Today is International Accountants Day, and at Blue Spire we are celebrating our staff and the important job they do to help our clients so they can focus on growing their own businesses.
Here, we talk to our Not-for-Profit Audit and Accounts Manager, Jon Phillmore about how he got into the field of accountancy.
What made you choose a career in accountancy?
Good question. In truth, the answer is maybe a whom rather than a what.
I have always been interested in figures and business generally, which perhaps came from helping my dad out with his dealings from a relatively young age.
However during school and college, I became particularly keen on cooking, working as a kitchen hand, and I came to a point where I had to decide what I wanted to pursue beyond college.
It was actually my uncle, a career chef, who set out the positives and negatives of the chef lifestyle and convinced me to go down the accounting route and keep cooking as a hobby.
What do you think are qualities of a good accountant?
It would be easy to say ‘be good at maths’, but that really isn’t it especially when working in practice.
There are many facets to being an accountant including being detail orientated, enjoy problem solving, be adaptable and able to communicate to a wide range of people.
What advice would you give to anyone aspiring to become an accountant?
Accounting and accountancy can take you in many different directions and is really adaptable within practice, differing industries and a great grounding for entrepreneurship.
You learn on the job and building relationships is a crucial part of that giving you exposure to different things and access to the knowledge and experience of others.
Ultimately the best advice I could give is to find the niche and role that suits you as this will give you the best chance to excel and enjoy your work.
| Need help with your accounts? Please do not hesitate to contact us. |
