Accountancy - Do You Have What It Takes
Find out if you have what it takes from Vinitha Padmanabhan Guptan, Programme Director of the University of the West of England from Taylor’s University College.
Accounting is the backbone of the business financial world as it helps businesses to grow and flourish. This is not a new profession but a seasoned and well respected one. Accounting gives us the financial snapshot we need to make solid business decisions about the current status or projected future health of each business.
A good accountant not just navigate the maze of tax laws and save you time and money, but will also provide sound advice to help nurture the business and help it blossom in future. They are valuable assets to an organisation and society. To be one, you must be able to build relationship for the business as accountants need to help develop a relationship with their clients.
Accountants and auditors help to ensure that organisations and businesses are running efficiently, its public records are kept accurately, and its taxes are paid properly and on time. They will then analyse and communicate financial information for various things such as companies, individual clients, and government. Many accountants offer budget analysis, financial and investment planning, information technology consulting, and limited legal services.
Some work in a typical office setting while some work from home. Both accountants and auditors are employed by public accounting firms, government agencies, and organisations with multiple locations and may get to travel frequently to perform audits at branches, clients’ places of business, or government facilities. Current statistics of accountants are 25,000, it is estimated that Malaysia needs 60,000 accountants by year 2020 to achieve developed nation status.
In order to live in this profession, you will need both the expertise and personal characteristics. You must know some accounting principles, management principles and techniques of business management and administration, and can speak and write, spells accurately with good grammar. Personality their personal image has to be well-groomed, clean. You must have integrity, honest and consistency in work life standards. Other than that they have to be confident, service orientated, a postitive attitude, a pleasant personality and creative mind that could visualise alternative solutions.
