Is accounting worth it in SA?

[u/PrimaryYouth2932]

Hi everyone I'm a 24 year old male and I have no life skills and was (kinda) homeschooled through out my life. I'm currently relearning Math and it's going well so far. I actually found that I have an interest in accounting however everyone I've asked says it's super boring and not worth it. I'm someone who gets bored pretty easily. Are there any accountants on here who can give me advice on how boring it really is and how easily you can find work? Also how hard is it for entry level accountants to find work? Thanks 🙏👍

[u/Substantial_Echo_636]

I'm a lawyer who works with millions of accountants.

Its a much better gig than law.

Easier hours, easier work, good pay from the start...

Still a tough job, but you get decent stability and skills you can transfer to other jobs / countries or jurisdictions.

Also no one shoots the accountants for some reason.

You'll find that life is exciting enough. Boring jobs are a luxury.

[u/Goldairboy → u/Substantial_Echo_636]

Easier hours in accounting?😂😂

[u/Substantial_Echo_636 → u/Goldairboy]

I have never seen accountants do the magic merry go round.

Go home at 4am take a shower eat an egg and go back to work with no sleep.

Certain legal jobs will make your eyes bleed in hours worked.

[u/PrimaryYouth2932 → u/Substantial_Echo_636]

That's one of the reasons why I like it. I'm used to being bored and it doesn't sound that bad. Just need to get into the habit of working hard again and then I'll be good. Also Thanks for your advice I found it very valuable 😉👍

[u/anib]

It's worth it. Only boring people get bored. You can find work but you do have to work hard.

[u/Useful_Ferret_3841]

Not enough Accountants in S.A. they're getting poached overseas because not enough there either. Accounting isn't like it used to be with the idea of some boring job behind a desk playing with numbers. People in financial sector are needed.

[u/FashionableNumbers]

I'm a professional accountant (SAIPA) working as an audit manager at an audit firm. I prefer staying in practice (working at an audit/ acccounting firm) than being an in house accountant. I would get extremely bored working at one place doing the same things every day. Working at an audit firm, I get to work in a different field every time I finish financial statements and move on to another client. I might be working on a client in the engineering sector now and next month on a client in the farming sector. Keeps things interesting.

[u/PrimaryYouth2932 → u/FashionableNumbers]

That sounds very interesting and fun actually. I get super depressed staying in one place for too long so that gives me hope 👍

[u/AndainCK]

Hey, accountant on paper but puzzle builder in practice here - it’s a vast field, once you start your studies EVERYONE is going to tell you the only route is CA(SA) and auditing. Google CIMA - it's the alternative route if you're not absolutely gaga about auditing. I've landed in the CIMA space with some programming knowledge and what I love is that I'm a user of accounting information without being bogged down by audits, month ends and recons.

[u/TipLevel8044]

I always wanted to be a MD, general manager or operations manager. Got advise from a mentor of mine to study accounting as this will make any senior management position easier. You dont have to rely on a Finance manager. Ended up getting my degree and became a general manager at a company. As GM I was exposed to marketing, sales, procurement and the general well being of the company. Thats not boring at all. And because I understood the finance very well I could make better informed decisions.

In other words, use it as a step towards something better. Majority of large corporations have a CA as CEO

[u/LadyFenyx]

Just remember that you need to be very sure about the type of qualifications and registrations you need. You need to be registered with SARS and I think another governing body (SAIT is one) in order to do tax - you need to do exams for those.

[u/PrimaryYouth2932 → u/LadyFenyx]

Luckily I am aware of that. Thank you

[u/Wintyness15]

I would like to add to the convo, all accountants, how are you taking on Ai, using, not using?

[u/Rubz2293]

As a non-CA accountant, no. 

[u/Rough_Horror_5582]

I'm also genuinely curious whether accountants are going to become obsolete in the next few years with the rise of Ai, or is that a stupid assumption?

[u/LadyFenyx → u/Rough_Horror_5582]

To repeat what I told someone else: good lucking getting a predictive text machine to deal with SARS

[u/FashionableNumbers → u/Rough_Horror_5582]

AI can't interpret and adapt (yet, hopefully never). So for now, accounting and auditing is safe because a large portion of our jobs entails interpreting data and adapting our plans accordingly.

[u/jaddooop]

AI is here. Landscape will change massively. Already way too many CAs in the market... Try something else

[u/LadyFenyx → u/jaddooop]

Good luck having AI deal with SARS lmfao

[u/Necessary_Force_1105 → u/jaddooop]

Lol sure