Is it difficult to be an accountant? Accountant pros and cons of the profession Is it difficult to be a chief accountant.

Irina Davydova

Reading time: 9 minutes

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The profession of an accountant is very in demand and popular today. The knowledge and skills acquired during the training process will be useful in life to every citizen of the Russian Federation. You will understand the legislative accounting and tax base, and will be able to defend your rights. This way, you will be legally protected from employer mistakes. You will also be able to open your own business and run it without anyone’s help.

Pros and cons of the accountant profession

Anyone who is thinking about becoming an accountant should have a clear understanding of all the advantages and disadvantages of the work of this specialist.

Let's list the advantages:

Accountant is one of the most in-demand professions on the labor market.

Anyone who receives an education in this specialty will be able to get a job as an accountant. According to Federal Law No. 402-FZ of December 6, 2011, every company must provide reports on its expenses and income to the tax service. An accountant will come to the aid of a legal entity. Every month in large cities there are about 6-7 thousand vacancies on employment sites! You definitely won't be left without work.

Highly paid work

The minimum salary in a federal city, for example, in Moscow or St. Petersburg, is 45 thousand rubles, and the maximum is 200 thousand. In a small town, salaries vary from 30 to 80 thousand.

Honorary profession

An accountant is the most important person after the head of the company. He works directly with the director of the company. It is precisely because of their closeness with management that accountants are highly valued.

Opportunity to work part-time at a freelance level

Many small companies cannot afford to employ an accountant, so they offer him to work remotely. As a rule, many accountants earn extra money by completing one-time orders without losing their main job.

Specialists are protected from employer mistakes

They themselves can control payroll and pension reporting. This way, they can never be deceived by their employer.

Career Opportunities

If you dream of becoming an accounting professional, then everything will depend only on your skills and abilities. An experienced specialist with knowledge of English can easily rise to the rank of chief accountant or financial director.

Higher likelihood of completing advanced training courses

To increase the value of his services, an accountant can take numerous seminars and courses.

The skills acquired while working as an accountant will be useful in opening and running your own business. At the same time, employee wage costs will be significantly reduced.

Despite the benefits, being an accountant is not an easy job.

Let's list the disadvantages of this profession:

Great responsibility. A person in the position of an accountant bears a huge responsibility, and a financial one at that.
You will have to pay fines for mistakes in your activities.
The management deliberately blames the accountant for all shortcomings, since he is the right hand of the director of the enterprise. You need to be stress-resistant.
You may have to work irregular hours.
We will have to process large volumes of data and information.
Activities are strictly regulated. There is a certain list of documents that every accountant should know. They are prescribed in Resolution of the Ministry of Labor of Russia No. 37 of August 21, 1998.
You have to keep up with changes in legislation, both tax and accounting.

I would like to become an accountant - let them teach me!

When hiring a company, employers pay attention to your work experience and are less strict about the education of candidates.

But, despite this, the specialist must be educated.

You can learn the profession of an accountant or certain skills in the following ways:

Graduate from a higher education institution in finance or economics

Only at university you will receive the necessary knowledge that you can use in practice. By the way, after graduating from a university you will receive a difficult title in the following specialties: “Accounting, analysis and audit”, “Economics and accounting”, “Taxes and taxation”, “Finance and credit”, “Banking”, etc.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to complete internships. Thanks to constant practice, you will be hired faster. But note that it will take 4-5 years to study at the “tower”.

Enroll in a secondary vocational education institution (college, school)

As such, secondary financial education is also held in high esteem. But the duration of training depends on the specific institution and program. Most often, students study at a technical school for 3 years. You will also have several opportunities: undergo internships in real companies, study under a special program and eventually receive a diploma in various areas.

Take specialized courses

Upon completion of courses and seminars conducted on a commercial basis, you will be able to obtain a certificate as a professional accountant or auditor. The duration of classes will depend on the program. The shortest courses are 2-3 weeks. At the end of your studies, you will have to pass certification exams.

Take courses on specific applications accountants need to know

Typically, you should also be given a certificate or other proof of your participation upon completion.

Study independently - listen to video lessons and perform freelance tasks (freelance)

You can also read textbooks about accounting, sit on forums that can help you a lot! Of course, you will spend a lot of time on self-training. But on the other hand, you will know a lot and only what is really interesting and necessary for you.

How to become a good accountant - necessary qualities and skills

To become successful in accounting, you must possess the following personal qualities and also be:

Responsible.
Assiduous.
Punctual.
Attentive.
Neat.
Purposeful.
Stress-resistant.
Balanced.
Honest.
Think logically.
Argue your point of view.

