“I want to be an accountant”....ability versus desire

 By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

Most school pupils I have spoken to during career expos express the desire to do accountancy. They want to deal with money. They want to be close to money, count it and possess it. We all love money, but the ability to handle it tends to elude most of us. It tends to be too fluid to stay with us. Some people would want to tell everybody how much they have that particular day on them or in the bank account. They will talk careless because money is speaking.

Beyond wishes for a particular career, there's serious work to be done to get there. There are a number of prerequisites to put in place. There are key subjects required to be passed in high school, there are certain attributes to groom, there's a mindset demanded on entrants into each career, etc. It's thus important to get familiar with them and start building them as you go up the ladder of life. The drive above all shouldn't be money, but the commitment to make the career make money for you. Identify windows you can utilise to make money within that career, scan for people who are practitioners and what they do with that profession outside working for someone. See where your heart takes you within those opportunities. 

Money creates a particular geocentricism in people. I have cousin who often tells his children to go and make anyone's daughters pregnant because he has money to pay. Or he would start a fight simply to prove that money rule the world. Although he’s in the 50s, he really shows off when his bank account is well stocked.

Many pupils I have spoken to equally feel working with money as accountants would give them power derivable from this measure of value. They think it will make them powerful and admirable people in town. They tend to focus on money and its influence rather than their ability to deal with subjects required to be an accountant. They also rarely consider their ability to handle money itself.

I often ask them: if you are given K50 for lunch every day of the week, how would you spend it? Interestingly, most of them say they would buy finger licking lunch and share with friends. They want to enjoy it and get another one the following day. But few gave good indicatives of financial management. I remember one girl who said I save my money parents give me. Her parents give her K20 on a good day. But she said she saves half of it and eat something cheap. In her small way, from her savings and her mother’s additional financial backup; she started baking cakes and supplying to her teachers.

There’s an investment mind in her. Not only investment minded, but respect for money. The amount doesn’t matter much, but what she was able to do with it. From biblical recordings, “if we can be trusted with small things, we can be trusted with bigger things.” We would have exhibited our abilities from smaller things and applying same principles we can deal with bigger things. We are required to apply not only financial management acumen, but an eye for detail in the managing money. The ability to read business opportunities, grab them and carryout prudent financial appropriation of it according to desired outcomes from each activity.

Who is an accountant?

In simpler terms, it’s a person specially trained to keep and inspect the financial records of individuals or business concerns and prepares financial and tax reports. S/he is expected to analyse financial information and prepares financial reports to determine or maintain record of assets, liabilities, profits and loss, tax liability or other financial activities within an organisation.

It offers a wide range of job opportunities in the accounting industry. This however depends on one’s level of study. Among the broader accounting programmes once can pursue are:  Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA).

Within these programmes are specialities either in auditing or financial management accounting, taxation, or general accounting. The courses within accounting are in different stages such beginners, licentiate, technician and professional. In Zambia, there are a number of institutions offer the programmes.

Subject that are pertinent to pursue any of these are mostly mathematics, book keeping and principles of account. Since English is compulsory and is a language in business communication, it is a good to have subject as well. The ability to communicate effectively in written and orally is key in business management.

Having the ability to interpret jargon and complicated accounting concepts into ideas that can easily be grasped by clients is an invaluable trait that an ideal accountant should possess. An accountant that is able to interact easily and get their ideas across clearly to anyone is a major asset that clients and employers always look for.

What does it take being an accountant?

Being an accountant requires virtuous attributes because money is the root of all evil. If you asked Infinit Accounting, the responses you will get are that an accountant’s work “requires a high degree of precision and level-headedness.” This is because minor oversights can have huge consequences on a client’s business. For example, a single digit mistakenly added or  removed would have huge effects on how the accounting books will look like, how decisions will be made, and what those books say about the financial health of a company.

A wrong figure distorts a lot of things within the business’ financial units. Therefore one who is not precise with things should think of a profession that allows them room for margins of error. When it comes to money matters, such errors come with grave impacts. No company would want to go through such headaches when its financial position is in good standing.

Whereas one wants to be accounting money, s/he should be accountable themselves. “No finger-pointing allowed; they know that whatever the outcome of their work turns out to be, the buck stops there, exactly where they are.” In as much as humans are fallible, no wreck fewer errors are permissible. Keeping detailed accounts and accurate reports is pertinent in spotting where and how such inaccuracies came about.

Being trustworthy is another trait. The information accountants work with are confidential in nature. This is why professionalism is an important trait that they must always abide. Not only is this the right and ethical way to go about their business, but having a reputation for trustworthiness will win them more clients in the long run. Trust is something that is not easy to build, and it’s a trait that must be taken seriously in order to earn good feedback from clients.

As mentioned earlier, ethical attributes; that is, a strong sense of integrity and an inclination toward honesty are traits that inspire confidence in an accountant’s work and professional practice. This is a trait that should extend into their personal lives as well, because an accountant who has the ability to be morally upright and live as an upstanding citizen is someone who will most likely obey the rules of law. Being a law abiding citizen means that this trait will show up in how they do the accounting books as well: one that is within generally acceptable accounting laws, and one that is obedient of all relevant laws.

Such traits are nurtured. They don’t come from the blues. If you want to be an accountant, aim to build very relevant attributes that help you build your career and name in the profession. Make your wishes become reality. Identify role models in the profession, join professional bodies in accounting, find social media groups that talk about accountancy and learn from them to go up the professional ladder of your dream.