What the Accountant Stereotypes Always Get Wrong

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Accountants are dull. Accountants are introverted. Accountants are happy to settle into a comfortable lifestyle and never aspire to greatness. Accountants are math whizzes and love doing taxes. Accountants are male.

These are well-known stereotypes about accountants — but most accountants are eager to tell you that the stereotypes are rarely accurate in real life. If you are considering pursuing a bachelor degree of accounting and entering this important field of business, here are a few facts you need to know:

All Accountants Are Different

No one expects members of the project management team to demonstrate the same personality, and no one asserts that all marketing managers are just like Don Draper. Every professional in every field is unique in some way, and it is important to approach the accounting department with the awareness that no accountant perfectly fits the stereotype. Though some aspects of the stereotype may be accurate to some accountants, it is rude and patronizing to expect all accountants to fall easily into this mold. Thus, even if you are outgoing or ambitious, you can find comfort and success in the accounting field.

SEE ALSO: Custom Keyboard Shortcuts for Mac You Should Start Using

Accounting Doesn’t Require Incredible Math Skill

Accountants spend most of their working hours manipulating numbers — but that doesn’t mean they are utilizing advanced mathematical techniques. In truth, accounting tends to rely on some of the most basic math skills, like addition, multiplication, and subtraction, and most of those equations are completed by software or spreadsheets, which help to eliminate human error and ensure the accuracy of calculations.

This isn’t to say that accountants are button-pushing morons. In fact, many accountants do have high-level math skills. Rather, more important than math knowledge and ability is an accountant’s analytical skills, which allow them to understand what the numbers are saying and communicate that information to other business leaders to facilitate effective decision-making.

Accountants Juggle Work and Life Better Than Most

The typical image of the accountant shows a workaholic drone who is the first in the office and the last to leave. Yet, studies show that this could not be further from the truth. Research shows that among business professionals, accountants are some of the best at maintaining balance between work and life. Though accountants’ work is incredibly important to the success of an organization, most accountants are able to leave work at the office when it is time to clock out for the day. Thus, they are able to control their levels of stress and enjoy life with loved ones more effectively than other types of professionals, who may struggle with making strategic decisions on tighter deadlines.

Accounting Is Among the Most Gender-balanced Fields

Perhaps because accounting is so notoriously numbers-heavy, many people have masculine associations with the field — as men are often expected to excel at math more than women. Indeed, historically men have dominated accounting, as they have dominated all business fields, but recently, the demographics of accounting have swung in the opposite direction. Though the ratio of gender among graduates from accounting programs is roughly 50-50, there are more women practicing accounting in the industry than there are men. Yet, men are more likely to take and pass the CPA exam. The fact is that you can find success in accounting regardless of your gender, which cannot be said of all other business fields.

SEE ALSO: Should You Get A Degree To Become A Programmer?

Accountants Do Love Spreadsheets

There is one stereotype about accountants that always rings true: the love of spreadsheets. Often, individuals who gravitate toward accounting are naturally rather organized, and spreadsheets allow accountants to extend their organizational skills to their work. Though learning spreadsheet functions and applying them properly can take time and practice, most accountants come to see managing spreadsheets as something of an art form, with some spreadsheets looking truly beautiful to the experienced accountant’s eye.

Stereotypes have the potential to cause remarkable amounts of harm, and the sooner we eliminate stereotypes from our culture, the better. Even when stereotypes are applied in jest, they can be a form of bullying — especially in the workplace. If you are interested in becoming an accountant, you should ignore the stereotypes and invest in the right credentials to achieve success in your career.