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Why did you become an accountant?
Posted by AICPA Communications on Nov 10, 2019

Today is International Accounting Day, a day started to honor Luca Pacioli — the Father of Accounting and Bookkeeping. On this day, we honor the hard work of accounting and finance professionals around the world. To celebrate, we asked CPAs why they chose the accounting profession. Here’s what they said.

“I went to college knowing one thing — I was going to college. I didn’t know what my major would be, so I started taking classes that I thought sounded interesting. A year and a half in, I signed up for my first accounting class. I jokingly tell people that on day one in my intro to accounting class, I could hear a chorus of angels singing. Suddenly, I’d found my calling — debits and credits were the most genius thing ever. It clicked, it made sense and I loved it! Accounting is the language of business and financial literacy — a valuable life skill. The opportunities I’ve had because I’m a CPA are more than I could have imagined, and I’m very thankful I signed up for that intro to accounting class.”

Lisa Simpson, CPA, CGMA

“If you ask my friends and co-workers to use one word to describe me, I believe the overwhelming majority would say that I am logical. I decided to pursue a career in accounting because of my logical nature. I wanted to have a job. No matter how the economy is doing, companies will always need someone to assist with their finances. However, having a good salary and job security was not the only motivation for me to become an accountant. My passion for playing with numbers and understanding the story behind them rather than just counting them inspired me to pursue a career in accounting. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing clients’ faces light up when I find a solution to their problems or ‘translate’ technical language of ASCs into plain English for them. Accounting is indeed a fulfilling career.”

Iryna Klepcha, CPA

“The reason I got into accounting was to get into the FBI. I was good at accounting in high school. I had four schools that were recruiting me for football, and the school I chose had a great accounting program. My friend’s father told me to go for accounting while his son and my other friends went to school for law enforcement. He said this way, when I showed up to the crime scene, I could tell them ‘out of the way, I’m in charge.’ Went to the right school [Canisius] for the wrong reason [to play football] but was lucky enough they had a strong culture of promoting the CPA. Something I didn’t know anything about and when I learned of it, I started to attend ‘Meet the Accountants’ nights. When meeting firm representatives, it changed my career goal to become a CPA.”

Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA

“Compassionate. Protector. Always. CPA. When I was five, I would use my dad’s 10-key [the kind with printing tape] and a periscope-style flashlight I pretended was a phone to play a made-up game I called ‘office,’ where my friends and I ran a company helping others make sound financial decisions with their Monopoly money. Twenty years later, I became a CPA. Why? Because — like the other hats I wear as a daughter, sister, wife, mom, friend, colleague and coach — it affords me the opportunity to connect with others in a meaningful way to share love, kindness, compassion and appreciation. Every day, I get to use my gifts to help others, protect the public and advocate for the accounting profession.”

Sarah Bradley, CPA

“I became an accountant because I’ve always been fascinated by business, and accounting is the language of business. My goal was to become a CFO. And, to manage an organization’s finances or make sound investment decisions, you need to speak the language. My interests changed over time, but my career progression wouldn’t have been possible without my background in accounting.”

Carl Mayes, CPA

“I became a CPA because I wanted to help people’s dreams come true. Dreamsreams often start with a solid financial footprint, and CPAs are the best at helping people achieve their financial dreams — so that their clients are able to pay for their children to go to college and achieve their college dreams, buy their dream vacation home or even retire earlier and live their dream life. Plus, I became a CPA because I really like to work with people and connect with them so that I am part of their team in terms of their financial and tax planning goals. The CPA profession is extremely rewarding, and I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had in the profession. Plus, it has allowed me ample opportunities to grow and prosper and the work-life balance to make time for all of the things I enjoy.”

Susan C. Allen, CPA/CITP, CGMA

We want to keep celebrating you and everything you do. Share your “why” on social media using #InternationalAccountingDay. If you’d like to celebrate with the AICPA, become a member today and use code LUCA20 to receive a special discount.

Liz Rock, Manager — Branded Content Strategy, Association of International Certified Professional Accountants