Identity in Salman Rushdie essays

Identity in Salman Rushdie essays Examine the construction of identity in Salman Rushdies Midnights Children. Colonialism is the consolidation of imperial power through the attempt to govern lands that are now occupied. Postcolonial literature sets out to oppose the colonialist perspective. They develop a perspective that retrieves states of marginality and is concerned with mans quest for his identity. Postcolonial theories relate the quest of their individual hero or heroines to the past of their lives. Salman Rushdie born in an Indian Muslim family is a postcolonial writer. After graduating Rushdie returned home to Pakistan where his parents had moved, whilst there he felt a sense of alienation having been so long away from his cultural roots that he decided to return to England. This is a feeling that many of the postcolonial writers identify with. Many of these writers like Salman Rushdie, Sunetra Gupta and Rukhsana Ahmed are caught in between two cultures that in many cases are very contrasting. It is very difficult for these writers to adapt to both cultures and because of his they find it difficult to construct their identity. This is a problem that the narrator Saleem Sinai faces in Salman Rushdies novel Midnights Children. The search for a country with secular ideals is one of the themes of Midnights Children. Rushdie makes an attempt to explore some of the darkness of that experience by relating the family history of Saleem to the history of Indias freedom struggle. Saleems search for identity parallels to and is directly connected with the history of a nation that is constructing itself. Saleem was born at the hour that ends the British Raj, sustains the identities of a narrator and becomes the consciousness of the whole country. Saleem assumes many identities he is a distinctive mixture of the creation of Indian culture and that of Islamic tradi...

Rulers and Reaction Times essays

Rulers and Reaction Times essays The reaction time of ten subjects was measured. The subjects were asked to catch a ruler ten times under five different conditions. The first condition measured the subject's simple reaction time. Each further condition added an additional stimulus and the reaction times were measured. There was a clear increase in reaction time with the addition of further stimulus, however the expected result of a steady increase in response time with the addition of each condition did not occur. The third condition displayed the highest response time where as the final condition displayed the second lowest (after condition 1). Assuming that no design problems in the experiment affected the results, it cannot be concluded that cognitive processes occur in separate order and do not overlap. Given the average reaction time of condition five was lower than condition three, some cognitive adaption may have occurred to lower the response time of the subjects or another reason may exist. One asp ect not covered by the experiment, but important to the results was the error factor. Pre-guessing the experimenter caused a high rate of error, however it lowered the overall results. As the world moves forward with technology, increasing pressure is placed upon humans to be quicker, be smarter and to operate more efficiently. As the population increases systems are being put in place to reduce incidences and accidents occurring. An example of this is a study conducted by Cameron, 1995 examining the influence of specific light colors, motor vehicle braking and the reaction time of the drivers to these specific clouds and conditions to avoid rear end collisions. Donders subtractive method holds that reaction times can be obtained by subtracting the simple reaction time; or subtracting type A from type B etc. (Cameron, 1995). Given this, it stands that the more stimulus provided (or thought processes required), the longer the response time of the subj...

Techniques of 21st century political speech writing Essay

Techniques of 21st century political speech writing - Essay Example The following tools of successful political speech writing reveal a curtain of mystery from this rhetoric master skill. Imagery means, such as metaphor and simile: â€Å"Like being savaged by a dead sheep†. This simile appeals to the audience and makes an emphasis on required issues clearly. It goes without saying and it’s no wonder that usage of imagery in political speeches bears fruits: in one way or another, subconsciously or not, the recipient audience looks in their memories for a certain image thus information encoded is engraved in their minds. Another technique, such as repetition, is considered to be relevant in political speech writing too. More often it is claimed that anaphora, which is repetition of the first words of each line, is generally used. It is also possible to use repetition inside the sentence, for example: â€Å"There are some of us... who will fight, fight, and fight again to save the party we love.† or â€Å"Ask me my three priorities : education, education, education†. In such a way repetition engraves the most crucial aspects of political speech. Nevertheless it is necessary to underline that usage of repetition throughout the speech can be boring and ineffective.

