Being forced into accounting. I hate it.

[Keebler]

Thanks for posting. Sorry you're troubled by all of this, but it will work itself out.

As a parent, I can only say your folks are probably acting this way b/c they believe they know what's best for you and/or, they truly want to help you get on your way. I realize you may not agree with it, but understand from their point of view, parenting isn't easy and we're not perfect.

The others are right however - accounting isn't counting people's money. Do you realize that Chief Financial Officers in corporations are guess what - accountants? CFOs are found all over the place - in all facets of business, government etc.. and they are well paid and can have very dynamic jobs. ie. my previous boss was the VP of Finance, under the CFO and before that, the VP worked for a major movie company.

And also, it's a very important job. My bro-in-law is a CA and he literally saves people money. Tax laws can be very complex so accts have to be very smart and knowledgeable. I know we pay for him to do our taxes every year, but I guarantee we've easily saved more than what we would have if we had used one of those tax programs out there. They can only do so much without knowing all the intricacies.

Maybe you're just unwilling to follow in your siblings' footsteps? I can't blame you for that. You want to carve out your own existence.

As for the money thing - your parents aren't far off the mark by wanting you to get a co-op program to be debt free upon graduation. That is simply smart parenting and shows how much they care about YOU b/c coming out of school with your legs up to your arse in debt, isn't fun. They are speaking from experience which comes from being older. You don't have to like it or agree with it, but that's the way it is. Trust me, a total stranger. I have nothing to gain by lying to you.

Just think of graduating and having your dollars go where you want them to go, instead of to the govt first?

If I were you, I'd stick with it for a while and see what happens. Try to have an open mind.

best of luck,
keebler

 

[rhsgolfer33]

I'm not in business, nor medicine, nor accounting, I'm a mining Engineer, and love every bit of it, because I'm never desk bound. And hey the renumeration is very nice. I'm being forced to do budgeting and forecasts (that's ok,) but I hate all the other accounting ******** that is getting piled on me. Like end of months, and accruals... arrrrgh its all crap and that's what we pay accountants for.

Let me say this as plainly as I can:

So much good engineering has gone by the way side because of bad accounting

Accounting is a very negative business, always trying to save a buck for someone else (the person you're working for,) or cutting the budgets down of other departments.

Give me a break, accounting is a negative business? That generalization could easily be applied to mining engineers who contribute to pollution and destruction of the environment by designing mines. Doesn't that sound dumb? Thats how dumb it sounds when you say accountants are always trying to save a buck or cut budgets. There are many areas in accounting, for instance external auditor and certified fraud examiner, that have nothing to do with saving money or budgeting.

Budgets have to be cut and dollars have to be saved, thats the way organizations run. Without people willing to do this who are trained in accounting and finance it wouldn't matter if you were an engineer, because there wouldn't be very many large profitable companies around hiring engineers or anyone else for that matter. Businesses are profitable because 1) they offer a product or service that people desire and 2) someone at the company understands how and is willing to price, budget, and manage expenses, revenues, volume, etc, surrounding those products or services. Without number two you'll either be lucky and make a profit (but you certainly could have made a larger one) or you'll have a loss. Its the biggest thing lacking in most entrepreneurs and startups, accounting and finance skills.

And correction, thats what you pay a bookkeeper for, CPA/CAs/whatever, don't usually handle your everyday/every month accruals because those are quite simple.

Without accountants many engineers would have hard time bidding jobs, managing costs, etc, and without engineers in an engineering firm there wouldn't be any money to account for, its a mutual arrangement. I hate it when people slam a profession that they actually rely on extensively. Business work because every division and person brings a different set of important skills, looking down on the accountants or the engineers or the secretaries doesn't help business run efficiently.

If the OP doesn't like being desk he could bound become an auditor at a Big 4 firm, they travel all the time. HE could always join the international tax division as well, I know a person in that division who was sent to Paris for 3 months. They worked 5 days a week but E&Y paid for her nice hotel and food for everyday, its a sweet deal.


