Why?
Posted 05-22-2012 at 08:09 AM by LookinForMayberry
Today I meet the only (of eleven) CPA that responded to my request for a mentor. She has a firm a few miles northeast of here, and by the looks of their website it is a successful one in this region. This is a "meet and greet" session, to "see if we like each other" (her words). We set the appointment about a month ago, and much has happened to me in trying to shift gears to an accounting profession. Some of my enthusiast gleem has proven to be just "flashing." It's gone, and now I am evaluating: Just exactly WHY do I want to make this change. I figure it is a question she will ask, and I want to understand it myself, rather than just come out with an answer.
Why, indeed?
I've had a school counselor, Army recruiting examinations, and college professor all recommend I pursue a career in Accounting. I'd also had different college professors advise me to pursue Sociology and Microbiology, so I was pretty filled with myself and my scope of opportunities. I was rebellious, thought I could do better. So, what's changed?
Failures.
I wanted to prove that I could succeed in business, just as my father succeeded. What did it matter that I was a woman? It was the 70s and women were taking on the world. I would, too.
Wrong.
Without dragging through all the twists and turns in my life's "river," the bottom line is that I met most of my limitations head on, face first. Now I need a land where I understand it's boundaries -- where they are spelled out in a nice, neat package. I understand that all boundaries are subject to change, but the changes will also be spelled out. No more broken noses.
I guess that's why.
I wonder if, when asked, she would understand that I am changing to keep what's left of my nose?
Why, indeed?
I've had a school counselor, Army recruiting examinations, and college professor all recommend I pursue a career in Accounting. I'd also had different college professors advise me to pursue Sociology and Microbiology, so I was pretty filled with myself and my scope of opportunities. I was rebellious, thought I could do better. So, what's changed?
Failures.
I wanted to prove that I could succeed in business, just as my father succeeded. What did it matter that I was a woman? It was the 70s and women were taking on the world. I would, too.
Wrong.
Without dragging through all the twists and turns in my life's "river," the bottom line is that I met most of my limitations head on, face first. Now I need a land where I understand it's boundaries -- where they are spelled out in a nice, neat package. I understand that all boundaries are subject to change, but the changes will also be spelled out. No more broken noses.
I guess that's why.
I wonder if, when asked, she would understand that I am changing to keep what's left of my nose?
Total Comments 2
Comments
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A career in accounting IS a career in business. Or at least in my (admittedly subjective) opinion it is. I can't think of any business that can operate for long without good accountants; you can get by without a lot of things, but trying to remain in business without knowing whether you're making or losing money is a sure-fire recipe for disaster.
Keep in mind as you explore this new area that there are a whole lot of different types of accounting, and you are likely to discover that some trip your trigger more than others do. I've spent most of my professional life working in financial accounting, which involves a lot of that "is it black or white" kind of thing you describe, along with the ability to exercise good judgment. Basically, you keep the books for a company, prepare financial statements, compare budget to actual, research/resolve variances, and reconcile balance sheet accounts.
Tax accounting, on the other hand, is hardly ever black and white. I refer to it as the illegitimate offspring of law and accounting, and it has all the worst traits of both parents. It's all in how you can interpret laws, and how well you can argue your interpretations. It would make me nuts in a hurry.
Accounting for payroll can be interesting and very complex, if you enjoy weird logic problems. That's particularly true if you're accounting for payroll in a commission-based pay structure. It isn't quite as many shades of grey as tax accounting, but it can be a challenge to those of us who like our tasks black-and-white.
On the other hand, cost accounting, or manufacturing accounting, is something I find very nicely black and white, quite logical, and requiring a good grasp of inventory accounting concepts.
Auditing is something I find very interesting; I like scavenger hunts, and that describes a lot of audit work. On the down-side, it can be monotonous and dull at times, and if you're doing internal auditing (i.e., auditing your own colleagues at a company), it is unbelievably stressful when you find evidence of theft or embezzlement and you know that someone you considered a friend is the likely culprit.
Forensic accounting takes auditing to a new level; everyone already knows there's a thief, and it's your job to prove who it is and how they did it. You're usually coming in from the outside rather than examining your own employer, so stress over ethically challenged friends isn't a factor. Challenging, but it can be a whole lot of fun.
Government accounting is a whole other animal entirely, and requires a significant shift in assumptions, as does non-profit accounting.
In other words, accounting as a profession is almost as varied as medicine. A cardiologist doesn't do the same things as an orthopedic surgeon, and neither of them does the same things as a podiatrist - but they're all doctors.
What I'd suggest is that you not only talk to a CPA but also try to spend some time talking to (and hopefully shadowing) some of the other types as well. Yes, CPAs can and do do all those types of accounting, but most accounting firms focus primarily on tax and audit, so you're less likely to have an opportunity to explore other specializations. And you are far more likely to enjoy your career in accounting if you can narrow all those possibilities down to the few that really play to your strengths and interests.
Good luck, and I'll be thinking of you!Posted 05-22-2012 at 04:42 PM by 7G9C4J2
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THANK YOU, MBW! 8)
You are the first person to lay it out so neatly and comprehensively for me, and I love that you made it so simple for me to compare the different avenues of accounting. I've felt from the start that Auditing, what I've referred to as "Compliance" is what I am most attracted to, at this point, and since I've worked at what my boss called "forensic cost accounting" (looking for the errant transactions contributing to product costing he knew just could NOT be true), that aspect has been "tickling my fancy."
It turns out that the CPA I spoke with not only agreed to act as my mentor, but she's also asked if I was interested in coming into the firm on a part-time basis to receive training and help them in their workloads. I learned that she became a CPA just as I am planning, thirty years ago. When I told her I was definitely interested, she brought in her accountant and accounting manager, and I answered their questions (hopefully to their satisfaction). They will talk it over and let me know their decision.
Just like you, she's recommended I start networking with the accounting associations in the area -- there are three. I plan to do that once things settle down a bit. Right now my head feels like the water in a pond after someone's walked through it -- everything is just swirling around!
Before I forget: Yes, of course you are right about Accounting being integral to business. I did not intend to imply otherwise. After all, if someone isn't keeping score, how does anyone know how the game is going? I guess I have always separated the two because most of my employers have been disdainful of "the bean counters" and made decisions independently of the accountants. (I never shared the opinion, but then it seems most of them have been fairly disdainfully of me -- as a woman or a person? -- so maybe they were just a disdainful bunch of good ol' boys.)Posted 05-23-2012 at 06:40 AM by LookinForMayberry