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Strategic Management - Essay Example Another advantage was that one of the largest book wholesalers was located in nearby Rosenberg, Oregon. Amazon.com began with an initial collection of 200,000 titles, which no other online bookstore could claim to have at that time. The company’s shares were offered at an IPO price of $18.00 on NASDAQ (Symbol AMZN), after going public in May, 1977. Amazon grew steadily but slowly in the late 1990s, and comparisons with the faster growth of similar dotcom companies of the period created initial resentment among investors. Amazon was implementing a unique strategy of not expecting profits for five years, which paid off when the dotcom bubble burst and Amazon came out as one of the few survivors. The company recorded profits for the first time in the last quarter of 2002, a meager but symbolically crucial $5 million or 1 cent per share. Amazon diversified its product lines and expanded overseas, making profits of $35 million in 2003, $558 million in 2004 and $359 million in 2005. Shareholders received reasonable returns on investment, and following the merger with SBC Communications, the company’s shares entered the S&P 500 index in the place of AT&T on 21st November, 2005. â€Å"In the most basic sense, a business model is the method of doing business by which a company can sustain itself -- that is, generate revenue. The business model spells-out how a company makes money by specifying where it is positioned in the value chain.† (digitalenterprise.org). Amazon.com began its business at a time when the internet has just started to entrench its roots into the economy by capitalizing on the enormous opportunity it provided to remove the twin obstacles of time and distance. Amazon’s business model is based on pampering the customer to the status of a king by tracking their tastes and using this information to create a unique customer experience. Thus they have succeeded in cultivating a relationship

Pearl Harbor Battle Analysis Essay Example for Free

Pearl Harbor Battle Analysis Essay On a pleasant and beautiful Sunday, December 7, 1984, Japan implemented a surprise attack on the US Naval Base in Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii which gave United States a door to enter into World War II. Even though Japan did not follow through with the attack causing the third wave of bombers to break contact from dropping bombs to finish off the rest of the fleet docking in Pearl Harbor, it was a well prepared, and carefully orchestrated attack on the Americans because the Japanese followed almost all the nine Principles of War. However there was one principle that the Japanese did not executed causing them to surrender later on in World War II. There are nine Principles of War, that is; unity of command, mass, objective, offensive, surprise, economy of force, maneuver, and security. The attack include massconcentrating the combat power at the decisive place and time. The objective was clear and directed every military operation towards a clearly defined, decisive attainable objective. The attack was clearly offensive where it seize, retained, and exploited the initiatives. Surprise was the definitely the most important principle used striking Pearl Harbor on a given time when it was unprepared. Economy of force was allocated to the wave of attacks where essential combat power was given as a secondary effort. The maneuvers were clearly executed where Japan placed United States in a position of disadvantage through the flexibility application of combat power. There was unity of command in which the Japanese ensured each objective had a responsible commander. Unity of command was visible within the Japanese fleet. The commander for the December 7th 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (PeopleJapan, ). Yamamoto was responsible for the combined Japanese fleet where he devised the strategy for the attack, and because of his careful, organized, and educated planing, Pearl Harbor was almost fully destroyed. Under Yamamoto is Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumoto who was in command of the First Air Fleet. Nagamuto relied heavily on the experience of his subordinates Comander Minoru Genda, and Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka. â€Å"No one can truly understand what happened at Pearl Harbor without at least a nodding acquantance with these men, for the plan’s inception, preparation, execution, and stunning success were shaped by the personalities and experience of these men† (Goldstein, 1991). By element of mass with in the nine Principles of War, the Japanese attack forces was well equipped for the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Japan understands that their country cannot defeat United Staes in a â€Å"conventional war, lacking as it did sufficient man power and raw materials (notably oil) for such a sustained effort however Japan was able to put together combined fleet large enough to go toe to toe with the United States Navy in Hawaii† (Long, 2007). Japanese air attack forces consisted of six carriers named Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku. Support