Why accountancy? It’s a good question. It’s also the question I’m asked more than any other by young people who are at that exciting stage in life when they are choosing a career. I’m certain that you as an ACCA member get asked the same thing.
It was also the subject of a roundtable discussion hosted by our members in Hong Kong SAR, where my friend and predecessor as ACCA president, Joseph Owolabi, was a guest. The event made me think again about the best way to answer the question. It can be tough – it’s hard to know where to start as there’s so much to say.
Limitless opportunities
That said, I’m always happy to address the question, as it gives me a chance to bust a few misconceptions, and to describe how our profession is so multi-faceted, creative and endlessly fascinating.
There’s no single way to sum up the work of a professional accountant
I like to describe how accountancy – and the ACCA qualification, in particular – is the springboard to a million different roles across business. There’s no single way to sum up the work of a professional accountant. It brings limitless opportunity.
We also still have a lot of work to do before we end the myth that accountancy is just about adding up columns of figures. Some of our colleagues may do some of that kind of work some of the time – but it’s an incredibly old-fashioned, inaccurate and reductive way of seeing our profession.
We still hear that accountancy is for people who are ‘good with numbers’, which remains the biggest distortion about what we do. I always say that basic numeracy is useful and maybe even essential – but beyond that, the profession doesn’t demand a special education in mathematics. It wasn’t even true when I joined the profession way back in the last millennium – if it was, I wouldn’t have come within a thousand miles of it.
Making a difference
It’s much more important for an accountant to acquire and nurture skills such as empathy, listening, creative thinking, leadership and problem solving. These are the ways we can add value and make a real difference for employers or clients.
There are so many great stories to tell about the work we do
I’m really happy that members have talked so warmly about the many attractions of accountancy in our Be You. Anywhere campaign, which banged the drum for what we do on social media. It’s had a major impact with Gen Z, and with the ambitious, talented and passionate young people we want to bring into the profession.
There are so many great stories to tell about the work we do, in all its many and varied forms, and I am delighted that our members are taking such an active role in leading this conversation.
As Joseph said at the roundtable, this is the way we can all play our part in changing the perception of our profession from ‘boring to bold’.
