Blockbuster Hollywood films such as Tom Cruise's The Firm, which put the legal profession in the spotlight, could highlight the dynamics and diversity the accounting industry has to offer, according to Theresa Chan, president of CPA Australia, Greater China.
'Images of accountancy being a dreary, number-crunching profession are a thing of the past. But there are still many great aspects of being an accountant that are not widely appreciated or understood that could be the focus of a film,' Chan says.
She says working as an accountant is challenging and an exciting profession. 'Accountants are no longer just bookkeepers. In many ways, they are the storytellers who bring a company's activities to life through the numbers they turn into a business language that can be read by managers, investors and analysts,' says Chan, who is also a PricewaterhouseCoopers partner in international assignment services.
Chan says obtaining the CPA Australia qualification is just the first step to an exciting future that can include branching into areas that provide challenges and advancement. 'CPAs are needed in all walks of life, from start-up business, non-government and charity organisations to restructuring business when they find themselves in difficulty - you can't avoid us,' Chan says.
Her father had wanted her to become an accountant to handle the family business accounts, but it was only when Chan moved to Australia, where she was influenced by a relative working as an accountant, that she decided to follow the same career path.
She says in addition to the financial side of doing business, accountants also have a role to play in non-financial disclosure areas such as corporate social responsibility.