forces consisted of two battleship and two heavy cruisers known as Tone and Chikuma. Screening forces consisted of one light cruiser and nine destroyers named Akuma. Patrol forces had three submarines. In addition, the supply forces ha eight oilers. Together these combined fleet was named the Kido Butai, or task force which was the largest number of aircraft carriers ever to operate togeth er (Carlisle, 114). Admiral Yamamoto and the Kido Fleet’s objective was to destroy the naval ships in Pearl Harbor and knock out the U.S. Pacific Fleet. In retrospect, this attack is also an offensive attack as a significant Japanese fighting force so that the Americans could not oppose on Japan’s conquest of South East Asia and the Pacific Islands. Another reason for the attack is because President Roosevelt had banned all exports of scrap iron, steel and oil to Japan. The reason for the embargo was the Japanese invasion of China. Japan had lost more than 90% of its oil supply (Carlisle, 2006). The economic isolation crippled their economy and military. In addition, Japan were keen on expanding their empire and had to make a decision between surrendering or going to war with the United States. Lastly, United States had not yet entered the Second World War, because they were still reeling from depression due to the First World War. United States did, however, still possess the strongest naval fleets. In that perspective, the Japanese were almost as strong as the American navy. As time passed, America favored more and more towards joining the war. The Japanese anticipated a full-blown naval war with America and therefore, decided to act first by bombing Pearl Harbor which was a key terrain feature in the Pacific due to it’s massive and deep harbor for naval ships. The element of economy of force was also present during the attack on Pearl Harbor. This allowed Japans zero bomber to allocate minimum essential combat power towards the attack. With the economy of force, the element of maneuver also played abig role towards the raid. There were two aerial attack waves, totaling 353 aircraft that was launched from the six Japanese aircraft carriers. In actuality, Admiral Yamamoto’s plans consisted of three waves of attack. The first wave of attacked was launched at 0740 with 163 aircrafts that was coming from the North Shore. Their objective was to destroy airfields at Wheeler, Ewa, Hickam, and Pearl Harbor. The second wave was launched an hour later to the Windward side of the island with 167 aircraft bombers. Their mission was also to destroy airfields in Kaneohe and Bellows, Hickam, and Pearl Harbor. Admiral Yamamoto called off the third wave because he believed the second strike had essentially satisfied the main objective of his mission which was to cripple United States Pacific Fleet. In addition Admiral Yamamoto did not wish to risk further losses. With Admiral Yamamoto’s careful planning of the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan was successful on completing their objective in the Pacific by destroying the Naval fleet. However, they failed to follow through with the element of security. Security states that Japan should have never permitted United States from acquiring an unexpected advantage. With Admiral Yamamoto calling off the third wave, this allowed United States to get back up on its feet. Japan may have won the battle on Pearl Harbor, however that decision â€Å"woke up the sleeping giant† causing Japan to surrender the war to the Americans. The biggest impact on the Japanese attack was the element of surprise which was Japans key tactic on Pearl Harbor and other military bases on Oahu that struck Americans as a â€Å"dastardly attack† â€Å"stab in the back.† On December 7th, 1941, everyone went about their daily routine. Naval and military commands in Hawaii did not suspect that this day would be the day they would get a huge surprise by getting attacked. Washington and Honolulu were aware of the Japanese threats to attack areas in Southeast Asia but they didn’t think a surprise attack at Pearl Harbor was in the plans. The commands in Washington and Honolulu had no idea because based on their intelligence they received mostly from U.S radio intelligence and diplomatic code breaking, the intelligence received told them that the Japanese were moving south and they weren’t going to be in â€Å"danger†. Washington received intelligence from the office of naval intelligence a few hours before the attack indicating that the all of Japan’s fleet carriers were in their home waters. This was one way how the Japanese completely fooled and the U.S. intelligence and surprised them with a damaging attack on Pearl Harbor and other military installations. Sunday mornings are normally a time of leisure for military personnel, and during this time, especially in the morning, some are still asleep, or at church with their families. With the Japanese knowing this, this was the best time to launch their surprise attack because they knew people would not be able to respond to the attacks quick enough to fight back and it would be the perfect opportunity to destroy all of their fleets and