GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING
Governments need armies of accountants to control their huge bureaucracies.
In addition, law enforcement agencies eagerly seek out accountants to sniff out money
trails and investigate white-collar crime. Even the CIA values the analytical skills of accountants.
Also the FDIC, the National Credit Union
Agency, and other bank regulatory boards employ accountants as bank examiners.
Every governmental unit needs accountants, but there are three kinds of agencies
that especially employ accountants.
First various audit agencies check the records of other governmental agencies.
In North Carolina the Office of the State Auditor is a highly respected,
professional organization. At the federal level, the Defense Contract Audit
Agency oversees defense contracts and employs as many accountants as a
national CPA firm. In addition every state and federal agency has an
in-house audit team.
Second, tax agencies employ many accountants. The Internal Revenue Service
staffs offices around the country. The North Carolina
Revenue Department also employs many accountants. Usually new tax agents go to school for
several months before their first assignment to a field office.
Third, large numbers of accountants are needed to run financial systems.
The Defense Finance Agency has recruited heavily at ECSU. Federal and state
offices of management and budget also attend job fairs.
The federal government hires most college graduates at the GS-5/7 pay level
(mid-to-upper twenties). They are
usually promoted to GS-9 after completeing a training period.
College graduates who qualify as "Outstanding Scholars"
(QPA over 3.4, in upper ten-percent of their class, or
member of a national honor society) may begin many Federal jobs at GS-9. Many federal positions are only open to
Outstanding Scholars.
North Carolina generally
hires accounting graduates in positions with the title "Accountant I", "Auditor I", or "Manager I".
Students with lower grade-point averages may begin as technicians
in North Carolina or as GS-3/5 in the Federal Government. These jobs provide a way for
some college graduates to begin a career and the jobs pay in
the upper-teens to low-twenties. After appropriate periods, they can earn promotion to higher
pay-level positions. A key term to look for is "contact representative". These
positions deal directly with the public and offer a good place to begin a career in
government.
