Podcast Script Hello future high school graduates, I would like to take this time to introduce myself and

inform you of an excellent career choice that will be available to you sooner than you think. My name is Kelsey Brewer, business student at University of Michigan Dearborn and recently graduated from Divine Child High in 2012 as the Student Body Coordinator of my Senior Class. All throughout High School I was certain that my destiny was to work in the medical field, because well that was all I knew. It wasnt until I took my first collegiate science course that I realized that the medical field was not for me. Looking back I wish that I would have had better guidance and seen the possibility of other options early on, so that I may have saved some time in the process. While I may have not realized it at the time, being a member of my high school student council probed my interest in the business world, because in its own way it was a private business where everyone had their own responsibilities to serve, plan, coordinate, and balance our senior class and our entire school. With that being said I would like to inform you of the prospective possibilities of the business world whether you have already decided to pursue a job in Accounting, the Business field, or just want to acquire general knowledge. This podcast will focus on Accounting, what it is, the education needed, expected salary, typical job tasks, and remarks from a licensed and experienced CPA. One of the most prestigious and lucrative paths you can pursue in the business field is Accounting which was rated as the 9th best job to have in America according to CNN, with over 1,275,400 positions filled in 2012 (Accountants and Auditors 1). Accountants handle all of the financial managing aspects of the companies they serve. Their main tasks are book keeping, advising and consulting, tax preparation, and auditing. Basic accountants will record gains and losses, balance and reconcile bank accountants, and disclose financial statements. The typical salary for accountants averages about $63,550 a year plus benefits. To pursue a career in this field most employers require a Bachelors Degree, while more advanced positions may require a Masters degree along with a related internship in accounting and respective recommendations. Some accountants choose to take on higher positions in their field by becoming a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) which gives full range and accreditation to the individual. In order to earn this accreditation, one most complete 150 hours of education, pass the state exam, and have at least two years experience working under a licensed CPA. CPAs not only keep track of the day to day finances but the create budgets, reconstruct cost formulas, analyze financial reports, control physical securities, and plan for the future. Their weight in financial company decisions is extremely heavy, and is trusted to steer their firm in the right direction. CPAs can earn over $100,230 a year with quality experience as explained in an article written by the AICPA(CPA Licensure 1). I interviewed an extremely successful CPA, Susan Baker about what it is like to work in her career field and some important aspects. She remarked, Throughout the day I would interview various employees at the client's company; analyze information or financial schedules that were provided, select random samples of data to test or conduct computer-based testing of the transactions. One important daily task she built upon was summarizing the results of the work and reaching conclusions about what had been accomplished or proven as a result of the audit. She said that these tasks required very good, concise communication skill in order to make accurate financial statements. Carefully crafting the footnotes to state in clear English exactly what was required under U.S. GAAP to meet those requirements, but not disclose more than necessary to the public was an important task. If you would like gather more information about GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) which are the

standards that American Companies are required to record revenue under you can click on the following link and read up on a current issue regarding the two main accounting principles and their recent convergence. Web Post on IFRS and GAAP As explained earlier, constructing financial statements and analyzing them on an economical level is a vital responsibility that comes with becoming a CPA. However, with this responsibility comes with an extremely worthwhile payoff. With Susans MBA in International Finance and Certification in Public Accountancy from the State of Michigan she has worked with Fortune 500 company for nine year, served as the controller in her companies London and Caracas offices, started her own consulting business, and now works as a proud member of University of Michigan-Dearborn faculty. Her honest advice to students these days is to follow your passion and be willing to take risks, as you never know what opportunities might arise in the future as a result of having forged ahead on your own path, even if it's not a traditionally defined path to success. If you would like to see read the articles I gathered the information included in this podcast you can click the link titled Podcast Script which includes a written form of this podcast with related sources. In conclusion, I would like to remind you about the prestigious and successful career path that Accounting has to offer. The men and women that work in these positions is not tied down to always doing one job, their tasks are unique and have a worthwhile payoff. The interview that I have summarized gives a good idea of what the typical tasks of a CPA would be and just exactly what education can be used to obtain this career choice. It is never too late or too early to think and plan for your future, the time is now!

Works Cited Accountants and Auditors. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Accountants and Auditors, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm (visited February 18, 2014). Baker, Susan. Email Interview. Feb. 20th. 2014 "Best Jobs in America 2010." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. "CPA Licensure." AICPA. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014

Podcast explanation In constructing this podcast I decided that the best way to target my high school audience was to introduce the accounting profession as a whole instead of incorporating the second memo I wrote about an issue in the Accounting field. Most high school students are unsure about where they are headed and I figured that the issue would be uninteresting to them unless they have already decided they want to go into the business field. With that being said I started off the podcast by showing that I can relate to them by sharing a personal story about my decisions regarding my future, so that they understand there is more than meets the eye and there are answers all around you. I gave general information that was pulled for my first memo along with some information that I added. I included parts of the interview I did with Susan Baker in order to back up my claims regarding what exactly CPAs do on a day to day basis. I decided to include her remarks about GAAP because it was the perfect opportunity to introduce my web post about IFRS and GAAP convergence while giving the reader just enough information that would want them to read up and gather more information about the issue. While I may have used a couple of her quotes sequentially, I felt as if it made more sense to construct it that way so readers could process all the information as a whole. I realized that because I decided to upload the podcast and web post on same canvas page that I was literally giving the reader a link to the same page, however I was treating the assignment as the podcast and web post were on separate websites just to clear up and confusion.

Take a look at how my actual podcast and web post were designed and uploaded here at this link. My Canvas Page If you would like to listen to the actual podcast click the link below