aircrafts Japan’s careful and well orchestrated attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, destroyed almost all the American Naval fleet in the Pacific. This allowed Japan to continue its imperialism towards Southeast Asian without United States interference. Even when Japan failed to follow through with the element of security towards United States, they still followed almost all the nine Principles of War in order for them to have a successful raid. The third wave of attack could have the destroyed the fuel storage, maintenance, and dry dock facilities that would have crippled the U.S. Pacific Fleet far more seriously than the loss of its battleships. If they had been wiped out, United States could not have been able to bounce back, join the war, and eventually forced Japan to surrender. Work Cited Carlisle, Rodney P. December 7, 1941: One Day in History : The Days That Changed the World. New York: Collins, 2006. Print. Long, Tony, July 27, 2007. Dec. 7, 1941: Attack at Pearl Harbor a Bold, Desperate Gamble. Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/12/dayintech_1207 Goldstein, Donald M. The Way It Was Pearl Harbor. The Original Photographs. Washington: Brasseys, 1991. Print. Global Research. Pearl Harbor: A Successful War Lie. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://www.globalresearch.ca/pearl-harbor-a-successful-war-lie/22305 How Did Japan View the Pearl Harbor Attacks? ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214300/nzjapaneseview1.html Hoyt, Edwin Palmer. Pearl Harbor Attack. New York: Sterling Pub., 2008. Print. Kam, Ephraim. Surprise Attack: The Victims Perspective. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1988. Print. People-JapanAdmiral Isoroku Yamamoto, IJN, (1884-1943). People-JapanAdmiral Isoroku Yamamoto, IJN, (1884-1943). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013.http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs-for/japan/japrs-xz/i-yamto.htm The Attack by the First Japanese Wave. The Attack by the First Japanese Wave. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. http://www.pacificwar.org.au/pearlharbor/FirstWaveAttack.html Tures A. Tures, LaGrange. William Billy Mitchell, the Man Who Predicted the Pearl Harbor Day Disaster. Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 06 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. Wisniewski, Richard A. Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial: A Pictorial History. Honololu, Hawaii (P.O. Box 8924, Honolulu 96830): Pacific Basin Enterprises, 1986. Print.

Argument Supporting Gay Marriage Essay -- Same-Sex Marriage Essays

People are born homosexual. If you are homosexual you cannot get married. That idea is ridiculous. On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Marriage is defined as a sacred bond of love between two people. Gay people also feel love therefore, they should be allowed the same rights as everyone else in this country. Homosexuality is an accepted lifestyle nowadays with a proven biological causation. The only thing that should matter in marriage is love and denying them this is a violation of religious freedom. According to studies done by Simon LeVey, being gay is a biological cause, not a choice made when one is very young. It is also an accepted lifestyle today. For far too long being homosexual has been considered a form of â€Å"devilish acts†. The people making these accusations should check the history books, and the psychological research done by LeVey. According to Wikipedia.com homosexual activates have existed since early Greece. The word lesbian comes from the Greek word â€Å"Lesbos,† which were islands where many couples of that orientation lived. The easiest way to think of it is as a hormonal switch that gets thrown one way or the other. If you think about it, it makes logical sense. Consider many gays and lesbians you've seen. Not always, but in many cases, some characteristics resemble that of the opposite sex. That means that, for example homosexual males have softer voices, and most lesbians have a masculine body shape. Those hormone switches affec t it all. And still yet again, why would someone choose to be gay? Even though gay people are different and their hormones are different, they still have the same emotions as everyone... ... only one was injured, the other might not even be allowed to see the other because he/she is not a direct family member or spouse. It’s hard to know that love is being thrown out by so many states and countries, they are willing to hurt other people just so they can say that the institution of marriage is saved. Gay people are normal, just another minority. Like any other black guy walking down the street. Are you going to tell him he can’t get married because he’s black? No, because he can’t help that he’s black, just how gay people can’t help that they are gay. They love just as we do and we are in no place to be holding them back of expressing it to their fullest. They want to get married, then let them. Even though it isn’t a man and a woman, it’s still two people who want to share all they joys of the world together. Love is a feeling, not a gender.

