Karina Martinez

Professor Mitchell-Wagner
English 1A
March 2, 2014
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What do you want to be when you grow up? Was a question I was always asked as a
child. I always imagined myself becoming a Kindergarten teacher. Teaching and helping kids
was something that I enjoyed watching and doing sometimes. When my friends would come
over to play we would always play school. I would always end up being the teacher and my
friends being the students. As time went by I realized that the only reason that I wanted to
become a kindergarten teacher was because I admired my kindergarten teacher. I wanted to be
just like her and do the things she did. As I got older I noticed that going to the bank with my
mother was something that I loved doing. Seeing how they helped their customers with their
checks or any financial needs fascinated me. I would always tell my mother that when I grew up
I was going to work in a bank. I never knew what exactly they did but I wanted to work there.
When I entered high school I found out what my job was really about. I found out that the job
I wanted as a kid was called a bank teller. A bank teller is the position your first put in when you
start to work at a bank. A bank teller wins up to $10 to $12 an hour. Now is that a job I really
want for myself? I know I want a good paying job so I can provide for my family and for myself.
Im not saying a bank teller isnt a good paying job, I myself wouldnt mind having a job like that
for a first job. But when it comes to providing for my family it isnt enough. I knew I needed to

do more research on a business career that I wanted to pursue. So I joined a business class my
junior year in high school. From that class I knew I wanted a career that would make me expand
and grow. I did my research and accounting was something that I felt I could be part of. There
have been many careers that have interest me, but accounting was the one that stood out
among the rest because of its dependability and growth.
Accounting plays a huge role with businesses. An accountant is responsible in keeping
financial and counting records for expenditures, receipts, accounts payable, accounts
receivable, and profit and loss for their company. Accountants work with numbers a lot! Math
was always a subject that I loved since Elementary school. So the fact that numbers were
involved was a plus for me. Accountants are also in charge of collecting data from the
companies they work in. According to Peter J Eisen from the book Business Review Series:
Accounting, 5
th
Edition, he states that The accountant is in charge in keeping track of all
business transactions (Eisen 2). A business transaction is any business activity that affects
what a business owns or owes, as well as the ownership of that business. As an accountant
youre in charge of making deposits, creating financial statements, managing payroll, making
purchases and purchasing orders, etc. When you become an accountant its important that you
have a lot of responsibility. You need to be able to stay on track with all your reports and also
meet a lot of deadlines. Having experience takes a big part in being an accountant.
A goal I have when becoming an accountant is being able to reach for a higher position.
After knowing what career I exactly wanted to pursue I asked myself the most important
question. How much money will I make as an accountant? Lending tree education, points out

that According to the Bureau of labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median
annual salary of bookkeepers, accountants, and auditing clerks were $34,030 per year in 2010.
This equates to $16.36 per hour. Earnings range between $21,270 and $51,470. For me thats
a decent amount of money. Getting paid about sixteen to twenty one dollars is a really good
paying job. But what if its possible to achieve a higher position in what you love doing and
getting paid even more! The highest position after an accountant is CPA (certified public
account). CPAs are in charge in examining annual reports of public companies. They also need
to consult individual services, businesses, financial institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
Many government agencies need CPAs to offer objective and assistance in both financial and
strategic areas. CPAs are in charge of the more heavy and difficult work. Becoming a CPA is very
hard work. According to CalCPA Education Foundation, they note that The two most important
goals to focus on in your quest to become a CPA are passing the Uniform CPA Exam and
meeting licensing requirements. The CPA Exam is known to be a very difficult test; it is more
difficult than trying to pass the board exam to become a lawyer. In order to get a CPA license
you have to have a bachelors degree, twenty four semester units in accounting related subjects,
twenty four units in business related subjects, youve passed the Uniform CPA Exam and the
Professional Ethics Exam for CPAs, and lastly two years of general accounting experience
supervised by a CPA with an active license. But from all the dedication and hard work people do
to achieve this position ends up paying off. CalCPA admits that The overall average salary for
college graduates in 2011 was $41,701, but those graduating with a degree in accounting
averaged $50,500 according to the 2012 National Association of College and Employers survey.
Those who go on to earn their CPA license can expect a median salary of $73,800, with top

salaries around $124,000. The benefits of being a CPA are very impressive and can continue to
grow with experience and ongoing education.
When it comes to education and pursuing my career as an accountant it will take a lot of
effort to achieve that position. My goal as of right now is to take classes that are necessary for
that career. Some of them are, of course accounting, computer applications, Economics,
Introduction to Business, and keyboarding. Classes that are computer and technology related
help me get a head start on the process of becoming an accountant. Employers prefer
applicants who are familiar with computers and their applications in accounting or internal
auditing. Since everything they do such as files, reports, letters, etc. are through computers it is
very important that you know how to use a computer and youre able to quickly keep up with
your work. Im still undecided if I want to get an associates degree in accounting or if I want to
transfer to a four year university and get my bachelors degree in accounting. In the process of
completing my associates degree or bachelors degree I want to get the most experience I could
possibly get. One of the best ways to get a job as an accountant with little or no experience is to
apply at a temp agency. This will give you hands on experience that may lead to a full-time
accounting job. Other ways in getting into the accounting industry is to participate in summer
internships or volunteer at charitable organizations to earn experience. Many employers
emphasize communication. Being an accountant also requires you to be very honest since
youre working with other peoples money. Many companies expect a lot from you when they
decide if they want to hire you, having experience like this on your resume makes you look like
you really want and need the job.

In conclusion becoming an accountant comes with a lot of hard work, dedication and
responsibility. Although I had a hard time learning how to read and write as a child I was able to
overcome that problem and learn from my mistakes. I always take a look into my past and
remember that my parents always worked hard to raise me and my siblings, they showed me
what courage and responsibility was really about. By committing to this career I want to be able
prove to myself that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.


Works Cited
"Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Salary." Bisk CPA Review. Thomson Reuters Inc., 2013. Web. 06 Mar.
2014.
Eisen, Peter J. "What Information Does an Accountant Gather?" Business Review Series:
Accounting, 5th Ed. New York: Barron's Educational, 2013. 2+. Print.
"How to Become an Accountant." Lending Tree Education. LendingTree, LLC, 2014. Web. 06
Mar. 2014.
"What Is a CPA?" CalCPA. CalCPA Education Foundation, 2013. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.