The best job opportunities will be for accountants and auditors who have a college degree, any type of certification, but primarily for those with a CPA.

Job growth is expected over the next decade (ending in 2016) due to tighter regulations.

Increased globalization will also result in higher demand for accounting professionals and services connected to international trade, rules, mergers and acquisitions.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was passed by Congress as a result of a number of high profile, large corporate scandals – it was designed to greatly reduce accounting fraud at the corporate level. This legislation makes it requirement for public companies to maintain well-functioning internal controls to ensure the accuracy and reliability of their financials. It also holds the company’s chief executive personally responsible for falsely reporting financial information.

These mandated changes should lead to higher scrutiny of corporate finances and accounting procedures and should create opportunities for accountants and auditors, especially CPAs, to more thoroughly audit financial records.