Auditor - Brief Article

Examines accounts and inventories to help companies operate effectively.

Amy Markowitz once pictured accountants as geeks with pocket protectors who spend days in front of adding machines. Now that she is one, she knows the reality is different.

Markowitz, 27, is a senior accountant in the auditing division at Ernst & Young LLP, in New York City. "I work with cool people," says Markowitz, whose clients include Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (the comic book publisher), the jeweler Harty Winston, and fashion designer Donna Karan. And instead of spending all day tapping on a calculator, when she is checking on a company's inventoty she might be wading through piles of the latest fashions or the most expensive diamond necklaces.

A career in accounting was far from her mind when Markowitz entered the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. "I thought I was going to be an English major," the Great Neck, New York native says. "I was never math-oriented at all."

But an accounting class in her sophomore year changed her mind. During the summer between her junior and senior years, Markowitz did an internship with Ernst & Young and received a job offer from the firm at the end of the summer. She returned there after graduating from the Wharton School of Business in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in economics.

Clients hire auditors like Markowitz to review their financial practices and make recommendations about how to improve them if necessary. Markowitz works as part of a team that sets up shop at the client's offices. Team members review financial records, such as bank statements, but they also look at actual inventory to make sure companies are keeping accurate counts.

"If I want to make a spot check, I'll tell them I want to see a certain necklace that's on their list, and they will have to show to it me," says Markowitz.

Marvel has a toy business, so she will go to its factory and check out the fun inventory. At Donna Karan, she might find herself facing a pile of the latest line of DKNY's winter coats.

Early in her career, Markowitz sometimes felt intimidated when she questioned much older, executive clients about their financial records. But she got used to it as she discovered that auditors, being independent from the businesses they audit, are considered trustworthy. "Clients really respect you and take you seriously," she says.

Although some people see accounting as a "male profession," Markowitz has never felt that way. "I work with many females," she says. "A lot of the big firms are doing more to make accounting attractive for women."

Markowitz loves the variety in her work. Each new audit brings a changed setting and a fresh group of people to get to know. There's also plenty of room for advancement. She could become a partner in Ernst and Young, or she could join a corporation as a controller and run its finance department.

In the meantime, she has plenty of room to grow and learn. 'As I progress, I take on different roles, and I might not be counting coats as much as maybe helping a company set up a licensing policy that could involve millions of dollars. It's exciting to be in on something like that."

PROJECTIONS

EDUCATION: Mast positions in auditing require a bachelor's degree in accounting or in a related field. To become a certified public accountant, a total of 150 semester hours of college coursework will soon be required by most states.

OUTLOOK: The number of auditing positions is expected to grow at an average rate over the next few years.

SALARY: A survey by Robert Half International found that 1997 salaries ranged from $25,000 to $46,000. Managers earn up to $65,000. Those with advanced degrees earn even more.

COPYRIGHT 1999 EM Guild, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group