In this article, we will see jobs for accountants who don’t want to be accountants
Don’t be afraid of change
Perhaps you have graduated with an accounting degree and then realized that you do not want to be an accountant, or maybe you have worked as an accountant for a while until you felt that this is not the right job for you anymore; it is entirely ok to have those sorts of feelings. Many successful people around the world don’t work in fields related to their degrees, and many more decided to have a career shift after many years of hard work in a particular industry. Therefore, don’t let that devastate you or make you feel that your degree or your hard work was a waste of time; because it is not, it has provided you with experience and knowledge that will push you forward towards a successful career. So, you can choose to shift to whatever career you want, and your background in accounting will help you with it. However, some professions are related to accounting, and other jobs may not be related to accounting but require skills similar to the ones you need as an accountant. Accordingly, you may have higher chances of succeeding in those careers. In this article, we are trying to help you make a wise decision, putting into consideration the skills you may learn from accounting.
Things you learn from accounting:
For some people, accounting is about numbers and complex calculations, and for others, it is associated with tedious and repetitive office work. Nevertheless, accounting has more to offer than just repetitive work. Accordingly, we have prepared for you some of the things that you may take away from studying or working in accounting:
How to become detail-oriented
Accounting is highly concerned with details, and this shouldn’t come as a surprise since you are dealing with numbers and very important transactions. A simple mistake in accounting can cost your firm a fortune. Accounting helps you pay attention to details because every simple detail matters. This high level of concern about details is for sure will benefit you in infinite careers, for instance, a career in programming.
Analytical thinking
In accounting, you need to analyze many financial statements to conclude critical information about the firm’s financial position and performance. The analytical skills you gain from accounting could help you become a data analyst or help you in careers that require you to take many critical decisions, such as management careers.
Discipline and commitment
Whether studying or working in accounting, you need to allocate a lot of your time to it because of the large amount of information to learn and tasks to do. Hence, you learn how to be committed to your work and do your best. And for sure, any career in the world demands commitment and discipline to succeed.
Knowledge in business
In accounting, you learn everything about the legal structures of businesses and their financial systems. Also, you learn all the important terms in accounting and business in general. This knowledge is necessary if you decide to shift to any other career in the business world.
Indeed, the skills and knowledge that you can get from accounting are not exclusive to what we addressed earlier. Therefore, eventually, it will be up to you to evaluate what you learned and how it could help you in your future career.
Jobs for accountants who don’t want to be accountants
Using the skills we mentioned before in this article, and by doing some research on the nature of several jobs and their relevance to accounting, we have collected a list of some of the jobs and career paths that will suit you as a person who once was an accountant and now want to explore other jobs:
Business analyst
As an analyst, your main goal is to give firms and different organizations advice on how to be more successful and effective. You will work on building systems and strategies that help the organization has a better performance. Your work will vary based on the industry you work in and your experience level. However, in general, you will be gathering a lot of previous data and analyzing it to predict the best future performances while reducing costs. Having a background might help you in this field because, in accounting, you already learn how to record and analyze financial data to assess the organization’s current situations and help it be better in the future.
Entrepreneur
If you intend to leave accounting because of routine and repetitive tasks, then maybe you should consider being an entrepreneur. This job is full of innovation and new adventures every day, but it has high risks also. Entrepreneurs need to have a diverse set of skills to be able to deal with the various challenges they will face all the time in their work. Some of these skills you’ve probably have learned from accounting, such as discipline and commitment, analytical skills, communication skills, and more. As an entrepreneur, the most important thing is to know where your money is going and what are the best ways to use it, which requires financial skills that accounting will provide you with. Your background in accounting will make you able to record all your financial transactions and understand the current financial position of your company. Moreover, you can save a lot of money by not having to hire accounting, and even if you decide to hire an accountant, you will be able to read the financial statement and understand everything which will protect you from any fraud or manipulation from the people you hire.
Financial advisor
Financial advisors help their customers take important financial decisions regarding investments, personal finances, and more. As a financial advisor, you can provide numerous types of financial services, whether for individuals or companies in several industries. The type of services you can provide depends on the certificate and license you will take. However, a background in accounting will help a lot in this profession. For instance, you will be aware of all the terms and practices regarding investment, taxes, financial transactions, and even the legal aspect of financial activities, which you will need as a financial advisor.
Investment banker
Investment banking is a very significant field in finance, but background knowledge in accounting is also important to succeed at it. Investment bankers help companies with big financial transactions. They do things such as helping the company raise funds, buy another company in merger and acquisition, and more. Moreover, private companies must use the services of investment bankers if they want to go public. Investment banking is a great choice for anyone with a degree in business fields. Also, a career in investment banking is very rewarding in terms of salary as well.
Tax consultant
A tax consultant’s work is very related to the financial advisor. Customers go to tax consultants to help them make the best decisions in terms of reducing their taxes and help them have a clear idea of how tax policies work; they work directly with their customers and give them customized services based on their current financial situation. Tax accountants need to have a degree in accounting or finance. Also, a professional certificate such as a CPA ( certified public accountant) will help you become a tax consultant. A career as a tax consultant could be your best choice if you want to stay away from the tedious bookkeeping tasks and yet stay close to the accounting field.
Search for more options
There is no way we could cover all the possible careers you can shift to in one article. Accordingly, it is now your turn to search for more jobs that suit your interests and background. Furthermore, all of the careers we have discussed are related to the business field. However, a background in accounting could help you with non-business fields as well. For instance, being a mathematician. And not because accounting involves numerical calculations but because accounting teaches you how to have analytical and critical skills. Therefore, there is no limit to the type of jobs you could have because you could always learn any required skills or knowledge as long as you have enough determination for this.
Conclusion
It is never too late to change your career and nothing you have ever done is a waste of time. Whatever you studied at college or the job you had, it will help you in the future even if you decided to shift to an entirely different field. And one of the degrees that you should never regret having is accounting because whether you choose to pursue a career in it or not, you will find yourself equipped with a large number of skills and a lot of knowledge that will make you excel in any other career. In the end, don’t let social pressure or anyone decide your career for you; you should choose your career wisely based on your interests and the style of life you wish to live.