In addition to personal qualities, an accountant must have the following knowledge and skills:

Know and maintain accounting, tax, and management records.
Maintain primary documentation and cash book.
Maintain warehouse records.
Calculate wages, sick leave, vacation pay and other required compensation.
Keep records of mutual settlements and do not put the enterprise into the so-called “minus”.
Know accounting and tax legislation.
Conduct negotiations with clients and employees.
Be able to draw up documents, for example, powers of attorney, tax invoices, invoices and invoices.
Calculate pension contributions for legal entities and individuals.
Know the rules for conducting an inventory of the company's cash and inventory.
Conduct inventory and draw up a reconciliation report.
Prepare reports and submit them to the tax office.
Conduct an economic analysis of the organization.
Be able to prepare and correctly prepare expense reports.
Know the regulations and instructions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.
Be a confident PC user.
Understand the Client-Bank system and the following programs: MS Excel, Word, 1C: Accounting.

Of course, this list could be much longer. Skills and knowledge depend on the area of accounting, the scope of the company and taxation systems.

The Future of the Accounting Profession – Career Opportunities and Salary

To become a professional accountant and get a job in a decent company, you will have to work hard:

First, while studying, start working part-time, perhaps performing some simple primary tasks. Thus, you will have work in your portfolio (correctly executed documents) and marks on some points of knowledge and skills.
Please note that in order to get a job in a company with a good reputation and popularity, you should have an average of 2 years of work experience. By the way, some specialists are hired with a minimum experience of 1 year.
Secondly, you should improve your professional level. For example, take training courses on topics in which you are not an expert. Their completion can be confirmed by a certificate.
Thirdly, don't be afraid of work. Of course, you will first have to get a job in a small organization, for example, as an assistant accountant, junior accountant, office manager and carry out minor assignments from management.

By completing the above tasks, you will be able to get a job in a decent company within 2-4 years after receiving your diploma.

The career progression of an accountant is as follows:

Assistant.
Junior accountant or economist.
Accountant.
Chief Accountant.
Financial Director.

Since the specifics of companies are varied, a professional accountant can:

Financial analyst or accountant-economist.
Auditor.
Credit controller.
Consultant.

An accountant's salary depends not only on the level at which you stand on the career ladder, but also on the field of activity of the company. The more extensive your knowledge, the more services you can perform, and the higher you will be valued.

Let's look at the approximate average salary for specialists in this profession in Russia:

An assistant accountant receives 15-20 thousand rubles.
18-25 thousand rubles. provided for the services of a junior accountant.
26-30 thousand rubles. due to an accountant.
30-60 thousand rubles. must be paid to the chief accountant.
40-120 thousand rubles. can be received by the financial director.

With regard to the specific field of activity in which you can develop as a specialist and payment, there are significant differences.

We bring to your attention statistical data based on 2014:

Bank employees receive 20-70 thousand rubles.
20-80 thousand rubles. You can earn money in sales and trade.
30-90 thousand rubles. gets an accountant in a construction company.
35-100 thousand rubles. offer for accountant services in the field of energy and raw materials extraction.

In the future, a specialist with an education in Accounting will not be left without work. Demand will remain high. By the way, having studied English and programs in this language, you will be able to conquer not only Russian organizations, but also foreign ones.

The main thing is to improve your professional level and develop!

An accountant is a very necessary person in every organization who ensures competent financial accounting. Of course, they will never put just anyone in such a position, no matter how rude it may sound.

Nowadays, an accountant is a sought-after profession, but this requires a really good education and enormous knowledge of financial affairs. Before choosing whether to study to become an accountant or not, you should carefully compare the pros and cons of the profession.

Let's start with the pros:

Firstly - demand. An organization cannot exist for a long time without a qualified accountant; no one has canceled its obligations to the tax service;

Secondly, there are more than enough jobs, especially in large cities;

Thirdly, as for wages, they are relatively high, depending on how large your enterprise is;

The fourth plus is the honor of the profession. A qualified and conscientious specialist is always highly valued. Plus, the accountant is directly connected with the management team and takes part in all discussions with management;

The fifth plus is the opportunity to earn extra money. Currently, there are a lot of small organizations and companies; like everyone else, they also need an accountant. One-time orders will also provide a certain income;

The sixth plus is control of your own wages and insurance premiums. Thus, the accountant protects himself from the manager’s deception and mistakes made by him;

The seventh advantage is linguistic. If you have knowledge of English, then the path to the position of chief accountant or higher, financial director is open to you;

A big plus: the acquired skills and knowledge can be easily used when opening your own business.

There are many advantages and disadvantages, but do not forget about the disadvantages:

First: huge responsibility. In short, any mistake in finance can have serious consequences;

Second: for various violations - fines;

The third minus is the schedule, it’s simply not standardized. There is work both in the morning and late in the evening. Processing huge amounts of data can take a very long time;

Fourth – regulations. Strict compliance;

Fifth, you constantly need to monitor changes in accounting and tax legislation;

There are certain contradictions between tax and accounting standards - the sixth drawback.