Accounting As A Career Essay

As the decision of where I will attend college next year quickly approached, I decided to investigate the major I have chosen, Accounting. Because my goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), I would like to know more of what it entails. Dealing with numbers, and recording and projecting the earnings of a company, accountants are placed with the responsibility of keeping track of the moneys of a business. God has blessed me with skills in the areas of mathematics and organization, which caused me to look for an occupation that utilizes both. Accounting seemed a logical choice since they largely work with numbers and organize their clients’ money. In order to become a CPA, one must receive a bachelor’s degree and work for a prescribed number of hours for a top accounting firm. Covering a wide spectrum of business related specialization, accountants and those who act as auditors must be able to determine whether or not a company is using their resources effic iently and if they are correctly recording the moneys they come in contact with. I am aware that accountants work with money and the documenting of it but would like to ascertain exactly what else the job of a CPA consists of. Since the recent downturn of the American economy and job market, I began to ponder how easy it would be to attain a job as an accountant. According to Steve French, an accountant for the Calvary Satellite Network, it is easy to find an accounting job, regardless of the state of the economy, because every company needs an accountant. Also, in the opinion of Richard Schweppe, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of CorVel Corporation, the best thing about accounting is the option of working for any type of company an individual may find interesting. Because every business needs an accountant and many people use them for tax preparation, those with a degree in accounting can easily find a job after college. Furthermore, â€Å"with fewer students earning accounting degrees, organizations are devoting greater resources to attracting these candidates.† Having thus determined the ease and likelihood that I will be able to find an accounting job upon graduation from college, I decided to lo ok into exactly what an accountant does, how they attain the title of CPA, and how much money they make. While researching the job description of accountants, I discovered multiple  types of accountants, performing jobs ranging from banking to auditing. First of all, one can become a public accountant and work for a public accounting firm. â€Å"They perform a broad range of accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting activities for their clients, who may be corporations, governments, nonprofit organizations, or individuals.† The majority of public accountants, however, work on taxes. With the constantly changing tax laws, many people hire accountants to prepare and file their income taxes. They execute tasks â€Å"such as preparing individual income tax returns and advising companies of the tax advantages and disadvantages of certain business decisions.† Tax accountants must be aware of the new tax laws and must be constantly learning and understanding all of the changes. Also, they have to face extremely hectic work schedules during the tax season. Debra Schill, who owns a Triple Check business, explained, â€Å"During tax season (January through April), I work seven days a week, from 6 to 18 hours per day†¦[and] evenings and weekends are dedicated to filling out [clients’] tax returns, getting them processed and out the door.† In addition to accurately filling out tax returns, tax accountants must be familiar with the types of businesses they are working for. â€Å"A thorough understanding of the clients’ business, investment, and personal objectives is required, as well as a thorough understanding of the tax laws and their applications.† Besides taxes, public accountants likewise perform audits. First of all, an audit can be defined as â€Å"examining a client’s financial statements and reporting to investors and authorities that they have been prepared and reported correctly.† â€Å"According to Barron’s Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms, an audit is ‘prof essional examination and verification of a company’s accounting documents and supporting data for the purpose of rendering an opinion as to their fairness, consistency, and conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.'† Although only about 15 percent of accountants actually perform them, auditing is the most widely known and the most important job of a CPA. Auditors must follow certain rules and report the facts without bias or other influences. Performing this necessary task is essential â€Å"because it ensures the integrity of the financial information on which our economic system depends.† As well as auditing, public accountants consult and offer advice to companies. â€Å"Consulting services provided by CPAs may range from brief discussions with clients in  the form of consultations or may involve larger initiatives such as implementation, transaction, or support services.† Consulting allows accountants to move from company to company, giving them a wide array of knowledge regarding the running of different companies and how to handle certain situations. Public accountants can choose to specialize in taxes, auditing, consulting, or a plethora of other opportunities. Another type of accounting that interested me was management accounting. Often referred to as industrial or private accountants, â€Å"management accountants analyze and interpret the financial information corporate executives need to make sound business decisions.