Thursday, July 8, 2010

Who wants to be an Accountant?

I want to be an Accountant !!!!
Many students have told me that they want to be an Accountant. Then I ask them, why do you want to become an Accountant?. If you are also in the same position, just ask your self.

WHY I want to be an Accountant?
Why? Do you really like it? Do you know about it? How do you expect life to treat you after becoming an Accountant?

I have no interest in writing their answers here. But to understand the basis of my article, I suppose its important that I share some of their views.  This is what they told me in summary.

1. "It is the easiest thing to do. I mean Maths and Science are so difficult. So we are going to do Accountancy. "

2. "I know an Accountant. He is very rich and has a nice car. I want to be like him."

3. "My father is an Accountant. So if I become an accountant, its a respect to him."

4."My aunt who is in Melbourn told me, that for Accountants, its easy to get Austrailian PR!!!".

Only a handful of students who gave me the answer I was expecting. They told me that they were so passionate about it, its very interesting to handle a  finance in a company and the whole company will depend on what they do. Amaizing. I can smell what their career is going to be.

Job market for Accountants in Sri Lanka
During last couple of years I worked with and dealt with many professionally qualified accountants. Some of them were very successful in their career where as some of them were you know just Accountants. I met accountants who have the same qualification, but one gets like 10 times  of the salary of the other. But unlike another professions which the work may vary, they were doing the similar type of work for two similar size of multinational companies in Sri Lanka. What create that difference? Trsut me guys, I know these poeple. Its not their talent which makes them differ. Its defineatly not the capacity of their brain. Its just their attitude. Its just their spirit and the will.

'Thats A job' Accountants
I've categorised the Accountnats whom I met. I will call the first category as "Thats a Job" Accountants.

Some, I can say most of the Accountants of this category just hate what they do. For them its very routine.  Monthly Accounts, Quarterly Accounts , Annual Accounts , Audit reports and this cycle repeats for the rest of their life. They consider its their job. It pay for their food, so why bother. Do something here and their, cover up things, close the computer, pack the files, go home before others !!! Surely thats a dull life. They get paid  only for that much.  

'Thats 'THE job' Accountants
A co worker of this site asked me whether I categorised my sample of accountants based on the salary scale. No. I didn't. But when I checked my data collection sheet against the salary sheet, I realised that he is not wrong. But its a co incident. I categorised based on the answers they gave to my questions. This category of people told me that "Its THE job". If you take the bigger picture, they were also doing the same things which other category were doing. Thats preparing Accounts. But their life was more interesting. They feel  they are important. They feel they are talented. Most importantly they feel they are happy. They did not have complaints. They are working for the same kind of employers who has no interest in the happiness of employees. So how do they live so happy?

They are either doing their dream job. Or else they are the sort of people who can convert any job they do in to their dream job with the commitement and thrive to learn.  They were absorbing new knowledge, practicing what they learned, implementing things at work, find the ways to do the work efficiently and effectively. Get more work  to do in the time saved. Check what could be the best for the company and for them selves. Keep an eye on the share market. Invest. You know it was interesting to talk with them atleast for a small time. They were at different ages. Some were very young. Some were quite old. But their passionate about the profession was same. It was amaizing to watch the way they were handling things. They do have a life. They have become Accountants, not by chance, but by choice.

Whats the difference between these  two type of Accountants?
 I asked the " 'Thats 'THE job' Accountants...............

"Did you request this salary in the interview"?

Most of them told me,
"No. They offered me". !!!!

They were head hunted by the companies. Market is keeping an eye on people like them. They are ready to buy such people at any rate.

And people of the previous category who became Accountants just for the sake of it, thinking it as "A job", oftenly complained about the second category earning a good salary. Some of them in this category didn't even know that there are such high salary scales exist and operating in Sri Lanka. When I asked them a rough question on market salary rates, they told me

"What nonsense. Who would want to keep an Accountant paying so much of a salary? !!!!!".

So that was their definition of their own profession. They only get what they deserved.

Who should be an Accountant?
 Like any other profession, to be a professionally qualified accountant also it takes much time and needs much hardworking. A person who could not spend that time, a person who do not have that commitment, a person who do not wish to build a career as a professional Accountant, should not aim of being an Account. There are hundred and one other jobs which suits your profile which could give you the same benefits an Accountant can get.  If you are not ready for a hard life, do not ever dream of being a high profile accountant. 

How to be an Accountant?
I will assist on this on my next article. Be await !!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does ICASL gives exemptions to the students with foreign Accounting degrees?

Nishadee said...

As much as I know, they do not give exemptions to any degree. But please email mgrstudies@icasrilanka.com
for more details.