Accounting a hot field, colleges face demand hike

We often hear about a lack of financial expertise in Corporate America--at all levels, from entry level accountants to internal financial officers to qualified directors. The marketplace has certainly responded. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants says enrollment in accounting classes is up 19 percent since 2004. Last year, 64,221 students graduated with bachelor's or master's degrees in accounting, the most since the institute began its survey in 1970, notes the LA Times. Salaries are soaring, despite the economy. We've often joked that Sarbanes-Oxley really ought to be called the Accountants Full Employment Act. At some campuses, accounting is so popular that many students are turned away. Hopefully, all would-be financial professionals will have a professor like Will Snyder of San Diego State.

For more on Snyder:
- here's the LA Times profile