† Although there are many different types of management accountants, the one that intrigued me the most was the internal auditor. â€Å"The internal auditor conducts an independent appraisal from within the organization by analyzing, criticizing, and recommending improvements to internal financial practices.† Allowed to work for a specific company, he still performs audits as he would if working for a public accounting firm. Being the company’s in-house â€Å"authority,† the internal auditor may â€Å"assist outside CPAs in their examination and evaluation of the company’s financial statements.† An internal auditor can help a company ensure that they are successfully and correctly utilizing, recording, and reporting their financial state before they are officially audited. As another alternative, an accountant can choose to work for the government. The largest employer of CPAs in the United States is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). â€Å"IRS agents examine and audit the accounting books and records of individuals, partnerships, fiduciaries, and corporations to determine their court federal tax liability.† Working for the government would prove to be an exciting job if one becomes an investigative accountant. For me personally, I am not particularly interested in working for the government. When I am looking for a job in accounting, the skills I possess will determine my eligibility and appeal. Many abilities and skills are necessary in order to work in the accounting field. For example, I have found that  accounting is not just about number crunching, but is also about helping a company run efficiently. Personal soft skills are needed in order to effectively work with others. As a recommendation, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) states that accounting professionals should â€Å"be able to work with others to accomplish objectives†¦[and] demonstrate an ability to work productively with individuals in a diversity of roles and with varying interests.† Because of the many sides of accounting, meetings are continuously attended relating to the different aspects of the business instrumental in the running of the company. Speech and communication skills are important to effectively inform, and â€Å"firms seek strong communicators who can explain complex financial information clearly and concisely to a diverse audience.† In addition, individuals must be able to deliver presentations and express information concisely and clearly, both in speech and writing. As a result of continuously changing technology, accountants, and all business employees, must be able to advance with these many changes. Accountants will always be learning as technology and laws change. Furthermore, â€Å"given the fiduciary nature of the work [they] perform, people will rely on the information [they] provide. Honesty and integrity are qualities which are highly valued.† Because they work with money and are trusted to report the truth about a company and its financial state, I believe accountants should have a high degree of moral integrity. In addition, business sense and an awareness of events transpiring in the world are key assets when working for any company that may be affected by any shifts in the global economy. According to the Robert Half and Accountemps 2002 Salary Guide, â€Å"Companies seek professionals who can manage a broad range of accounting responsibilities, including general ledger, cost control and financial reporting†¦Individuals proficient with spreadsheet applications and who possess excellent customer service skills are highly sought after.† A personable attitude and knowledge of technology can enhance one’s resume, as well as their odds for getting a job. When Robert Half International asked CFOs â€Å"Which of the following interpersonal skills is most valued in accounting candidates today,† they responded according to the chart below. An endless amount of skills and abilities are highly recommended for accountants. After learning what an accountant does and what skills are needed, I decided to research exactly how one becomes a CPA. Most of the requirements and information on becoming a CPA was provided on the website of the California Board of Accountancy provided me with. First of all, â€Å"a CPA is a certified public accountant and is licensed by the state. In California, to earn the prestige associated with the CPA license, individuals are required to demonstrate their knowledge and competence by passing an exam, meeting high educational standards and completing a specified amount of general accounting experience.† Becoming a CPA involves an approximately six year journey, including attending a college or university. Two pathways that may take to obtain the title of CPA have been created by the California Board of Accountancy. Pathway 1 is designed for those who will practice only in California. The education requirement is a bachelor’s degree, including  twenty-four semest er units in accounting-related subjects and twenty-four semester units in business related subjects. In addition to meeting the education requirements, one must pass the Uniform CPA Exam. Given over a two-day period twice a year, this exam consists of four parts: Business Law and Professional Responsibilities; Auditing; Accounting and Reporting-Taxation, Managerial, and Governmental and Not-for-Profit Organizations; and Financial Accounting and Reporting-Business Enterprises. â€Å"If all four parts are not passed on the first attempt, applicants may establish conditional credit by passing two sections with a grade of 75 or higher during a single sitting. Once conditional credit is established, [one] may take [their] remaining unpassed exam sections individually.