The OP is underestimating what an accounting degree does. He thinks it will only get him a CA job. Accounting opens doors into all areas of business, especially when paired with an MBA. Budgeting, planning, and expense management skills are essential in managing any type of business, and that's partly why accounting degrees are desirable when entering the business field. Its certainly not for everyone though, the work is tough, tedious, and takes quite a while. There are lots of required class and there is little to no room for elective courses, but the payoff is good when you graduate. Even if you work at a Big 4 firm for a few years after, companies lateral higher quite a few executives (controllers, CFO's, VP's, etc) out of positions at those firms.

 

[Demosthenes X]

5. Here's a question: Assuming you're going to a Canadian university, which uni charges $10,000 per semester in Canada? If they have co-op, it sounds like perhaps they went to Waterloo or something, where most of their courses/degrees have co-op. Just curious.

Queen's School of Business, for one. I don't know tuition costs for Business anywhere else, but from what I hear it's more or less double what you would pay for an undergrad in Arts or Humanities across the board.

Waterloo and UVic both have excellent Co-Op programs.

As for the OP... I can't say much that has not been said before, but I will say that the way you describe your parents they come across as idiots. In particular, "My parents think business is useless because there are many people who take business and don't become more than open a little furniture store on the corner."

1) Many people who get their Bachelor of Commerce go onto become accountants. Hardly a waste of time if they go on to get jobs in a field your parents put so much stock in.

2) That "little store on the corner" might end up making a lot more money than an accountant will ever make. My father didn't do business, but he does own a "little(ish) store" and makes plenty more than an accountant.

3) Do not base your opinion of accounting on a grade 11 course. University (once you get past first year!) is very, very different.

If you're not sure what you want to do, I would suggest going to a school like UVic. The reason I suggest UVic is because their Business Program starts in your third year, so you have two years to take general undergrad, decide where your interests lie, and you can then pursue a B.Comm if that's what you want. At most schools, you apply directly to the B.Comm program, and you start Business in your first year. If you decide it's not for you, you're out that extra $5000 you paid in tuition. It's also very difficult (where I am, anyway) to transfer from the Arts to the Commerce program.

 

[Zombie Acorn]

As others have pointed out, most accounting programs include a business core which would cover your basics of business that you seem to be interested in. Check out the school's program before you judge and write it off.

 

[63dot]

Now, what do I do?? I absolutely hate accounting, but money is a huge issue and my parents are being absolute dicks about it. They told me pretty much the only thing I could do is take a year off school and earn the money myself. My parents are fairly wealthy, and have more than enough money saved up, and I know $10000 a year is not the slightest issue for them. What they are trying to get me to do though, is go into accounting because they know I'm good at math and it's basically an easy way to get money. Everyone needs accountants. But what they don't understand is that not everyone wants to be an accountant...

I have seen two major points of view when it comes to accountants.

1)

I pay my accountant $250 dollars an hour and she is worth every cent. However, she took a different path to get there. Law school, then hated the practice of it, and eventually fell into the higher billable hours of a good accountant. Nothing to change, no statements to make for society. Just counting numbers and memorizing hundreds of California Tax laws. Pay is very good.

2)

If you want to make a difference, be a lawyer. You may not make a big dent, but far more than an accountant for social issues that mean something to you.

But if you want to be rich and financially independent, pass the accounting path and lawyer path, and be a very successful restaurant, hotel, or retail store owner. If you do well in any, or all of the three fields, you will have LEGIONS of accountants and lawyers working as mere peons for you. You may not have the satisfaction of being a numbers wizard or a successful negotiator of jurisprudence, but you will have tons of money. If this means something to you, then either study business in school and break off on your own, or if you have an idea(s), then do it right now. In that context, think Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, kids maybe, but with a vision when they went for it.

 

[fridgeymonster3]

If you hate accounting just don't do it. My parents were both math majors, both got their masters in math, and my father got his PhD in Math, so obviously I was steered towards that field (of course that is much less specific then being steered directly into accounting). So, I went along in college and took Calc 3, Linear Algebra, etc, etc and hated it. So I quit....and became a psych major. I was much much happier!

 

[63dot]

If you hate accounting just don't do it. My parents were both math majors, both got their masters in math, and my father got his PhD in Math, so obviously I was steered towards that field (of course that is much less specific then being steered directly into accounting). So, I went along in college and took Calc 3, Linear Algebra, etc, etc and hated it. So I quit....and became a psych major. I was much much happier!

