1st Edition: 1st December 2010, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It gives me great pleasure to be able to write again and share my thoughts with you. I used to write my other Taglish [mixed Tagalog & English] Journal entitled “Ang Buhay nga Naman.” [“Oh it’s Life” in English] but has stopped for quite some time due to my hectic schedule.
For nearly twenty years I have been engaged in the Accounting profession and naturally deal with numbers and figures; hence the title of this blog. We, professionals are affected by a lot of challenges, not only from work but also the happenings in the business community, the global economic crisis, global warning, etc. However it is not a reason to give up. One has to move and take action, as you know “good things come to those who wait, but not to those who wait too late”.
Thus, here am I again to share with you my thoughts…
The Good Things about the Accounting Profession
Allow me to rewind; I still remember well when during my senior high school I attended the Career Guidance Seminar, joined by my fellows in the graduating class and several professionals, who served as resource persons, i.e. lawyer, doctor, priest, teacher, accountant and others; all of whom trying to convince us to follow their suit.
They (professionals) are all proud of their professions and even a few of them claimed that theirs is the first profession in the world. The Surgeon rose and claimed that Surgery is the first profession in world. Because according to him and referring to the Bible: Eve was created by God by causing Adam to fall into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which God had taken from Adam, was made into a woman, Eve. And therefore Surgery is the first profession in the world, which was applauded by the graduating class.
Immediately another professional stood up, “No my friends it’s not Surgery, but Agriculture that is the first profession in the World. You have to know that before Adam and Eve were created, God created flora and fauna first. So Agriculture is the first profession in the world!” This got a greater applause and started to create an excitement in the air.
All of the sudden, the Politician stood up and claimed: “Sorry, my dear ladies and gentlemen, it’s neither Agriculture nor Surgery that is the first profession in the world but Politics.” You are all referring to the Bible, and if you will read closely, you will note that even before creation there was already a debate in the Heaven, who will eventually rule our World. And that’s politics, so Politics is the first profession in the world.” It was a silence that followed then and no other claim followed.
Well, I would say those professionals’ claims were partly wrong and correct. Only if you would consider God, as the greatest professional, and that you would believe in creation rather than evolution.
As for me, I am quite sure as to who were the first Engineer, as well as, the first Accountant in the world. The first Engineer and Accountant is only one person and it was Adam. As the first Engineer he has the first erection and as the first Accountant he made only the first entry.
Well… kidding aside, it seems to me that the Accounting profession is essential in the business world, that’s why I pursued it. All professionals, be it a doctor, lawyer, businessman, actor and actress would definitely need the services of an Accountant; the Accountants have to prepare the Profit & Loss Statements and Income Tax Returns of these other professionals. Hence all types of businesses must have an Accountant.
As an Accountant we have to follow and are governed by standards and principles, for example when it comes to Inventory and Asset Management; we have the so called “FIFO” or first in – first out. But what I like most is when it comes to employment, the Accountants are one of the first in and the last to be out. When a business entity is opened Accountants are hired to open the books and if for any reason the business were to shut down or goes on liquidation, still the Accountants would be retained to close the books and liquidate. Thus, an Accountant is always there – from the beginning to end. Hence, I could say at least Accountants are assured of a job. Would you agree with us?
I encountered this trivial question and wonder why the exercise by professionals of their respective professions is called a “Practice”. Why practice? Is it because of “trial and error” sometimes, if not all the time? As you could see, even God, whom I consider the greatest professional of all, also had practiced trial and error, when creating mankind. First he created Adam alone, and realized the man is lonely, hence created Eve after, the woman, I suppose for us all to be happy.
But what is good in our practice of our professions, is that the Client pays our fees, even if in some cases late.
As parting words for my first edition, let us all move on, take action; and don’t forget to keep learning and stay competitive. There is a saying, though I can’t remember where it came from, saying: “A man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow will be uneducated the following day.”
I hope you enjoyed reading this and I will be back to write more…
B L Mabeza is a Certified Public Accountant registered in the Philippines.
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