December 04, 2017 by Snupit
Did you know that Mick Jagger is a qualified accountant? Well, this, by no means, means that Sir Jagger sits backstage tallying the revenue against expenses after every concert. However, this does bust the myth that accounting professionals are boring. There are a number of other popular myths about accounting professionals that people believe in. Here, we will list the common myths you better stop believing:
“Accountants are Mathematicians”
Accounting is not just “business math”. Hence, it is possible that the accountant you are working with isn’t the human calculator you make him/her out to be. There is plenty more to accounting than just numbers, and that’s what good accountants are good at.
“Accounting Professionals = Tax Professionals”
Not every accounting professional handles tax work. You are better off leaving your taxes to auditors. Auditors and accountants receive different training and education. Auditors have some idea of accounting principles, and accounting professionals, on the other hand, know the rules governing taxes but might not be able to help you complete your taxes.
“Accounting Doesn’t Involve Strategy”
There was a time when businesses only called in accountants to handle their accounts. However, today, accountants often have a strategic role within the organization. They will tally the finances and provide an overview of the company’s current standing. In addition, they guide the key decision makers by providing information related to growth opportunities. They are called in to consult on major decisions that might shape the future of the business.
“Accountant = Male”
While it is true that accountancy has historically been a male-dominated field, things are changing. Women make up a significant percentage of the total number of accounting professionals across the world. In fact, in some countries, such as the US, female accountants outnumber their male counterparts.
“Accountants are Introverts”
Accountants may spend a majority of their time working, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have good social skills. In fact, accounting professionals spend a large part of their day talking and conversing with their colleagues and managers. Often, accountants have to brief professionals from other departments, and also do presentations for customers. Accounting professionals also have to be excellent teachers, as their job involves explaining a lot of stuff to a lot of people.
“Accountancy is Boring”
As we mentioned at the beginning, Sir Mick Jagger is a trained accountant. Accountants are not boring. It is just the nature of their job that they have to talk about stuff that the average person does not grasp completely. After all, you aren’t counting on your accountant to be your wingman or weekend buddy, so this point shouldn’t matter. However, if you are bringing on an accountant as a strategic partner, you can rest assured you will be able to talk about things other than numbers and finance. At the same time, they are great at what they do!
So, there you have it, the most common myths about accounting professionals debunked. Hopefully, now you will be able to select an accountant who moves better than Jagger!