5 Ridiculous Accountant Stereotypes

5 Ridiculous Accountant Stereotypes5 Ridiculous Accountant StereotypesBean counters? Baloney The world sometimes talks about CPAs like were a bunch of number-crunching math freaks who love taxes and spend Saturday nights playing calculator bingo. Obviously, the accountant stereotype has nothing (well, only a little) to do with reality.Lets take this opportunity to dispel five myths of the typecast and clichd CPA, once and for all.Preposterous Myth 1 CPAs are math nerdsOK, so most of us are pretty good with numbers. Thats an accountant stereotype that has merit. But by no means are most of us mathematical geniuses who crack impossible equations in our spare time. Some of us didnt pass calculus and all of us have interests outside of numbers, including but not limited to saving whales, filmmaking and Fashion Week. We also have to be good at communicating, making ethical decisions and thinking creatively.Absurd Myth 2 CPAs are boringCPAs are people. The saatkorn kind of wonderful, smart , interesting people youll find in any other profession. We range from quiet to loud, serious to hilarious, introverted to extroverted. Dont hate just because we have analytical minds capable of solving really hard problems.Ludicrous Myth 3 CPAs are for doing taxesWow. Taxes are just a fraction of the accounting industry, and many CPAs have nothing to do with them. CPAs are out there fighting white-collar crime, making businesses successful, helping the world become financially literate, keeping cities and states afloat, managing really important peoples finances - and on, and on.Nonsensical Myth 4 CPAs are hermitsListen up That image people have of a CPA alone in a cubicle with a spreadsheet is a scam, really. CPAs lead businesses and organizations all over the world - and we dont do it in a vacuum. Once you get your first job, youll see that not only do you have a team to work with all day, youll likely go out as a team at night. Take that, accountant stereotypeOutrageous Myth 5 CPAs are tightwadsContrary to popular belief, CPAs do not live to pinch pennies. CPAs love to spend money, if that happens to be the smart decision at the time. Thats what it all comes down to smart choices. And if some big spender in the company is about to make a stupid one, well, there should be a wise CPA nearby to stop him.leise stuck on the accountant stereotype?Maybe you should meet some real-life CPAs who defy the cliches, like Belicia Cespedes, who became the youngest CPA at age 17, and the problem-solving accountants who responded to this survey.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTEREditors note This post was updated recently to reflect more current information. It originally appeared on ThisWayToCPA.com and is reprinted with permission of the American Institute of CPAs. Accountemps is an alliance partner of the AICPA./em