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Is it wise to choose accounting as a career if you are a conventional thinker?

I am a conventional thinker. Very shy and I love getting all my work done before i can do anything else
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Wes’s Answer

Typically, I think conventional thinkers are good accountants--as others have said. However, I would have typically characterized myself as a conventional thinker but as I have gained more opportunities/experiences in public accounting, there have been opportunities to allow me to think unconventionally and these opportunities also allowed me to further develop both personally and professionally.

You seem to have a strong worth ethic and that is one of the most powerful attributes in public accounting. The work can be challenging at times and the work ethic will allow you to persevere through these challenges.

As far as being shy, I think you will overcome this as you get comfortable around people you work with and your clients. Likely, you will spend lots of time with both of these groups of people on a daily basis. You will also have opportunities to demonstrate verbal skills and present to others as you work in public accounting. I have seen these experiences allow people to overcome some of their initial shyness toward others.
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Hannah Jean’s Answer

Hi! Just wanted to touch on your comment of wanting to get your work done prior to doing anything else. I was the same way in college, and the transition to public accounting was really tough for me, because there are often workpapers that take multiple days to complete. I burned myself out really quickly by trying to get the entire thing done in one sitting. My advice for this situation is to break up your work into smaller to-dos so you still feel accomplished even when you can't mark "prepared."
Thank you comment icon I would like to echo this. If you cannot put work down till it is finish, public accounting may not be good for you, the work never stops. Megan Morgan
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Marco’s Answer

Public accounting is like working in a group project for school. Everyone is going to come to the table with their own set of character traits and they will lean into those traits in the beginning. You will certainly will succeed as will someone who is not a conventional thinker. The key will be on how well you will compliment your well established traits and your ability to engage others that may have talents needed in order to make your project a success. What I've found in public accounting is that there are a LOT of people that are willing to help especially if it plays to their strengths. Best of luck!
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Priya’s Answer

Hi Angelina, I would check out O*Net. They have careers listed that could suit different types of styles, such as conventional, social, artistic, etc. Also, think about your interests. Are you interested in accounting? Best of luck!
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Jake’s Answer

As Michael said above, Auditors and Accountants follow strict guidelines, so conventional wisdom is encouraged. Accounting will also require a strong work ethic and attention to detail. It's good that you care about getting your work done before doing anything else, but also know that you might have to work on multiple things at once, so time management will also be critical in that profession. Don't stress about being shy either; you'll get more comfortable!
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Ramzi’s Answer

I would say yes, conventional thinking matches with accounting as accounting requires standardisation and strict application of the rules. However, without a good analytical thinking and professional skepticism you won’t be able to find solutions to difficult accounting situations that are not expressly addressed by the standards. So a good knowledge of the conceptual framework will help you think about solutions to uncommon situations.
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Bill’s Answer

I recommend choosing a career based on what you love and want to do, not just based on what type of thinker you are. There are accounting rules and regulations that accountants need to follow. So, from this perspective, conventional think would be a good fit. But we have challenges from time to time and need to think out of the box. And for my team, we constantly look for opportunities to improve the efficiency of our workpapers and processes.
Thank you comment icon Nice Bill, I agree! Lauren Taylor, CPA
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Kristina’s Answer

It sounds like you have a very good work ethic, which is great for accounting. Additionally, being a conventional thinker will fit into the accounting profession. In public accounting, for example, tax accountants are guided by the tax code, and auditors are guided by GAAP. There are strict rules we need to follow in our profession. However, it is important to understand that those rules can and do change. Therefore we must be able to adapt to change as well. Additionally, we do try to continuously improve our ways of working to become more efficient, so it is good to be able to think outside the box at times. I also believe that starting out shy is not a problem. In my experience, more interaction with clients, etc. will come with time. Therefore in the beginning, there is time to get used to your role and the people you work with. More opportunities and connections will come with time as your comfort level increases.

Overall, I believe someone with a good work ethic who is a conventional thinker and shy can definitely find success in the field of accounting. I think you will find others with similar characteristics too. However, you should keep an open mind. As you grow in your career, it will be important to develop and incorporate more critical thinking and interpersonal skills.
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Andrew’s Answer

Like others have said, conventional thinkers are able to succeed in accounting. There are accounting jobs on the private side (think accounting team at local businesses or larger corporations) that allow conventional thinkers to succeed. Public accounting will be a great career path if you choose to learn more about solving complex problems. In public accounting, there is a point you reach, as previously mentioned, where conventional thinking and unconventional thinking meet and the job becomes more about thinking about how to solve complex problems than it is about following strict procedures. Being able to solve complex problems is something you can learn on the job from a good team member or mentor. Overall, accounting seems to suit your interests based on your description!
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Megan’s Answer

Yes, I think you can be a conventional thinker and still pursue a career in accounting! I am in audit, and more on the shy side and it's a good mix of working by yourself to get your work done and talking to other team members/clients. Also, if you pursue a career in tax, it's more self-work rather than client facing.
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Scott’s Answer

I think your skill of completing a project before moving onto the next could serve you well in a career in accounting, more in private industry rather than public. In private industry there's often the month-end close, followed by multiple projects throughout the remainder of the month. Month-end close typically is very consistent from month-to-month and has a specific order things need to be done in, which would allow you to focus on one project at a time. In public accounting, be it auditing, tax or consulting, you will often have multiple projects going on at one time and you have to manage each of them through to completion as you bounce back and forth.

Scott recommends the following next steps:

I would look for opportunities to stretch yourself to manage multiple projects (2, for starters) as I think it would help you to expand your skill set.
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Todd’s Answer

I think that your thought process positions you well for a public accounting career. Accounting is often called the language of business and most often accounting answers (while rule driven) are intended to be consistent with the economics of the siutation so being a conventional thinker works.
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