Purveyor of ego-stroking profiles Forbes, has a list of 20 Happiest Jobs in America and despite the misery you've seen all around you for the past three months, three years, or three decades, accountants are 8th on the list. Yep! There are capital market servants all over this great land who are whistling their jovial asses at work every single day. Now, it's fine if you give the list credence but there are all kinds of reasons to question the findings or simply conclude that it's a load of crap. Let's examine, shall we?
First, if you go over the list in its entirety, it's full of vague "jobs" similar to "accountant" like, "Software Engineer," "Director of Operations," and "Machine Operator." All these jobs encapsulate a lot of different jobs, so naturally, some of these people will consider themselves "happy" because they're not "dead."
Secondly, we've already covered U.S. News' assertion that accounting is one of the greatest jobs ever. Hell, I even wrote an article ages ago (that I can't find online, thus no link) for Denver Business Journal saying as much. Yes, things like job security and semi-decent money make people happy, but again in this context, I think "happy to not be eating out of a dumpster" is a more accurate way to put things.
Thirdly, look at the stock photo Forbes used for "accountant." Stock photos capture nothing but truth, people. Enough said.
But if you think about it again, maybe accountants are happier than people in other jobs. Sure, you're not coming up with names for Ben & Jerry's ice cream, reviewing marijuana, or riffing with hacks like Adrienne all day but in our take-this-pill-it'll-make-you-feel-better society, it's clear that you're a pretty big loser if you're not happy, so perhaps accountants are simply better medicated than other professions. This, on the surface, seems logical because A) accounting firms don't care if you're on drugs and B) you've probably got decent insurance coverage.
So if you're a happy accountant and you know it, comment below (and hook us up).
