• Many accountants choose alternative jobs and careers.office job image by Oleg Kulakov from Fotolia.com
  
  Many accountants work as a staff or senior accountant, controller, tax preparer or bookkeeper, but a growing number are choosing other paths. Often the alternative job selection is based on the individual's personality and interests.
  
  

Writer

• The writing field can be an interesting career for an accountant. You can write manuals, policies and procedures and corporate reports for companies, or you can write textbooks, accounting books or develop online courses. You may want to pursue a master's degree or certification to build credibility, if you don't already have one. You also may want to take a class to sharpen your writing skills and refresh your grammar knowledge.
  
  

College Instructor

• You can become a college instructor, especially if you possess a master's degree or doctorate. Many accounting teachers are retiring and there's a need to hire. A 2008 report by the American Accounting Association says the number of accounting professors older than 55 increased, while the number of accounting professors younger than 40 declined by half from 1993--2004.
  
  

Information Systems

• If you're good with computers, you may want to consider working for a software company as a salesman, functional consultant, trainer or even a quality control officer for accounting software. Many IT people don't know accounting and need the expertise of an accountant to ensure the software is working correctly.