There are a lot of clichés and misconceptions about almost all trades. But clichés have life is hard, they say. The profession of chartered accountant is no exception to this rule. The received ideas on this the unfortunate consequence of discouraging many young people who are nevertheless seduced by this profession. The work of a chartered accountant and dream of excelling in this field. It is the important to to dismantle a number of preconceived notions about this profession so that aspiring individuals can to this branch may have the courage to take the plunge … Through this article, we have listed some of these so-called truths about the profession of chartered accountant …
1. You have to be a math whiz to become a CPA.
This thought is anything but true. You don’t have to be good at math to become an expert-accountant. In fact, it is very common to come across professionals in this field who have done literary studies. However, it is still true that you have to like to manipulate numbers, the cross-check, interpret them to be a good accountant. This should not, however, lead to young people who want to become chartered accountants to believe the exaggerations that would want this profession can only be practiced by the aces of mathematics. You will need neither geometry or algebra. You will simply need logic and analytical skills analysis above all.
2. It takes eight years of study to practice the trade.
This is another misconception about the profession of chartered accountant. You don’t have need to have a baccalaureate plus 8 to become a chartered accountant. In truth, you need to follow 5 years after the baccalaureate and complete a three-year internship in a firm or company, before obtain the famous Diploma of Chartered Accountancy (DEC). These three years of internships are very rewarding in knowledge in the field of public accounting.
3. The profession is rather boring …
All professions have their own realities that oscillate between difficulty and passion. This is also the case of the profession of chartered accountant. Forget the image of the type with glasses crumbling under the numbers and the paperwork. This is not the everyday reality of the accountant. The accountant works for structures of very different sizes and sectors of activity: SME, VSE, ETI, startup, association, craftsman, trader, farmer… He carries out various missions where contact is of prime importance. It is a an exciting job that allows you to be in contact with different types of companies and fields various activities.
4. The ideal is to be at the head of one’s own practice.
This perception is far from reality because, not all accountants are interested in entrepreneurship. Many of them become teachers or work as salaried employees in
a company. Within companies, they generally act as controllers of management, financial analysts, CFOs, auditors, managers… According to Françoise Savès, president of the Board of Directors, the of the association Femmes Experts-Comptables, two thirds of the women graduates in this field choose this path. They graduate from DEC at the age when they want to be mothers. They prefer so she joined a company to better reconcile work and family life,” she says.