An accounting analyst works along with a team of auditors to perform complex tasks and find and resolve errors in a company's accounting system. He or she is responsible for meeting the requirements of regulators and performs month-end reporting tasks that conform to the appropriate accounting standards. Accounting analyst jobs are normally not entry-level positions and often require two or more years of experience in corporate accounting and auditing. In addition to the experience requirements, you'll also need at least a bachelor's degree in accounting, strong analytical skills and relevant technical skills to become an accounting analyst.
Most accounting analyst jobs require you to earn a bachelor's degree in accounting or a closely related field; however, some companies are more likely to require that you have a master's degree in accounting to become an accounting analyst. The bachelor's degree program includes courses in computer applications for business and accounting, basic and advanced accounting principles, income taxation, business law, cost management, auditing and finance. If you already have a bachelor's degree in another field, you can likely go on to the accounting master's degree program. Many graduate programs in accounting, however, do require that you complete some undergraduate accounting courses before you can take the graduate-level classes.
You should work on gaining related experience during and after college, if you want to become an accounting analyst. You can gain experience by doing an internship that also counts as college credit, by taking a summer job or by doing a co-op with a local employer. Many of these options also pay you a salary as you gain experience in the accounting field. It is possible that you'll still need more experience before a company offers you an accounting analyst job. Entry-level accounting clerk and staff accountant positions are common ways to gain the skills and experience you need for the promotion to accounting analyst.
To become an accounting analyst, you'll also need strong organizational skills, analytical skills, communication skills and specific technical skills. Most accounting analysts work within a team in the organization and also must deal with outsiders, so they must be able to communicate effectively, follow instructions and delegate assignments to other team members. The complex tasks of finding and fixing accounting errors require strong analytical skills, problem-solving skills and attention to detail. Depending on the organization and your specific assigned duties, you might also need to know about business and accounting information systems, databases and basic productivity programs.
