Accounting is a skill which is useful for almost anyone; even if you never do accounting in a professional capacity you will often be surprised where it comes in handy.
For those of you in Australia that are interested in finding work in the profession, the level of education that you receive will in most cases determine how far you progress:
In very low level accounting roles, e.g. accounts payable/receivable you do not need formal education and you can generally be taught the requirements on the job.
For some smaller industry based accounting roles, as well as bookkeeping jobs, usually a diploma is required. Various TAFE and university institutions in Australia offer this type of qualification and entry requirements are generally quite low and easily accessible.
To get a start in public practice accounting, or for those who wish to go on to do accounting in industry (large companies), a bachelor degree in business with an accounting major is generally the starting point. Almost all universities in Australia offer business/commerce degrees and the entry requirements significantly differ depending on the university and the applicants for the particular year. You can go to the VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) website to find out more about entry requirements for this course.
Following on from the degree, once you get an entry level role you will often be offered postgraduate studies which lead you towards accreditation with one of the major accounting bodies. The ICAA (institute of chartered accountants) and CPA Australia (certified practicing accountants) are the two biggest bodies nationally and both require satisfactory completion of a number of subjects as part of the registration requirements. The ICAA course is considered amongst many to be a far more rigorous course due to the exam requirements; however they do not differ greatly in practice when seeking employment. Gaining either of these accreditations after your degree will provide a vast increase in future opportunities as well as a guaranteed increase in salary with your current employer.