Is it possible to work as an accountant without education? You will be able to find a job that does not require a higher education, but you will definitely not get into a large company and therefore will earn less.

The conclusion is this: there is demand and that means you won’t be left without work.

But to successfully pass an interview, the employer may be impressed by your professional qualities, such as:

Responsibility and literacy;
Willingness to work more than expected, that is, to stay late at work and sacrifice your time for the sake of the company;
Communication skills;
Knowledge of foreign language;
Stress resistance;
Punctuality and others.

And you can get better acquainted with this profession by watching this video. Enjoy watching and good luck!

Details

The accounting profession is valued in the labor market, because a specialist with a diploma can work in the accounting department of any enterprise, as well as in banks and institutions. But is it difficult to be an accountant, is it difficult to work in your specialty and to what extent? Let's find out how difficult or simple the work of accounting workers can be.

If we ask the question whether it is difficult to work as an accountant for any specialist working in a banking institution or enterprise, we will hear a clear answer that working as an accountant is difficult.

A specialist in this industry, especially if he serves in a large corporation or company, in addition to direct accounting, must know jurisprudence in the areas of business law, be familiar with labor and tax laws. Accountants in different industries also need special knowledge, which is acquired during the course of their service.

It is also difficult to work as an accountant because legislation changes regularly. An accountant must be aware of changes in articles of legislation, because in his activities he relies on these laws. This means that it is the accountant who is responsible for the correct conduct of financial processes and the preparation of relevant documents.

A young specialist may not think about the complexity of working as an accountant. Understanding the answer to whether it is difficult to be an accountant comes with time, when a specialist has worked for ten years. Indeed, in addition to special knowledge in the profession, an accountant must also develop personal qualities, such as:

Punctuality. This is probably a feature of an accountant’s professionalism, because the financial stability of an enterprise sometimes depends on his timely submission of reports.
Responsibility. An accountant is a professional person who keeps accounting records of a company's assets. If you miss something in this mechanism, the operation of the enterprise as a whole may fail.
Special education. Accounting is an industry in which a simple untrained person cannot work, so the minimum education required for the position of “assistant accountant” is passing courses, for the position of “chief accountant” - a diploma from a higher educational institution.
In addition, the work of an accountant requires constant self-education: you need to know new things in the accounting industry, as well as amendments or additions to legislative financial documents or tax acts.
The path to professionalism begins with working under the supervision of a more highly qualified specialist. An accountant should take full advantage of the chance to improve his skills.
Professionalism. The professionalism of an accountant today consists not only of special knowledge, but also of the ability to work on a personal computer, knowledge of the 1C program, Excel, and special accounting programs.

Is it hard to work as an accountant?

It is difficult to work as an accountant, because business managers require constant professional growth from accounting specialists. This includes:

Refresher courses;
Self-education.

Once every five years, an accountant must take advanced training courses for accountants, upon completion of which a certificate of advanced training is issued. A specialist intending to advance his career will not miss special courses that improve his skills. If possible, he will also take advantage of online courses.

Self-improvement of skills is:

Studying specialized literature published by publishing houses: “General Ledger”, “Current Accounting”.
Reading periodicals. All changes in accounting, as well as improvements in its work, can be gleaned from the accounting newspaper “Official Gazette”. The periodical is modern and useful. Here you can find answers to complex questions regarding financial legislation, the capabilities of inspectors and warnings against various types of errors.

Working as an accountant is also difficult because you need to know the theory of financial and management accounting, in total - accounting, tax laws, business and commercial law, various mathematical and economic methods of analysis.

Conducted sociological surveys and studies clearly answer the question - is it difficult to be an accountant, already having experience and experience. Unfortunately, with the acquisition of professional skills, the profession of an accountant does not become easier. A person in this profession is not only a specialist with a special education and receiving a salary. An accountant is a person who knows how to take responsibility for the financial calculations made, because the material resources of the enterprise are in the hands of the accountant. An accountant should treat the company's resources as if he were counting and increasing his own material and financial resources. Only such an accountant will become a self-respecting person on whom the head of the enterprise can rely.

There are a thousand professions in the world today. Such a variety of different types of activities creates favorable conditions for the living of all mankind. Each of the professions is certainly necessary and contains certain goals. Along with such complex professions as builder, engineer, lawyer, and economist, the accounting profession occupies a special place. When asking the average accountant whether it is difficult for him to work, everyone will confidently answer in the affirmative. The accounting profession contains a huge number of nuances and subtleties, without knowledge of which it is impossible to become a qualified specialist. An accountant must know by heart an infinite number of numbers, accounts, laws and other information. He needs to easily navigate them and at the same time not make the slightest mistake in calculations and calculations. Inattention is not something that is not welcome in this case, it is simply contraindicated when performing this work. In addition, you should pay attention to the fact that constant changes in legislation significantly complicate the work of an accountant. Previously used figures and definitions are dramatically changed by different data. You need to clearly control this process, while regularly training your memory.

