So Young CPA Network shared this Business Insider post on Twitter earlier today, where "Accountant" ranked #6 as The 10 Best Jobs For People Who Love Math:
6. Accountant
Overall score: 405
Annual median salary: $63,175
BLS projected growth (through 2020): 14%
Work environment score: 48
Stress score: 19
What they do: Prepares and analyzes financial reports to assist managers in business, industry, and government.
The ranking is based on data that weighted stress, physical demands, and both the current and future employment outlook across 200 occupations from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The first issue with this is that BI didn't bother to explain how exactly they came up with the scores, except for that tiny blurb at the bottom that explains nothing and this unhelpful bit:
The overall score for each job takes into account the pay; hiring outlook; stress; emotional factors, including the level of competitiveness and degree of public contact; and physical demands, such as stamina required and work conditions, that normally come with the job. Once the categories are combined, a lower overall score signals that the job is more desirable to employees.
Huh?
If you feel like digging a bit, you'll get back to the CareerCast list BI lifted these jobs from, and you might get a better idea from which ass the numbers were pulled but only if you look around for the methodology. I'm going to make it easier for you because I know you're busy and link that here.
NOW. Back to the list.
Tell me, when was the last time you did math, oh dear accountant? TELL ME. I know you guys are deep into abstract calculus on a daily basis, for fun, because y'all just loooove you some math.
The very first thing I learned in the first week I worked in CPA review was this: accounting has very little to do with math and everything to do with rules. Had I known this years ago, I might have actually discovered accounting isn't so bad years before and made better career choices that wouldn't have led to me ending up here in my 30s ifyoufeelme. BUT OMG THERE ARE NUMBERS SO YOU MUST LIEK MATH!!!1!
Should you at least not mind numbers to be attracted to accounting? Sure. But there are far better careers for true math whizzes, like, say, I dunno… mathemetician?!
Stop it, BI. Seriously.
