Accountant Peas - Future of your profession?

If he loves math and order, I would recommend he study statistics and finance. Managing and manipulating data and drawing conclusions from it seems to be where many large organizations are headed. Even in the finance sector, many employers are looking for those who are able to use data.

ETA: have him look on indeed.com or another job board for a job that he might find interesting.  Look at the qualifications necessary to do his dream job and pursue that line of education.

You are still going to need accounting knowledge to input those numbers into a computer. I work for a large company with a large accounting staff. Someone still has to prepare and review journal entries before they get inputted. And accounting and finance is a stepping stone into the budgeting groups. I do not think the industry is going away anytime soon.

And, accounting is not just taxes. I get asked if I get really busy during tax season. Um, no because I don't do taxes.

ETA: he should at least take the basic accounting class even if he goes into finance.

I'm a public accountant which means I audit and review financial statements, prepare corporate tax returns, provide financial consulting, structure share roll-overs, etc. In the past 10 years, after the accounting fiasco that lead to Sarbanes-Oxley and the adoption of IFRS, my job description has only grown. I can't imagine a computer doing all of that.

I've got business clients who can't even manage basic bookkeeping with a comprehensive software package.

I think those people who say that it is a dying field are confused about what companies are offshoring or giving to robotics. A/P type tasks, like scanning or coding are many times not in house, but there is definitely a need for actual accountants.
But you can't go wrong with a finance degree.

Yes, accounting is a lot more about interpreting and applying the laws and regulations. If we ever move to a flat tax (probably not likely) I would not want to be a tax accountant.

Accounting is anything but a dying field!!!  Computers and technology have made the life of an accountant easier but certainly has not eliminated jobs.  If your son likes math and order, he will make an excellent accountant. 

Now I must say that there are a LOT of people that seem to be going into the Accounting field so he has to know that competition is tough - when we have a vacant position, even for an entry level accountant, we could get 500+ resumes.

I strongly suggest that if he goes into Accounting to pick a specialty such as Tax Accounting - that will give him a bit of an edge that other general accountants do not have.

Thank you for that link. Someday I hope to be an auditor.

Auditing is the best part of my job! It's like detective work, only with numbers.

I work at a college in the Accounting and Finance department.  Many of our majors will double major in both fields, or major and minor.  However, for some, Accounting makes perfect sense and Finance doesn't.  Or vice-versa.  I recommend that he take a class or two in each subject before he decides. 

I, too, love logic and order.  I went into computer science.  It's another field to consider.  College is the perfect time to try out courses and see what fits best.

The lower level positions (AP, AR, processing) are definitely being automated, offshored, outsourced. Years ago AP was a giant bullpen of people touching mountains of paper. Now 5-6 people can do what previously took 30+.
But there will always be work for CPAs. Audits still have to be completed, taxes have to be filed, someone has to make sense of the numbers and explain to management.

Finance is good, but investment banking is a whole different world.

A lot of CPAs I know have moved to the FP&A side of the house. Interesting work, more predictable schedules and minimal travel. There is a new Certified Corporate FP&A Professionak credential.

Actuarial work is good for people that like statistics, math, etc. Forensic accounting is like detective work. Tax is interesting, particularly when you get into the state and local stuff.

Lots of interesting things to do. BUT (IMO) you have to get the CPA. Not just a bookkeeper or low level accounting job. Get the credentials - CPA, CFE, CIA.

Totally. My degree is in communication and I'm technically in marketing/sales, but what has gotten me ahead has been my ability to collect or find data, ask the data intelligent questions, and draw conclusions about the next steps we should take based on that. Data is king now that it's so easy to gather.