Where an accountant can go next
12 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role an accountant already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Accountants review and analyse financial statements, budgets, financial reports, and business plans in order to check for irregularities resulting from error or fraud, and provide their clients with financial advice in matters such as financial forecasting and risk analysis. They may audit financial data, resolve insolvency cases, prepare tax returns and provide other tax-related advice in reference to current legislation.
Also known as accounting technician, bookkeeper, accounting supervisor, accounting officer, certified public accountant, financial accountant, cost accountant, auditor, account auditor, register accountant, head financial accountant, financial reporting accountant.
Professionals 57 skills on file 12 career moves 3 above 60% overlap Closest: bookkeeper, 72%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 1 · Within reach
- bookkeeper 72% covered · difficulty 31.2
- financial controller 68% covered · difficulty 34.1
- accounting assistant 60% covered · difficulty 44.1
- accounting manager 58% covered · difficulty 52.4
- accounting analyst 57% covered · difficulty 46.3
- tax clerk 50% covered · difficulty 47.4
- financial fraud examiner 48% covered · difficulty 48.5
- post-production supervisor 44% covered · difficulty 53.5
- cost analyst 44% covered · difficulty 54.3
- tax inspector 40% covered · difficulty 54.7
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
An accountant needs 26 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- perform balance sheet operations management skills
- prepare trial accounting balances information skills
- depreciation business, administration and law
- attach accounting certificates to accounting transactions management skills
- draft accounting procedures communication, collaboration and creativity
- identify accounting errors information skills
- explain accounting records management skills
- accounting entries business, administration and law
- ensure compliance with accounting conventions information skills
- prepare tax returns forms information skills
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what an accountant does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
- accounting manager 69% covered · difficulty 40
- bookkeeper 60% covered · difficulty 48.7
- accounting assistant 55% covered · difficulty 54.3
- financial controller 48% covered · difficulty 60.3
- financial auditor 46% covered · difficulty 61.7
- accounting analyst 43% covered · difficulty 64.3
- tax clerk 30% covered · difficulty 74.6
- tax advisor 28% covered · difficulty 75.8
- financial fraud examiner 24% covered · difficulty 79.4
Look up another occupation
Accountant is filed under Professionals, ISCO major group 2. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of an accountant’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.