Accountant

Also known as: CPA, Bookkeeper

Salary data based on 2025 BLS, Glassdoor, and industry reports. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.

This career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Here are the top colleges for it:

1

UPennAccounting

2

UMichAccounting

3

UC BerkeleyAccounting

4

NYUAccounting

5

UT AustinAccounting

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The entry-level pathway into accounting is contracting hard. UK Big Four graduate job listings dropped 44% year-over-year in 2025, with intake at all four firms down double-digits versus the 2023 peak (KPMG -29%, Deloitte -18%). PwC has publicly forecast end-to-end AI audit automation within 2026, and KPMG cut 195 US audit jobs in late 2025 while Deloitte trimmed PTO, pensions, and family leave. The Big 3 US banks (BofA, Citi, Wells Fargo) have named AI as their top headcount lever for 2026 — affecting in-house accounting and audit teams. AI now handles bookkeeping, reconciliation, audit sampling, tax prep, and compliance documentation — the exact tasks juniors used to learn on. What keeps this at High (4) rather than Critical (5): the Bureau of Labor Statistics still projects 5% employment growth for accountants and auditors through 2034 (faster than average) with about 124,200 openings per year, and CPA licensure creates a real regulatory moat — only humans can sign audit opinions. The Goldman Sachs 2026 labor study lists accountants/auditors among the highest displacement risk occupations, but the World Economic Forum's "fastest-declining" list singles out bookkeeping/payroll clerks specifically, not licensed accountants. The career is restructuring around senior judgment work, advisory, and AI oversight; the routine on-ramp is what's automating. Students entering accounting today should expect a much narrower entry funnel and faster expectations to move into advisory or specialized audit work.

Ratings reflect a 10-year outlook based on 2025-2026 research, weighted toward entry-level impact. Individual outcomes will vary.