Can accounting be fun?

The stereotype is well-established.  SmileAccountants are often portrayed in the media with glasses, a pocket calculator, and the personality of a rock.  Prior to studying accounting, people warned me of it being the most boring profession there is.  While I admit that doing accounting will never be on par with a trip to Disneyland, I’ve learned that accounting can be fun because of the people and the technology. I work with people more than numbers.  My days are full of meetings and phone calls.  The joy of accounting comes from advising people and improving their lives financially; I have those opportunities every day.  Plus, I’ve worked with many in the profession who are fun and interesting people.  From trampoline dodgeball, go-cart racing, and a Mini-Masters golf tournament, I’ve been part of a lot of fun activities with other CPAs. Technology can make accounting fun (or at least less boring).  Many will agree that mind-numbing data entry and bank reconciliations are tedious tasks; few enjoy them.  I have helped friends move from traditional manual accounting systems to bank-connected online accounting software, greatly reducing the amount of time they spend doing their accounting.  Their feedback included:
  • “This is as fun as accounting can be,” and
  • “I’m actually looking forward to doing my accounting.”
Accounting software has become more beautiful and fun.  QuickBooks Online has a nice new look and simplified interface.  FreshBooks proclaims “Yo!” on its website and has some creative instructional videos that are actually fun to watch.  Xero touts itself as “beautiful software” and claims accounting can be fun (even addictive). Do you want to make your accounting more fun?  Let me know.  I’ll have fun helping you. Maybe your idea of “fun” is letting someone else handle the accounting.  I understand.  I have friends who would rather poke out their eyes than be the banker in a game of Monopoly.  In that case, I can help you too.

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