The Student Room Group

Why do people want to become accountants and bankers?

It's so boring... you literally make spreadsheets and pitch ideas and I just don't see why anyone wants to do that with their life. Why not do something interesting like designing stuff or saving lives as a doctor or programming stuff or teaching? I can understand that bankers are paid well but for accountants, honestly why would you bother?

Is anyone here actually passionate about accounting?
Reply 1
LOL am I the only one who saw an accounting ad below his post?
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Each to their own. I am applying for a teacher training this year. Many people have said, "I could never do that." But then software development wasn't for me either. Everyone has their sweet spot. No one profession is greater than another. They are all required and all have their place.
Reply 3
They do it for the money,money is there motivation


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Other careers aren't as interesting, intense and rewarding of performance as finance, tech or law. Accounting can be very interesting depending on what area you work in.

It's not just money

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Original post by cashcash871
It's so boring... you literally make spreadsheets and pitch ideas and I just don't see why anyone wants to do that with their life. Why not do something interesting like designing stuff or saving lives as a doctor or programming stuff or teaching? I can understand that bankers are paid well but for accountants, honestly why would you bother?

Is anyone here actually passionate about accounting?


Some people are passionate about accounting indeed.

- Don't care about the study of medicine or looking at sick people all day
- Don't care about teeth or looking at teeth all day
- Don't care about having little minions demean you all day
- Don't care about burying my head in illustrator/photoshop all day



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Reply 6
Accountant is what my careers advisor told me was my ideal job.

Many years later I still haven't truly recovered .
Relatively well paid and involves very little hard work.
Original post by cashcash871
It's so boring... you literally make spreadsheets and pitch ideas and I just don't see why anyone wants to do that with their life. Why not do something interesting like designing stuff or saving lives as a doctor or programming stuff or teaching? I can understand that bankers are paid well but for accountants, honestly why would you bother?

Is anyone here actually passionate about accounting?


Teaching? Nah, not interested in 80 hour weeks earning effectively below the minimum wage.
Original post by sr90
Teaching? Nah, not interested in 80 hour weeks earning effectively below the minimum wage.


Please expand ?
Original post by Akbar2k7
Please expand ?


Let's say a teacher is contracted to 35hrs a week. Add on marking, lesson planning, parents evenings etc and that time is doubled. My mum used to be a class teacher so i've seen first hand just how much extra work that causes.

A new teacher will start on around 22k if they're not in London, which isn't anything special for a 9-5 job. If I look in Salary Calculator I see that works out at £1,833 a month or an hourly salary of £12.05 based on a 35 hour week. For a 70 hour week the figure becomes £6.03.... and that doesn't even take into account the deductions for a pension or student loan!

I can hardly blame them for striking over pay and working conditions. Would you take such a demanding job for £6 an hour?
Original post by Princepieman
Other careers aren't as interesting, intense and rewarding of performance as finance, tech or law. Accounting can be very interesting depending on what area you work in.

It's not just money

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Which areas of accounting are very interesting?
Original post by cashcash871
Which areas of accounting are very interesting?


A lot of the digital assurance/analytics stuff is quite cool.

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So they can sit in expensive restaurants with fat Arab/Russian billionaires, feeling moderately important.
(edited 7 years ago)
Whilst many people might well aim to achieve both money AND an exciting and interesting career, the vast majority will be happy with either, because there's a lot of people out there who get neither.
If anybody has a spare moment, would appreciate your thoughts on the survey below - 8 quick questions, no signup. It's market research for an article on work experience, and I would like to understand the collective views on the banking/accountancy body.

https://goo.gl/forms/C56e579WlxQJQiQA2

Cheers
For dat dolla. The job may be boring but when you're not at work you can afford to do anything you want.
Original post by sr90
Let's say a teacher is contracted to 35hrs a week. Add on marking, lesson planning, parents evenings etc and that time is doubled. My mum used to be a class teacher so i've seen first hand just how much extra work that causes.

A new teacher will start on around 22k if they're not in London, which isn't anything special for a 9-5 job. If I look in Salary Calculator I see that works out at £1,833 a month or an hourly salary of £12.05 based on a 35 hour week. For a 70 hour week the figure becomes £6.03.... and that doesn't even take into account the deductions for a pension or student loan!

I can hardly blame them for striking over pay and working conditions. Would you take such a demanding job for £6 an hour?


Thanks alot for the INFO, makes me even more determined to secure a graduate scheme rather than trying to get QTS.

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