Accountants have a lot going for them, but they often have a bad rep too. However, the accounting culture is a force to be reckoned with. Here's why.
Accountants are the power houses of any business, yet they sometimes have a negative reputation as boring, methodical number crunchers with no sense of humour. But this is very unfair! Here we share a list to debunk some of these stereotypes. Check out this list of reasons why accountants are awesome.
1. Accounting is the language of business
In business, it’s important to be able to tell your debtors from your creditors, a bit like telling your friends from your enemies. A foundation in accounting doesn’t make you retiring and meek by definition – accounting knowledge is a powerful tool that will benefit any businessperson.
2. Accountants work at the heart of the company
Everywhere you go money talks. In business it speaks volumes - no money, no business. Accountants get to see the inner workings of the company’s operations and help to steer management along the right path to avoid financial failure. That’s a pretty influential and feel-good position to be in, wouldn’t you say?
3. Accountants probably make more money than you
Unless you are earning a senior management salary, there is a good chance that many accountants are earning more than you. Accountants have rare unique talents that place them in high demand by some of the country’s top financial companies. Plus, their financial savviness often transfers to their personal lives where they have a good eye for managing their finances.
4. Accounting knowledge makes you smart
Learn the lingo and wherever you go people will nod their heads. Being able to discuss the implications of the Budget Speech or the introduction of some-or-other tax or the benefits of investing in such-and-such a fund might have made you sound boring in the 90s, but today, it makes you sound smarter than average.
5. Accountants can work in any industry
Mock “bean counters and their boring desk jobs” all you like – there are few jobs that afford you as much flexibility in terms of the industry you work in. Every business needs a numbers guru, so accountants have the freedom to choose anything, from online poker to car manufacturing.
Maybe the accounting industry has cultivated its reputation of being boring as a defense mechanism to keep out the uncommitted – because it certainly sounds a lot more appealing when you look at it realistically.
If you're ready to add perhaps the most useful set of skills to your CV, browse Udemy's online accounting short courses. Not only will become more marketable in this competitive job market, but you'll also learn a critical skill at the fraction of the price of a university degree.
