There are many clichés and preconceived ideas about almost every profession. But clichés have a hard life, they say. The profession of chartered accountant does not escape this rule. The received ideas on this profession have the unfortunate consequence of discouraging many young people who however are seduced by the work of chartered accountant and dream to excel in this field. It is then important to dismantle a certain number of received ideas on this profession so that the people who aspire to this branch can have the courage to launch out…
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Through this article, we listed some of these so-called truths on the profession of chartered accountant…
1. You need to be a math pro
This thought is anything but true. You don’t have to be good at math to be a CPA. In fact, it is very common to come across professionals in this field who have studied literature. However, it is still true that you have to like to manipulate numbers, cross-check them, and interpret them to be a good accountant. However, this should not lead young people who want to become accountants to believe in the exaggerations that this profession can only be practiced by mathematical aces. You will need neither geometry nor algebra. You will simply need logic and analytical skills before anything else.
2. It takes eight years of study to do the job
This is another misconception about the accounting profession. You don’t need a bachelor’s degree plus 8 years to become a public accountant. The truth is that you need to complete 5 years of studies after the baccalaureate and do a three-year internship in a firm or a company before obtaining the famous diploma of certified public accountant (DEC). These three years of internships are very rewarding in terms of knowledge in the field of public accounting.
3. The job is rather boring…
This is also the case for the profession of public accountant. Forget the image of the guy with glasses, overwhelmed by numbers and paperwork. He works for structures of very different sizes and sectors of activity: SMEs, VSEs, ETIs, start-ups, associations, craftsmen, shopkeepers, farmers, etc. He carries out various missions in which contact is of prime importance. It is an exciting job that allows you to be in contact with various types of companies and fields of activity.
4. The ideal is to be the head of your own firm
This perception is far from the reality of the automobile, not all accountants are interested in entrepreneurship. Many of them become teachers or work as employees in a company. Within companies, they generally occupy the functions of management controllers, financial analysts, CFOs, auditors, managers… According to Françoise Savès, president of the Association of Women Chartered Accountants, two thirds of women who graduate in this field choose this path. They get their DEC at the age when they want to be mothers. They then prefer to join a company to better reconcile their professional and family lives,” she says.
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