Fred Harteis News Articles – Accounting ~ The New “It” Job

Fred Harteis News Articles - If the stereotype of a nerdy bean counter comes to mind when you think of an accountant, think again.

"All of a sudden, accountants are in the news. With all the scandals, and all the money that's changing hands, the profession has started looking sexy, dangerous and challenging," explains Eva Rosenberg, MBA, EA, publisher of TaxMama.com, and author of 'Small Business Taxes Made Easy'. "Accountants aren't just boring geeks anymore. We're hot!"

With the demise of Arthur Andersen LLP and the Enron scandal, as well as the creation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002 (which established a public accounting oversight board), Rosenberg's proclamation isn't far from the truth. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (also known as SOX 404) revised corporate governance standards, added new disclosure requirements and created new federal crimes related to fraud.

One result of the legislation was an increased demand for well-trained accountants, so it's no surprise that colleges and universities have noticed a surge of interest. In fact, some schools like Baker College Online are rapidly expanding their curriculum.

After all, where there is interest, there is opportunity. And the media has helped generate much of the interest, say those in the field.

"News reporting has a lot to do with it," explains Robert Payne, Baker's associate dean of business. "If something is in the news, it becomes news ... people want to know about it and interest is piqued just as it is with [other] scandals.

Payne is in charge of piquing students' interest beyond the desire to enroll, and attributes online learning's technology to helping them connect numbers and concepts despite never setting foot on campus. "The technology performs all the [accounting] functions that are done in the traditional, on-ground classroom on paper. Other technologies like videocams, scenarios and simulations of real-world events, often in real-time, make distance delivery of accounting programs possible."

Adam Mikolajczak, a Baker Online student who has taken several online accounting classes agrees. "Instead of dry textbook theories, practical terms seem to come alive," he notes.

In addition, online learning ensures that students are not limited by geography, schedule or accessibility. For Derek Thompson, an online student at American Intercontinental University (AIU), flexibility is key. As he pursues a degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting, the husband and father of an 11-year-old girl works full-time. "Studying online allows me to attend classes without eliminating family time, since I don't have to travel or attend classroom sessions."

"Online education is booming as the technology gets better and better and more schools become accredited and are accepted by employers. No longer are online schools seen as diploma mills," Steven explains. With corporations and accounting firms having a lot more work to do in order to ensure compliance, they need to hire a lot more accountants. And, the surge is seen not only in large firms, points out Steven, but small ones as well.

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About Fred Harteis: Fred Harteis leads Harteis International. Fred Harteis has a background in agriculture and has created many successful business ventures.