise, and Analytical Work

Accounting is a field that requires work that is accurate and exact, where every detail is considered. This means having both a keen eye while creating documents as well as being able to analyze incoming data to catch any errors is extremely important. It goes without saying that numbers are very important in accounting, and even a single incorrect one can lead to trouble. With a thorough mind and rigorous work ethic, though, such work is easy to tackle.  

Clear Communication

Human beings are a communicative species, and having the ability to clearly communicate serves accountants particularly well. Most accountants work on a team, which flourishes with clear and consistent communication. Typically this means being familiar with technical accounting terms, but it can also extend to having a firm grasp of what other teammates are working on—communication is all about speaking and listening, after all!   Along with being able to clearly communicate with your fellow accountants, clear communication is another tool that accountants need to explain their work to other departments and teams. Once you have a firm understanding of those technical accounting terms, you also need to be able to present them to people who might not be accountants themselves in a way that is coherent and understandable.  

Technical Work With Accounting Technology

No matter what branch of accounting you take to, you will be working with numbers, formulas, and otherwise performing financial analysis. Along with this, accounting has largely become more modern through the use of technology. This can include software specifically for financial work, data modelling programs, as well as Microsoft Excel.   Along with these common tasks and skills, your accounting work will also see more specialized tasks depending on the branch you choose to do. This could include such tasks as budgeting, tax preparation, payroll management, examining financial statements for accuracy, and many others.   Interested in such work? At Computek College, we teach you all the skills required for this profession through our Accounting and Payroll program, as well as our Accounting, Payroll and Tax program. Contact us at 416-321-9911 or visit our website to learn more!