It’s hard not to be on social media as a professional these days, especially as we work away for clients, and as such, things can look pretty dark in accounting. I’m here to say that it’s not all that bad, and, moreover, there’s hope.
Sure, opinions on social platforms only show part of the picture, but even speaking live to people in accounting, there are a lot of legitimate concerns about the present and future of this great profession. Take your pick from the near absence of life-work balance, lack of true diversity and inclusion, distrust and frustration over technology and the companies that make them, and even pay versus hours of time working and training. Granted, it’s not a great picture from that view, but again, I say there’s hope.
If you know me, then you know I myself have touted all of the things that desperately need to change about this profession if it is to survive and thrive. But this does not negate all of the opportunity that is available to most accountants today, and even to those looking to enter the profession.
Right now, the profession is at a point of inflection and it truly has a chance to reinvent itself. Not because there’s some vendor trying to sell you something or an industry organization saying how you should change. Moreover, claiming that if you don’t change in a certain way or offer certain services (*cough*CAS*cough*Advisory *cough*) then you will not survive. Forget the fear mongering and doomsplaining.
What I’m talking about is the chance for you to choose what kind of accountant you want to be, work the way you want to work, have the clients you want to have, and if you are a firm leader, build your business like a business and run it as you see fit, not by some increasingly antiquated model. To me, the opportunities to do all of these things have never been more available than now, and THIS is the message that, in my honest opinion, everyone involved in the accounting profession needs to get behind.
Some of you don’t want to hear it anymore and are more comfortable where you are than with the idea of changing in any way. Fine. You do you. But for the majority of accountants I hear from on a regular basis who have issues with where they’re at and potentially headed, I hear you too, and I say again, there is hope.
Let’s meet up at a live event. Reach out to me on social media, or, heck through this website, and book a meeting. If you know me, or even if you don’t, I am here to share my views on how things can be better. And I’m willing to bet that, through the power of community, you’ll find many more voices than mine that are willing to support you on the journey.