† Next, one must have two years of general accounting experience supervised by a licensed CPA. During this period, it is expected that one â€Å"[has] participated in planning audits†¦[;] has written comments, observations and conclusions resulting from the work performed†¦[; and] has participated in the preparation of, and reporting on, full disclosure financial statements.† I see the two years of supervised experience as a benefit to those aspiring to become CPAs. Certainly, all people who are in the process of becoming a CPA should take full advantage of this aid by learning all they can through real job experience. Pathway 2 is similar to Pathway 1 and is recommended for those who may want to practice in another state. Differences include the requirement of only one year of general accounting experience supervised by a licensed CPA in addition to 150 semester units of education. Also, conditional credit on the CPA exam is only awarded to those who pass two or more sections with a grade of 75 percent or higher and earn a minimum grade of 50 percent on the remaining unpassed sections, and is valid for three years. Although it takes a long period of time to officially become a CPA, I anticipate the challenge. This information has verified my desire to become a CPA. Consequently, I researched the salary of an accountant to see whether it provides a good income. According to the 1998-1999 Graduate Status Report of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, the median salary of the graduates was $3083 per month and ranged from $1833 to $4333. Of the 69 students who responded to the questionnaire, 67 were employed full-time  within a year after their graduation. The Robert Half and Accountemps 2002 Salary Guide reports that novice general, audit, tax and cost accountants working in a large company ($250 million+ in sales) can earn $33,000 to $40,750, those working in a medium company ($25 to $250 million in sales) can earn $31,250 to $37,500, and those working in a small company (up to $25 million in sales) can earn $29,500 to $35.250 a year. These are only the starting salaries for those working up to one year, but those who become managers can earn anywhere from $47,500 t o $79,000 a year. Bookkeeping, an area of accounting that was of some interest to me, has relatively low salaries. Depending on the title and experience, one can earn from $24,000 to $48,500 per year. I discovered that the title that earns the most money is that of CFO or Treasurer, which can rise to $360,250. An accurate summary of the occupation of an accountant is that he â€Å"has the task of accumulating and dispensing needed financial information. Since his activities touch upon nearly every phase of business operation and financial information is communicated in accounting terms, accounting is said to be the ‘language of business.’ Anyone intending to engage in any type of business activity is well advised to learn this language.† After researching what accountants actually do, I discovered that they do much more than just crunch numbers all day. The variety and diversity of jobs available caused me to contemplate about what I would like to specialize in and what type of company I would like to work for. Moreover, interpersonal skills are important and accountants have interaction with a number of associates and clients frequently. Previously, I had thought that accountants were mostly bookkeepers, but have discovered that only a small percentage of them are and that they make the least amount of money out of the various specializations. While there are accountants who are not CPAs, becoming one will help ensure a higher income and the prestige associated with becoming a CPA. The road to becoming a CPA is longer than I had expected, but I believe it is worth the training and experience required. Since tremendous amounts of time and effort are necessary, a strong desire to become a CPA must be present in all who seek to become one. Unquestionably, the wide base of business knowledge that one studying accounting amasses allows them to work anywhere in the business environment. Accounting is a great foundation for  all business and is a great choice for anyone interested in numbers and working with people. Works Cited â€Å"Accounting: 1998-1999 Graduate Status Report.† Cal Poly Career Services. 4 April 2002 . â€Å"AICPA Career Paths.† 25 March 2002 . â€Å"AICPA Personal Competencies.† 24 March 2002 . Camenson, Blythe. Careers for Perfectionists and Other Meticulous Types. VGM Careers For You Series. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. Carson, A. B., Arthur E. Carlson, and Mary E. Burnet. Accounting Essentials for Career Secretaries. 3rd ed. Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co., 1972. French, Steve. Personal Interview. 10 April 2002. Goldberg, Jan. Great Jobs for Accounting Majors. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1998. â€Å"Licensing – Experience Requirements.† The California Board of Accountancy. 28 February 2002 . Messmer, Max. Next Generation Accountant. Robert Half International Inc. . – – -. Robert Half and Accountemps 2002 Salary Guide. N.p.: n.p., 2001. Schweppe, Richard. Personal Interview. 24 April 2002. Weinstein, Grace W. The Bottom Line: Inside Accounting Today. New York: New American Library: 1987. â€Å"What It Takes: a Guide to Becoming a CPA.† CalCPA Online. 15 April 2002 .