I, Accountant

I, Accountant

well...accountant wannabe to be more exact.

First of..i'd like to clarify that Accountants do NOT crunch numbers. Number crunching is done by our lowly peons...we call them fresh graduates.

Anyways, i believe that the accountant is probabaly the most misunderstood of all professions...together with CEOs and CFOs...who by the way at one point in their lives were accountants...

Ok, first off, the definition of an Accountant:

Anyone who has ever studied for an accounting degree and graduated or holds a professional certification and membership from a certifying body can call him/herself an accountant.

Considering how most CEOs, some politicians and almost all CFOs hold the above qualifications, they too can admit to being accountants.

Secondly, accountants are not evil:

Yes, we are just as human as the Holy man and the thief on the streets. We have feelings too, we have families to feed..etc.

The thing is that people think we are evil because we are put in a position of great trust, usually as CEOs or CFOs or Politicians, or Financial Analysts or Investments Bankers or Property Magnates or just general Rich Guy.

And the fact that we usually tend to be in a position of power sometimes lends us that 'evil' aura that being in power tends to give you.

Thirdly, yes, we do less work yet get more pay than the grunts:

This is something you have to accept, despite the fact that most accountants graduate quite early, usually with less heartache and strain compared to other courses (engineering, IT) the bottomline is that our ceiling is way...way...WAAAAY... higher than most other professions.

A young, ambitious accountant only need to open his mouth at the right time, say the right words and bring back the desired results, he may find himself in the running for upper senior management...

But, hey, despite the fact we do very little of the groundwork, we do a lot of decision making...tough stuff considering that the future of the co weighs heavy ob our shoulders.

Fourthly, In the event of a recession, we can bounce back

Lets face it, in the face of recession, companies need their accountants and finance people to keep their business afloat... although the less skilled accountants might get laid off...but with all the knowledge gained from their training, they can usually start their own businesses and still bounce back.

Fifthly, Accountants are prudent

Yes, we are prudent, above all else, we are prudent. Although the term prudent can be defined variably... say if the client offers 10 mil to close one eye over an immaterial statement...that is still prudent... heck, its just a small matter...plus our firm could use the money to create jobs, generate economy and overal improve the standard of living of the society.

Accountants affect the lives of many and their future generations as well. The decisions they make and the work they do puts them in a position of great good and of course, great evil. The accountant has to walk a fine balance of both light and shadow, maintaining the flow of cash and prosperity through the community and of course, get rich at it as well.

So lets stop antagonising accountants shall we?