Interview with CPA Jon Funk on Rewards and Misconceptions of an Accounting Career
August 3, 2010 by Sarah Ward
Filed under Business, Career, Interviews, Life
This week we caught up with Jonathan Funk, a Tax Manager with the renown accounting firm, Ernst and Young. Jonathan shares valuable insights about the rewards and misconceptions of being a CPA and provides an insider’s look at a career in accounting. Read on!
Interview with a CPA
My Accounting Careers: Describe a typical day on the job.
Jonathan Funk: I typically have some sort of project going on such as completing tax returns or preparing memorandums/tax opinions outlining tax consequences to various business transactions.
I also have to manage the time of staff assigned to my various projects, make sure they understand what is required of them, and answer questions and resolve issues they may encounter. The issues and questions I work to resolve and answer are extremely varied which makes my job enjoyable–I never know what to expect.
MCA: What is the most rewarding part of being a CPA?
JF: The designation of being a CPA provides me respect among my accounting peers because of the work that goes into getting the designation. Also, CPAs are the link between the general public and business, so we go through a lot of ethics training and policing. A large majority of CPAs do their best to never tarnish the designation with ethics violations. As an accountant in general (without the CPA designation), I get the most rewards from providing free services to low-income taxpayers through an IRS program. Since most accountants services would be too expensive for the low-income taxpayers that I help to afford, they really appreciate what I do for them and look for me year after year to help them file their taxes. The experience I have gained at Ernst & Young has really helped me to provide great service to these low-income taxpayers.
MCA: What misconceptions do people have about being a CPA?
JF: I think the biggest misconception I come across is that we are “bean counters.” We do so much more than count. Really, I have to understand a lot of tax law to do my job correctly, so I spend a lot of time researching tax law (e.g., Congressional legislation, Department of Treasury regulations, IRS published guidance). Maybe this is a bad habit, but I always use a calculator to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, so people shouldn’t expect me to do it in my head.
If you are considering going back to college, research a career in accounting as a rewarding and reliable option. Stay tuned for more accounting insights from Jonathan Funk soon!