Accountants may not always seek the limelight, but their work is vital to keep business finances flowing. Contrary to common belief, these unsung office heroes are so much more than just numbers and spreadsheets. That’s why we’ve demystified five common myths about accountants.
1. Accountants are math wizards and bean counters
Naturally, accountants are required to have some mathematical proficiency, but the times when they had to manually crunch the numbers are long gone. Instead, accounting today asks more for analytical skills. Thanks to modern technology, accountants can now feed large amounts of data into accounting software, such as QuickBooks Online Accountant. These programs then do most of the bean counting for them as they focus on the bigger picture.
2. Accountants are introverts
Let’s blame Hollywood and movies like The Accountant for the image of the lonesome accountant sitting in a corner over paper piles. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. To perform their role successfully, accountants often need to form close and personal connections with their clients and employers. After all, accounting is a service business, and that usually requires excellent communication skills and high emotional intelligence.
3. Accountants are not creative
Due to its association with numbers, accounting has the reputation of a rather dry career. But, of course, that doesn’t represent the people behind the profession. In fact, the job itself usually requires a lot of creative thinking when, for instance, small or big businesses need to manage their debts, improve their cashflow, find new avenues of growth and alternative streams of revenue.
4. Accountants are all one and the same
Just because accountants share a love for the same craft, they’re not all one and the same. There are many different types of accountants with various specialities. It’s important that business owners find an accountant that understands their type of business. Most accountants will, however, be good at juggling numbers, analytical thinking, and creative problem-solving.
5. Accountants only do taxes
While tax time is indeed the prime season of the year for many accountants, it’s not the only thing they do. In fact, the accounting field is a lot more varied than that with many accountants adapting to into the role of business advisor. Accountants help businesses stay afloat by regularly reviewing their books, providing financial advice, and preparing forecasts. They also work in a variety of industries and can even end up in wealth management or as a CFO.