Is Accounting the Right Major for You?

Do you enjoy working with numbers?  Do you find interest in being able to take business processes and quantify them into something important for management to make decisions?  If this sounds like you, then a career in accounting might be the right path.  While this was my initial perception, after experiencing my first job as an accountant, I was sorely mistaken.

Like many colleges students, I was initially unsure what I wanted to major in.  After deciding to pursue a business major, I was required to take two principles of accounting courses, in which I instantly feel in love with. There was just something about learning about double entry accounting, accrual accounting methods over cash basis accounting, along with a host of other accounting procedures that quickly lured me into making accounting my official undergraduate major.    Additionally, the salary potential was not bad as well.  According to Payscale, the average salary for an accountant is around $44,000. 

After receiving my diploma in 2007, I was really excited to get a job offer as an accountant.  I was initially offered a position in accounts payable, but was quickly offered a position as an assistant controller.  However, as an assistant controller, I was sorely disappointed in the job responsibilities accountants are expected to perform. No courses taken in college could have even closely prepared me for what the accounting profession required when working with private businesses. The job responsibilities I was required to perform but did not enjoy include: 

• looking through hundreds, or sometimes thousands of transactions in the general ledgers in order to reconcile and find mistakes.
• having to determine who made the mistake so I could contact them and find out why and how it was done incorrectly.
• having to search through many files and documents for verification.
• having to call customers to collect on delinquent accounts.
• sending statements to customers so they are aware of their open balances.

While some of these responsibilities should logically appear to be something that an accountant is responsible for, they were honestly not part of my strengths. I am not someone that enjoys working in an organized fashion, as I am more spontaneous.  Additionally, I get completely irritated if I have to clean up other people’s messes on a consistent basis. On the other hand, I truly enjoyed learning accounting in college.  Therefore, just because you enjoy learning accounting as a subject, doesn’t mean you will enjoy it as a career. Now I don't consider my major as a lost by any means, as there are still many accounting careers I can pursue that perfectly fits my niche. But as far as my career as a controller or senior staff accountant for a private business, I think I cannot enjoy doing that as a long-term career.

Then who would be a good fit for the accounting profession?  While it is essential to obtain an accounting degree online or through a traditional four-year college, some other essential skills include being someone that is:

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• always clean and organized.
• doesn’t mind having to clean up other people’s messes, and is able to patiently teach them their errors.
• able to stare at numbers on a computer screen all day.
• extremely patient  and does not become easily irritated over many little problems.
• is able to work a lot of overtime, especially during year end.