What Is Being an Accountant Really Like?

A patient was sitting in his doctor's office. The doctor said, "I have some very grave news. You have only six months to live."?

The patient asked, "Oh doctor, what should I do?"?

The doctor replied, "Marry an Accountant."?

"Will that make my life longer?" asked the patient.?

"No," said the doctor, "but it will seem longer."

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People often ask me what I do for a living. When I tell them I am an accountant, the typical response is "oh really? how interesting". I can always detect the sarcasm in their voice and their feet slowly moving away from me. So, what is being an accountant really like?

Accounting is the third most ridiculed profession globally – behind politicians and lawyers. From newspaper cartoons to comedy sketches to internet jokes, when it comes to the topic of accounting, humorists reach for the stereotypes that have dogged the profession for years. According to these wise guys, if you're an accountant, you are – boring, a control freak and missing a funny bone!

I can understand why there are jokes about politicians and lawyers, since one profession is known for being crooked and the other known for defending the crooked. In fact, even accountants make fun of them. However, in the eastern culture where I grew up, accountants are highly respected and powerful members of society. Therefore, you can imagine my shock when I realize that a profession that is held in such high regard in my culture is looked down upon and made fun of in general. So, I decided to embark on a journey to get to the bottom of these misconceptions. My quest turned up some very interesting and fun facts. i.e.

'Bubble Gum' was invented by an accountant called Walter Diemer in 1928. Although an accountant by trade, Diemer liked to experiment with gum recipes in his spare time. In doing so, he accidentally stumbled upon a unique recipe which later led to the birth of Dubble Bubble. The gum was pink because it was the only food coloring in the factory, which is the reason most bubble gum today is pink. Diemer died in 1998 and was proud to have done something with his life, by making kids happy around the world.

Bestselling Writer, John Grisham has a degree in accounting. Grisham has written 28 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Along with Tom Clancy?and J.K. Rowling, Grisham is one of only three authors to have sold 2 million copies on a first printing

Funny Man Bob Newhart had a stint as an accountant before he became a Comedian.

Al Capone was the most Famous Gangster of all time and the greatest symbol of the collapse of law and order in the United States during the 1920s. Despite being the mastermind behind numerous killings, he was not convicted on any of them. In the end, he was imprisoned for income tax evasion as a result of the genius work of a tax accountant.??

Now you can see, accountants are actually – talented, funny and brave people who have had a positive impact on the world. So why then are we put into the same category with politicians? Hmmm.

Maybe our reputation is well-deserved. It's like the chicken-and-egg riddle. Are you an accountant because of your personality? or do you have that personality because you're an accountant? In my case, I know that I will become more a control-freak the longer I stay in accounting. Because of this, I am not going to convince you that we are a group of fun-loving people, which may be true in rare cases. Instead, I want to emphasize that accountants are an essential part of society. Despite the abuse we get, we continue to do our jobs happily, knowing that the world will fall apart without us.?Yes, I mean it!

So next time you talk to an accountant, instead of looking down on them as a boring, control freak with no sense of humor, look up to them as a financial superhero, working tirelessly to maintain peace and order in the world, and offer them a snack preferred by all accountants -- i.e. bubble gum.

Above are just my views .. and if you are also an accountant reading this .. what about you? Do you go out of your way to disprove the theory that accountants are boring? or maybe you are proud of your classic accountant persona. And this brings me back to my opening question (now) with a twist: “Is it old fashioned to be a boring accountant?”

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