<p>As an accounting major who did very well in his course work, tax lawyer, and professor of accounting , I might be able to give you some insight.</p>
<p>Yes, the math in accounting isn't as sophisticated as that found in engineering or physics. However, there is a LOT of problem solving and some of it can be fairly hard. I almost feel that I am taking a giant SAT during my life. </p>
<p>Secondly, what makes accounting hard isn't just the problem solving. Accounting is more akin to law. There is a LOT of memorization and a lot of concepts that you need to understand and, more importantly, learn to apply to life.</p>
<p>Thirdly, accounting is a research oriented major. You really need to learn where to find answers. This is particularly true for tax accountants but also applies to accountants in general. Learning to understand and find answers to generally accepted accounting principles is critical.</p>
<p>In terms of skills, you would certainly need to have strong problem solving skills. Secondly, you should be good at handling details since accounting can be very "micro" oriented. Thirdly, since there is a lot of reading and research in accounting, as with law, you need to have good critical reading skills and strong skills in critical and logical analysis.</p>
<p>In addition, although accounting isn't considered a people oriented type of job, accountants should have some decent people skills if you want to instill both trust and confidence in your clients. Good people skills also help in marketing and in arguing before the IRS in hearings.</p>
<p>Finally, you should have at least some minimum writing skills. You don't need to write like an English major, but you do need to be able to write clear memos and opinion letters to clients that are clear, concise and correctly written. No client wants to see a memo that has a number of grammatical flaws.</p>
<p>Although I do think that the upper level accounting courses are very different from the intro accounting courses, there are also some similarities. Certainly, if you like and do really well in your intro accounting course, it would be a good indicator that you probably will like and do well in the upper class courses. However, as noted, it isn't exactly the same.</p>
<p>Also, let me note that accountants do a lot of things. We not only do financial statements and audits and bookkeeping but we do tax returns, business consulting, set up internal controls, do litigation support, serve as an advocate before the IRS and some other state and federal agencies,write books ( which is what I do) and a lot more. It really is a very varied profession.</p>