The world of numbers, digits, figures, logics ruled by the calculating machines called accountants. History of accountancy dates back more than 7,000 years, from the treasurers of the ancient royal courts to the modern chartered accountants, finance professionals and auditors, accountancy outdo all the other professions and climbs the chart. Leaving all this aside, accountants are the most respected, and highly paid professionals in present day world.

There was a time when accountants were considered to be the low profile, bored nerdish personnel working in the back room with a  lot of registers, ledgers and papers in front of them,but in today’s business environment things have completely changed. Horizon of accountancy is very vast and it has many sub-divisions as well.

So someone thinking to choose accountancy as a career has a bundle of choices. You can choose anyone according to your attitude. Here is the list which ranges from simple bookkeeping to banking and audit.

• Financial Accountancy
• Chartered Accountancy
• Managerial Accountancy
• Auditing
• Taxation
• Bookkeeping
• Payroll & Finance Management
• Accounting Consultancy Services
• Banking
• Insurance Services

IFAC (International Federation Of Accountants) is the global organisation for the accountancy profession. It was formed in 1977 and is based in New York. IFAC has more than 160 member bodies, representing 2.5 million accountants from 120 different countries.

This is a mere introduction of accountancy;here is answer to the question ‘why someone should choose accountancy as a career’.According to a survey, in UK accountants are the highly paid professional, earning more than £100,000. And in USA accountancy is the second highest paid profession with closely earning $130,000 and average salary $40,000 to $90,000. These are quite big and lucrative figures to go with accountancy. And even in USA, accountants are granted with limited form of accountant-client privileges.

Accountancy is a profession which is always in market. Demand for accountants is always increasing due to increased globalization and increased business activities. And even keeping this recent economic crisis in context,recruiting agencies reported that all sectors witnessed big fall in vacancies but accountancy is the one which is holding up well and it is still very busy. According to all recent surveys demand for accountancy professionals is still very high and growing. According to a recent ‘Employee Firing’ survey accountants are the least fired professionals in the US. So if you are good at your job and can cope with your professional responsibilities then you can stay in the market as long as you want. Though some of the other professions will also let you earn a lot but one more reason to go with accountancy is that 90% of its jobs are office jobs, hope no one would mind sitting in an office with a cup of coffee in front of him while managing and signing some reports.

Accountants always need to be real smart; it doesn’t matter in which capacity they are working because they are the one who have to calculate the tax liabilities of companies on behalf of the government and on the other hand they are the one who have to save the tax liabilities while working for the companies. They are the auditors who have to detect frauds and errors in the companies.

Everyone is aware of this fact that while working as an investment banker or in a stock exchange, you need to be real clever and intelligent because you are dealing with shares, bonds, loan stocks and a lot of these types of instruments.Now the UK economy may not be the most stable of the lot in recent times, but from what we gather - it is in fact,a potential diamond mine for budding chartered accountants. It is because the fallout of the Economic Recession in 2008-
2009 is still creating ruins from corporate relics in the country. And Leeds accountants (or in other similar smaller and larger cities in the UK as well) can make a killing in these open fields of managing corporate finance & taxes, both of which have taken a severe beating from the Financial Meltdown.

You may argue, however, that larger chartered accountancy firms themselves were more responsible for the economic debacle than the firms and banks themselves. However, the recovery - as well as some of the bold steps taken to re-structure the economy has been taken
by chartered accountancy agencies as well.

So, if you are a Leeds accountant, or a professional in that field in London, life should be looking up now! Here are more reasons why • Constructive Role in Economic Society: While others lament or contemplate working from home, even a Leeds accountant can take on the reins from providing financial fillip for the society. So, if you had been a youth activist and coveted a constructive role in changing, building and nurturing the society, doing it as a
chartered accountant is the best way -especially if keeps your wallet full as well!

• No Fear of Being Laid Off: Yes, when all your colleagues are talking about their fears of being benched - you know you can keep you job and demand a pay hike as well! For in this financially dystopian society, they are the most dominant of professionals, especially when recovery has
everyone’s plate full.
• The Materialistic Part of It: Yes, accounting agencies know how to pay their men - and pay well at that! Even in the midst of an economic downturn, most accountants have never had pay cuts. This has more do with the responsibilities they handle, especially in auditing and taxes - which can make or break the future of the firm itself.
• The Road Ahead: For those jumping onto the footboards of the train of chartered accountancy, the future is bright. Again the economic recession of 08-09 has a lot to do with this. While other jobs may fall off with the advent of technology or because of the absence of it, charteredaccountants are here to stay.
 

Especially to provide a buffer against something like the Recession to happen again.Are you still contemplating studying for an accounting degree? Don’t! Because if you have the wits and the budget to pull it off, you should not be held off by smaller obstacles. For not only does a Leeds accountant get paid in handsome amounts, he can also enjoy respect and clout in any firm he plies his trade in - whether as a full-time employee or as a freelancer! For when corporate finance management is the need of the hour, nothing else can hold the management’s attention better than the auditors in form!

In society accountants are considered as coolminded,focused and dependable humans. All of these are quite fascinating facts to pursue your career in accountancy.Civilization of accountancy is very rich and rewarding so if you are good with Sudoku then be part of it!