The work of an accountant is strictly regulated, which can be attributed to the disadvantages of this profession. It does not develop creativity and does not expand the space for one’s own fantasies. In addition, very often accountants have to follow the instructions of their superiors, even if they do not agree with them. Accountants often need to be able to maintain trade secrets. For these reasons, overly ambitious people have no place in accounting. Also, a big disadvantage of the accounting profession is the high fee for possible errors. Most often, accountants are punished with sanctions, fines, dismissal and even criminal liability.

To work as an accountant, you need to have a rational, mathematical mindset. A person should be able to easily navigate and not get confused in figures and numbers, and should easily assimilate new information. For example, humanists do not like accounting and, moreover, do not see any interest in accounting accounts.

It should also be noted that the accounting profession takes a lot of time. Since all the reporting of the enterprise rests on the shoulders of the accountant, representatives of this profession are often late at work or even do not sleep at night. This can affect their health and personal relationships within the family. Many people argue that the accounting profession is very boring. However, experienced accountants clearly disagree with this. They claim that accounting is an excellent profession for future career growth. Moreover, if a person is talented, he will never be bored in accounting. This profession opens up wide scope for promising ideas and plans. Despite all the difficulties of the accounting profession, it certainly has many advantages.

Firstly, this profession is always in demand on the labor market. There is no normally functioning enterprise that does not need an accountant.

Secondly, accountants always have the opportunity to communicate with a huge number of people. This is a tremendous life experience and an opportunity to study human psychology.

Thirdly, working as an accountant is an excellent chance to control and discipline yourself. Willy-nilly, but working as an accountant, you get used to responsibility and a clear daily routine.

Fourthly, working as an accountant develops logical thinking and helps both in mastering new disciplines and in everyday life.

Fifthly, the profession of an accountant gives you the opportunity to work for yourself. Having the necessary education, a person can work from home without any problems. In addition, people who have the appropriate education often work as accountants on the second shift, while receiving additional income. Despite the fact that many accountants complain about small incomes from their profession, practice shows that sought-after specialists always have a constant income. Everything depends solely on the person and his professional abilities. It is also impossible not to note that the profession of an accountant today is extremely relevant due to the presence of a huge number of financial universities and accounting courses, where everyone can obtain the necessary skills and abilities.

Future accountants today have wide opportunities to study a new specialty. In the modern world, all conditions have been created for mastering a profession, industrial practice and career growth. As for newcomers to the field of accounting, they have a hard time at first. But the same can be said about any other profession. All skills and abilities come only with time and experience. And what previously seemed impossible will be considered elementary in three years. In addition, in our time, in the era of post-industrial society, mastering the profession of an accountant is much easier than before. There are a huge number of accounting programs that greatly facilitate the work of an accountant. A natural example would be the 1C program, without the existence of which it is no longer possible to imagine the normal functioning of millions of domestic enterprises. This program is designed for maintaining accounting and tax records at enterprises of various fields of activity and different taxation systems. Of course, any newcomer to the field of accounting must have such human qualities as responsibility, perseverance, scrupulousness, hard work, attentiveness and, perhaps most importantly, the desire to improve their professional skills. If he has and develops such qualities, all difficulties will quickly fade into the background.

Answers (6):

As an accountant, I will tell you that you can, now there are very good courses and you don’t need an institute. Only. There will be a small problem with employment, everyone needs a higher education, but in practice you will be able to prove that you can do it. They will tell you all the basics during the courses, and you will learn the rest of the nuances after working somewhere

Requirements for accountants: higher education, work experience required. The work is of course routine and requires hard work, care and meticulous work. In addition, legislation must be constantly monitored. Moreover, accounting rules become more complicated every year. The work also comes with great responsibility, including financial responsibility.

If you want to be an accountant, it's not difficult. The main desire and education is economic. Accounting is like an essay. It is written by an accountant, and the exam is administered by the pension fund, social insurance fund and tax office. The most excellent result for an accountant is considered to be: making a profit on the balance sheet for the year, minimum taxes in accordance with the law and successfully passing an on-site audit. So is it difficult to be an accountant?

I myself work as an accountant, but I have no education. We work only in 1C. To learn something, I downloaded the program and am studying at home, and I download all the program updates here http://www.modber.ru/catalog/item2145.html
But, to be honest, an accountant is not a difficult profession; you just always need to keep up with new events and changes in the country.