Accountants are made, not born. (Or, How to become an Accountant.)

The challenge to someone who has made a career decision to become an accountant is: How do I become one?

A critical area of importance in becoming an accountant is education. Choosing the right university degree and right accounting designation is not an easy process.

Once you have decided the educational path to take, it is important to consider what career path to take. The most difficult question for someone starting their career is: How do I get my first job?

This question is difficult to answer, because most companies looking to hire want someone who can do the job and not have to be trained. So where does this leave the first time job seeker?

Co-Op Programs: The best way to get your first job is to have already had some experience. Co-op programs at universities are an excellent way to get that critical first job experience.


Clerical Office Work: Another way is to find an office clerical summer job. Accounting is more than just office work, but it is office work. Getting a summer job where you will help out with clerical tasks in an office can give you a feel for some of the key components of work life in an office. If you've graduated school and have never worked in an office environment, do you really know what you're getting yourself into? An Office is certainly a very different place then Campus.


Volunteer: Volunteering to do accounting tasks for a non-profit is an excellent way to get a leg up on starting your career. Many non-profits in your town have limited funds to pay for salaries, but do have many accounting tasks that need to get done. It can be a great way to learn the job of accountant.

Who you know: Don't forget calling on family and friends. Someone you know (or someone that knows someone you know) runs a small business. It could even be a home based business. Offer to help an entrepreneur with their accounting (for a small fee) - they will be very grateful for the help and you can learn about accounting for a business.

Another point to keep in mind – there is no better time than now to start building your career network. As you begin your transition from university or college to your career, it is very important to start using LinkedIn. Facebook is great for college life, but has limits in its value in your future career life. (Read our blog post: Is Facebook a Career Killer?) The earlier you get your 'friends' into a career focused networking tool like LinkedIn, the more opportunity you will have to add value to your future career and future employers. In the business world, who you know is as important as what you know. You will want to have your network you have developed at school work for you in your career.

So, how did you get your first accounting career opportunity?

Prediction: ERP Implementations

ERP implementations are coming back. It has been a while since ERP's have been major investments for companies. (If you don't remember the last time, Google "Y2K").

Reasons for this prediction:

- CFOs are sitting on record amounts of cash (See CFO.Com article).
- This cash needs to be put to productive use.
- CFOs are reluctant to use the cash for Hard assets (Real Estate, Plant Equipment).
- Most ERPs are at least 10 years old, and significant technology improvements have been made since, which can allow for significant value-add.

The 'IF' Factor:

If ERP Vendors and Integrators can speak the CFOs language and make the case for significant bottom line improvements, CFOs may be willing to make that investment.

For True Strategic CFOs:

If you consider a large system investment to be in your future, make the decision as soon as possible - costs (ie talent) will be more expensive once everyone else takes the decision.

Pearl of Wisdom: It's so simple.

One of the things I truly enjoy about what i do is that I meet with intelligent, capable, and personable people. Daily.


Yesterday I interviewed an experienced financial professional that was coming off a difficult mandate with a company that was going through a restructuring. He said:


"It's so simple. When a company's financial systems don't work, it is hard to see where the problems are. And once you clean it up, it is usually too late.


In all my experience, I have never seen a company in financial difficulty that had the information they needed to make good business decisions."


Lessons Learned:

- Implement a financial system properly, the first time.
- If you have problems with your financial system, fix them before it's too late.



It really is so simple.