Braver than most people.

Congrats to you. Most will never know your freedom or integrity. The good thing is, that you already reached your reward, which is what we all want, self-esteem and being content in our decisions with no regrets. The graveyard is full of people with regrets.

 

[fridgeymonster3]

Braver than most people.

Congrats to you. Most will never know your freedom or integrity. The good thing is, that you already reached your reward, which is what we all want, self-esteem and being content in our decisions with no regrets. The graveyard is full of people with regrets.

Thanks. It was the most rewarding decision I ever made. I was pretty lucky though because I went to a liberal arts college that required me to take classes across several fields and took psychology on a whim and it just sparked a passion. Now I'm in the process of applying to graduate programs to get my PhD and submitting research to be published. This is why I've become a big supporter of liberal arts schools, it requires students to take several classes outside their proposed major and it gives you exposure to knowledge and information you might otherwise have avoided.

I think the OP needs to try and see what interests he has a passion for and maybe try and pursue them on the side. Take some different classes, find books or stuff to read online, etc. Maybe you'll find something you enjoy that your parents might also support. However, for me it was just about growing up and deciding that I needed to choose my own life path not one that was laid out for me. It's hard but if you have someone in your corner, for me it was my girlfriend who is now my wife, its much easier. Maybe you can talk to your brother or sister about it and get them to support you?

 

[cualexander]

My major was accounting. Everyone said, "All the CEOs of the world are accountants", etc. etc. It was supposed to be a good business degree. I was born on April 15th. I figured, why not?

I did taxes for individuals and small corporations for 3 years and HATED it. It was the most mundane, boring job I ever had. I would have jumped out the window except I was on the first floor.

Now I work for a software company supporting Accounting software and I love my job. I still use my degree but I am not filling out forms and crunching numbers all day. I just consult with people on their software problems, most of which are a result of their own stupidity.

I wouldn't recommend accounting to anyone unless you like boring, mundane things.

 

[Sun Baked]

Doing forms all day long in a dark cubicle is likely to make a sane person have a heart attack, or gnaw off their own face.

 

[Thomas Veil]

Life is too short to bury yourself in a career you hate. Don't do it. My son-in-law got into the accounting field for similar reasons and he's only two years into his career and he hates it. Wishes he could do anything else.

He's in a prison of his own making. Because he listened to what someone else told him to do.

I, on the other hand, make just enough to get along, but I really like my job. I get to be creative, I get to work with technology, and it's very rewarding to see my finished work. I am, in my own way, a helluva lot richer than any of those accountants will ever be.

 

[63dot]

My major was accounting. Everyone said, "All the CEOs of the world are accountants", etc. etc. It was supposed to be a good business degree. I was born on April 15th. I figured, why not?

I did taxes for individuals and small corporations for 3 years and HATED it. It was the most mundane, boring job I ever had. I would have jumped out the window except I was on the first floor.

Now I work for a software company supporting Accounting software and I love my job. I still use my degree but I am not filling out forms and crunching numbers all day. I just consult with people on their software problems, most of which are a result of their own stupidity.

I wouldn't recommend accounting to anyone unless you like boring, mundane things.

This is the beauty of us all being different.

One person may hate the mundane nature of accounting, while another may love working for themselves as an accountant from home (many do including mine) and not have a boss staring over their shoulders or have to get up, dress up, and go to an office every day.

It's kind of nice to work ten minutes and charge $125 dollars as an accountant (for my tax returns which I wouldn't do for the world) and not worry about the same liability as having done the same thing for less as an attorney.

When I asked her about mundane, she told me about law being similar, and from what I can see, she's pretty accurate. Most recently, a Miami Vice/CSI/Law and Order type of cop, the real thing, discussed how his job was almost entirely paperwork, and not anything like the TV show. It is said in some jurisprudence writing manuals, used for law school and police academy, that with the law, one may have to write more than a novelist. I guess that means no cool suits, fast cars, or slo-mo Hollywood explosions.

