I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

say you haven't communicated any clear reason for your objective.

I know. I'm usually quite good at getting my point across... but i've failed thus far. I suppose I could try again...

-> The ''buzz''
-> The challenge
-> The virtually unlimited upside (obvioysly theres a downside as well... but makes it all the more interesting)
-> Ambition, prestige, status - I love achieveing - for example im dyslexic; struggled at primary school to read and write - but overcame that to get an A in Higher level English in the JC.
-> Im very competitive, I love to win; im a swimmer and know hat commitment and competition is. I finished last year 10th in the country in my main event and train between 5 and 7 times a week - and I enjoy that hugely.
-> I am materialistic, I would like to make a lot of money.
-> I've many personal dreams - I want to be able someday to give something back to the people who have given me so much in life, for example building a 50m pool for my club!
-> I have the mindset of an entrepreneur. I cannot walk through the town, cycle to school; infact I cannot open my eyes in the morning without getting an idea, innovation or plan, I might be heading to the shop to buy milk/bread/paper and in that period i'll have started thinking about the possiblity of building an apartment block to my left, erecting a billboard to the right and probaly 6 innovations for the shop (oh and I live less than 100m from the shop!)

True I could achieve some of the above as a CEO or a top employee of a large company... but not all of it!

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

Hello there;

"I have the mindset of an entrepreneur. I cannot walk through the town, cycle to school; infact I cannot open my eyes in the morning without getting an idea, innovation or plan, I might be heading to the shop to buy milk/bread/paper and in that period i'll have started thinking about the possiblity of building an apartment block to my left, erecting a billboard to the right and probaly 6 innovations for the shop (oh and I live less than 100m from the shop!"

Have you considered that you may suit the profile of a "fixer" and "problem solver" better?

Your skills may not be entrepeneurial, as it may be difficult for you to focus on a project, due to constantly getting sidelined, by inadequacies of suppliers and areas for improvement in your own business process. For example, what's the point in having an important telephone conversation, and concentrating on ways that you could improve the handset and process, as opposed to the subject being discussed?

Being an entrepeneur is about taking risks, not about good ideas. If you want good ideas, just check the patent register.......millions of them that we will never see, as there are not enough entrepeneurs willing to take the risks in promoting them.

Best of luck.......whatever the route!

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

When I said innovations - I did'nt mean invesntions - I meant ways to make more money out of existing ideas.

I may see ideas all around me, but I definately can focus very hard on one thing at a time.

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

I could achieve some of the above as a CEO or a top employee of a large company... but not all of it!

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Which of the above do you reckon would not be achievable at the top of a large, progressive company?

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

Which of the above do you reckon would not be achievable at the top of a large, progressive company?

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Have a look at the following - List of Billionaires - how many of the top names are there because they set up there own company? Quite a few. How many of their names do you recognise? Of those names are they CEO's of established businesses or their own companies? What about Irelands wealthiest - Sean Quinn, Denis O'Brien, Dermot Desmond... all self made millionaires.

I know im increasinghly looking like im obsessed with money! Damn it; your a good debator! Thanks for your comments so far - they have not turned me off my intentions - meerly made me more determined!

Being an entrepeneur is about taking risks, not about good ideas.

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While I was reading through the above list I came across Masayoshi Son - his fortune is $4.3bn. At an early age he decided to produce at least one entrepreneurial idea a day. It certainly paid off.

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

Quite a bit of good old fashioned family money on that list too - And of course there are people like Ballmer who wouldn't fit your definition of entrepreneur, but I guess his $12 billion in wealth says otherwise. I'm just challenging the thinking that you HAVE to run your own company to get wealthy.

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

Whatever you do, try not to turn out like Ballmer. Or Ellison. Or any of the many other boorish millionaires out there. :\

Re: Re: I think i've decided to become an Accountant!

Whatever you do, try not to turn out like Ballmer. Or Ellison. Or any of the many other boorish millionaires out there.

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I fully agree with you - I certainly don't want to be divorvced 3 or 4 times (ellison).

Quite a bit of good old fashioned family money on that list too

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I know that - but of the rest quite a few are entrepreneurs and its not very likely i'll inherit very much! and the bit that may be left with me hopefully won't come my way for another 40 years! You say you're just challengeing the view that you have to run your own business to become very wealthy. I don't disagree - look at Jack Welch (another guy I don't want to be!) and Sir Tony O'Reilly (he may run his own businesses now - but a hugh amount of his fortune was extracted from Heinz).

And of course theres the example of Michael O'Leary, a rare example of an intrapreneur. But on the whole I still have the desire to eventually become an entrepreneur and investor like Dermot Desmond (don't want a mostache though!), Richard Branson or Sean Quinn (could smile a bit more often!)

Regardless of what I do - my intial plan that I posted at the beginning of this trend leaves most options open to me - to be an accountant, lawyer, entrepreneur, ceo, financial controller, or whatever. Besides i've the advantage of only being 16 and yet being able to draw the knowledge and experience out of the various 20, 30 and 40+ year olds on this board. I hope you all understand that all im trying to do is inform myself as best I can about the future options available to me. I thank you all for your encouragement and more importantly your critisim (particularly Rainyday). Thanks... oh and im still wondering did any of you go to DCU or UCD?