Roles
This is the entry-level role in most accounting firms
What is a Staff Accountant?
This role typically earns around $60–70K
What is a Staff Accountant (or entry-level)?
This is the most important certification for public accountants
What is the Certified Public Accountant?
This is the first step before becoming a full-time accountant
What is an Intern?
Name one of the Big 4 accounting firms
What is EY, KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte?
This role reviews staff work and manages engagement teams
What is a Manager?
This role earns around $85–105K
What is a Senior Accountant?
This degree is most common for accounting careers
What is an Accounting degree?
This role comes after Staff Accountant
What is Senior Accountant?
These are the two main service lines in Big 4 besides audit
What are Tax and Advisory (Consulting)?
This role has ownership in a firm and brings in clients
What is a Partner?
This role earns around $120–150K
What is a Manager?
This certification is popular in corporate/management accounting
What is CMA?
This role comes after Senior Accountant in public accounting
What is Manager?
This period is known for 60–80 hour work weeks in audit and tax
What is Busy Season?
This role focuses on internal financial reporting within a company
What is a Controller?
This role can earn $150–250K in industry
What is a Controller?
This certification is common in finance and investing roles
What is CFA?
This role is typically right before Partner in Big 4 firms
What is Senior Manager?
This is how partners primarily get paid (hint: not just salary)
What is profit sharing?
This executive is responsible for all financial decisions in a company
What is a CFO?
This role can earn $300K+ including bonuses
What is a Partner or CFO?
This is typically required to become a partner at a Big 4 firm
What is a CPA?
This is the two main end paths: one in public accounting, one in industry
What are Partner and CFO (or Controller)?
This scandal caused the collapse of Arthur Andersen, reducing the Big 5 to Big 4
What is the Enron scandal?