After 30 years in the working world, I don't know anybody who loves what they do. But I have met tons of people who absolutely hate what they do. A smart path to take is to get a career one likes a lot but realizes is still just a job and not a hobby. In a very rare occurrence, one can have the two be the same, but I am yet to personally meet such a person. I had a friend who was a rock star, and though he noted being chased by screaming girls was a nice perk, having a dad as a manager who would beat you and micromanage you was not a great thing. He ended up very rich very young and a late stage alcoholic. While he made a lot of money for his music, he was never at rest knowing he got ripped off by his entourage, including his dad and his record company, and had to have attorneys and their letters be a common thing.

 

[MatttheCA]

Hi aaquid,

I am currently an accountant and I am 24 years old this next month. I have a bachelor of commerce with a major in accounting and a minor in finance. I have also recently completed my CA (known as a CPA in America) in Australia. I utterly HATE my job and feel like jumping off a cliff everyday before work. I actually came across this post/site by googling "i hate accounting what other careers can I do". lol.

I was pushed into accounting by my father, who said "you will earn great money, travel around the world etc etc". I had little understanding of the world, nor what I wanted to do. I really regret not researching something "i'd like to do" prior to completing my degree and CA. I have all this education and 3 years of professional experience working in accounting yet I hate it so much. I just continued through it knowing that accounting can lead to other career paths.

I'm currently searching the web every night for an escape to start a completely new career, and try to feel better about my boring situation, lol. The problem is I'm locked in a contract until December 2009 (AHHHHHHHHH!!!). I really suggest to listen to yourself and do what YOU WANT to do. Take my advice: "you cannot do a career successfully if you despise it". I am utterly miserable doing accounting and now suffer some depression from it (never ever had it until I started as an accountant), and due to my contract and the financial crisis I cannot move YET! My passion is share markets, so i'll hopefully get into an investment bank when the economy improves.

Accounting is by no means "simple maths", degree level or a postgraduate CA courses will show you the legislation, and complicated issues. However its still so mundane and BORING. A bachelor of commerce is basically the best "business" degree you can get and you can do majors, minors etc in all different areas: Economics, accounting, finance, basic commercial law etc. I suggest looking into that. Nowadays a degree is generally essential to get started out so try and find an area your interested in. Studying a degree you hate is very hard, trust me, i've done a degree, and a post grad degree I despised!

I hope you follow yourself, not your parents. Getting a part time job for a year and then travelling is probably a good idea. I'm looking at doing the same thing to try and find myself.

Regards,

Bored depressed accountant

 

[Boneoh]

Do you feel a calling in life? Is there a passion that you have? Or do you feel the pull like a magnet drawing you one direction?

I was fortunate that I discovered computers when I was a senior in high school, back in the days of punched cards and mainframes. I just KNEW that it was where I was going. My first semester of college I was an engineering major. I hated the calculus and chemistry, but loved the computers. That sealed the deal. No regrets since then, I've done R&D in chemical engineering, software product development, project management, consulting, and am now a CIO.

It seems to me that you are a driven individual. Pick a path and go for it, forget accounting if there is no passion. Maybe start of at a junior college for a semester or your first year. Take some basic required classes and experiment with some of the math, business, or pre-law classes. Skip the music and basketweaving.

You'll know after a semester or two what your path will be. Just apply yourself as much as you can. Do it with the idea in mind that you will be showing your parents your grades.

Perhaps they will be more supportive of you when you show them progress. If not, then you may need to plan on going out on your own.

It's your life, and it goes by way too fast. Spoken like a true old fart!

 

[windowpain]

I thought about writing a long piece of advice..but I esentially agree with Mord.

Tell your parents to go **** themselves.

Seriously, letting them push you into a career you'll hate is messed up. It's your life ffs.

Blunt it may be, but the message is the same.. life is short, do what you want to do.
You seem like a smart guy, if you want to study something else you will find a way somehow. (loans/parttime work or whatever..)

If you wait 5/10 years you might have a spouse/kids/mortgage etc and its a lot harder to suddenly decide you no longer want the job you have stumbled into.
Follow your passion, I doubt very much you will look back in 50 years and think 'if only I had studied accounting..'

 

[Burnsey]

Do Engineers make more money than accountants? I'd say despite the tough math and physics, Engineering is probably the best field to go into.