Liberal arts > Accounting
We talk about careers a lot around here and have also noted that some accounting careers might be at risk for automation. Of course, there are steps you can take to combat the robots comin’ fer yer job, or you can try pursuing another career path. All we’ve been saying, I think, is that accounting might not be as safe over the long haul as it used to be.
But you don’t have to believe to us! If you prefer listening to billionaires that appear on TV, that’s fine too! It’s just that they also agree that accounting might be on its way out:
If self-made billionaire Mark Cuban was starting college right now, he’d choose philosophy as his major over accounting.
That’s because he strongly believes artificial intelligence will automate many jobs involving technical tasks, such as an accountant’s. Jobs that rely more on personal judgement, critical thinking and creativity — skills more often associated with a liberal arts degree — are less at risk, he says.
“Knowing how to critically think and assess them from a global perspective I think is going to be more valuable,” Cuban said, speaking at SXSW in March, “than what we see as exciting careers today which might be programming or CPA or those types of things.”
Regardless, it’s hard to convince anyone, let alone college students, to take a long-term view. Accounting jobs pay well NOW and most philosophy majors don’t have much for job prospects. And it’ll likely require a total implosion of the labor market before people realize that studying accounting will be the 21st-century version of becoming a blacksmith.
Andersen v. Andersen
If you’ve been wondering about that weird battle over the Andersen name, it seems that the Andersen Tax folks have scored a victory over their French nemesis, Arthur Andersen & Co:
Andersen Tax has won the first step in its legal battle to assert its ownership of the Arthur Andersen name against French firm Quatre Juillet Maison Blanche which laid claim to the same trademarks and last month launched itself as global network Arthur Andersen & Co (AA&Co)
The US firm has reached an “amicable settlement to a trademark infringement dispute” with MoHala Enterprises, doing business as Sundial Consulting.
Although the details of the settlement are confidential, in a statement the two businesses revealed that MoHala, which had signed up as the US member of the AA&Co global network, has agreed “never to use the terms ‘Andersen’ or ‘Arthur Andersen’ to promote its professional services consultancy”.
Andersen Tax has sued AA&Co in four other countries and has four U.S. offices listed on its website although “the telephone numbers and addresses have been removed and the only way to contact them is by email.”
Is anyone else picturing a lone desk, manned by a temp in a dusty basement? That’s who’s fielding these emails, right? I might end up writing some dystopian fiction inspired by this whole ordeal.
Previously, on Going Concern…
Megan Lewczyk wrote about DNA storage. I dug up some bitter 1-star reviews of accounting firms.
In other news:
- Uber’s C.E.O. Plays With Fire
- Sears Names Second CFO in Seven Months
- If the Government Shuts Down: Your Tax Refund May be Shut Down as Well
- Is It Time to Break Up Google?
- “It is not advisable to push past PD and Fire in an attempt to ‘save your beer.'”
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