Apology accepted.

 

I nominate CBreezy for a trip to BanLand, he's waaaaaay too sensitive to be allowed posting here

 

I'd actually like to second that.

 

Don't feel bad, he's part of a group that voted in concessions when every other group is saying NO to management's concession crap while the airlines are making record profits(and the management keeps getting huge increases in pay and benefits)!

 

What's the point of YOUR post? Why don't you go spend some of that frustration on the guys trying desperately to lower the bar for us....

 

The issue is the shortage of accountants is REAL.

Sarbanes/Oxley and, to a lesser degree, Dodd/Frank have really increased the demand for CPAs.

A few years ago I looked into getting certified myself; if you already have a four year degree the academic requirements aren't too onerous to sit for the exam. For an entrepreneurial type it could be steady supplemental income, a backup career, or even take one out of aviation altogether if successful enough.

You could also change the title from "accountant" to "geologist" - oil and gas companies are experiencing massive retirements of their 60+ year old career geologists and there really aren't enough younger folks coming out of school to support increased analysis and exploration around the globe.

 

Allegory is a very effective medium to communicate
It allows those immersed in a their own situation to evaluate objectively from another point of view thus serving a valuable purpose
Kudos

 

The first quote is generally true. I'll add some clarification to the second based on my experience.

There are plenty of entry-level CPA candidates coming into the field, and the supply of junior associates seems to be quite plentiful. However, the industry experiences high turnover among the ranks of those with less than 5 years of experience. Thus, the "shortage" is more so among the senior folks with certain industry or tax specializations.

So, a good "backup" career? I think so, as long as you plan to stay in for a while. But as far a supplemental income is concerned, it is difficult (perhaps impossible) to get lucrative consulting or tax work unless you have a certain amount of training and experience, usually obtained from work with a larger firm. Successful part-time newbies in the accounting trade are likely to offer bookkeeping and/or tax preparing services - neither of which require a CPA license. Building a practice from these two offerings can be quite viable, and ambitious practitioners can certainly replace their aviation income over time.

Just my buck-oh-five.

 

There is no comparison between accountants and pilots. For one, accountants don't work under a seniority system. They have freedom of lateral movement. They are not forced to accept huge wage cuts because they can simply go elsewhere and get paid the same if not better.

 

They also do not have "shiny adding machine syndrome" nor do they trip over themselves working long hours for low wages solely because the job is "too cool".