Spotlight on Accounting Careers: Government Accounting

There are many options available in your accounting career. As an accountant, you can look forward to a number of career options in Government Accounting. Your Government Accounting career can provide you with several opportunities to take your career to another level.

Governmental accounting is a term used to define the various accounting systems used by several public sector entities. In the United States there are 2 levels in the government that follow different standards of accounting. At the federal level, these standards are set by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) while at the state and local level of government, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) sets the standards.

Governmental accounting requires a different perspective as compared to accounting in the private sector. The governmental accounting system uses a historic system of fund accounting where a set of self balancing accounts are responsible for managing resources that are assigned to certain specific resources. This is based on regulations and limitations.

There are several different options for you if you are considering a career in government accounting.

The Department of Treasury has 13 departments which deal with economic and tax policy. And each of these divisions appoints accountants. You can also find employment opportunities with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) where several accounting professionals are employed. In your government accounting career you can also find employment opportunities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In your federal accounting career, you will be involved in investigating several organized crimes, white-collar crimes, corruption, bribery and fraud. The General Accounting Office (GAO) also hires many accountants including Evaluators and Financial Auditors. Accountants are also hired by the Department of the Air Force.

In your Governmental Accounting career you can also find several employment options with different State agencies. You can find employment with the Department of Revenue, the State Board of Accounts, Department of Financial Institutions and such other government agencies. County and city government also employ accountants.

In order to make a career in the federal accounting, you must be certified as either of the following: Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, Certified in Financial Management, Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Fraud Examiner. Additionally the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) offers a specialized certification called the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) which is specifically designed for Government Accountants.

With all these different options in your career in government accounting, you will certainly have carved your path up the success ladder.

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