To demystify the occuption of accounting, we spoke to Harrison Hale, Senior Auditor at Wipfli LLC, who serves the nonprofit, governmental, and education industries.
What was your perception of “an accountant” before you became one and what do you think of them now?
My first perception of an accountant was an individual who was forced to sit in a small cube day after day or who was shoved into a small utility closet at an organization while doing an audit. I was naive and thought an accountant was the boring, shy guy wearing glasses and a pocket protector who just types numbers onto an electronic 10-key, but that isn’t the case at all. My paradigm has shifted and I now know accountants are people like me! They're individuals who love investigating where numbers go wrong, who love solving puzzles, who love interacting with clients, traveling, and giving back to their community. I encourage you to investigate accounting opportunities that are available in your area.
What drew you to accounting? How did you get into this field?
Initially, I never wanted to be an accountant, as I believed it wasn’t the right profession for me. During my sophomore year in college, part of the curriculum was to take an accounting 101 class. This is where I had my first real experience. From that moment on, I knew that it was something that I could see myself doing long term. The puzzle solving, investigative work, and client interactions all kept me coming back for more courses. After graduation, I wanted to lean on my marketing degree; however, it took me down a path of what I felt were forced sales. I decided to fall back on my accounting degree and attend grad school as I needed to achieve the 150 hours to sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. During this time, I started my internship with Wipfli and four years later, I’m still here.
If accounting were a TV genre, what TV genre would it be?
I would have to go with comedy for sure. Some of the stories you hear from the older partners and managers are amazing. Before technology was really utilized in this field, some of the procedures they had to do and how they had to do them were entertaining.
What are some aspects of the job that surprised you?
One aspect that truly surprised me was how most of our clients see us as valued consultants, rather than just contracting us to do a transactional service. In the nonprofit space, our clients aren’t always accounting or financial pioneers. At their core, they are in the business of people helping people. It's up to us to find ways we can best support them, whether that’s implementing a new dashboard system or digging into the various tax or audit guidelines in order to help them save money.
If accounting were a reality TV show, what would you call it?
We would have to call it: “The Real Investigators of Orange County.”
Is your lifestyle different now that you’re an accountant?
My lifestyle since becoming an accountant has changed for the better. As a public accountant, there are some days when you will work long hours; however, a lot of firms understand this and give you perks both in office and outside the office, so you can manage a healthy work-life balance. Such examples are gym memberships, a stipend for wellness services, company-sponsored meals, happy hours, and more. I currently travel frequently both for work and for personal since being hybrid, I can work remotely from Florida in the winter and Chicago in the summer. I still find the time in my schedule to carve out the things that are important to me and my firm is completely understanding. I would consider accounting a very "work hard, play hard" career.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
The typical day-to-day is always changing. This is one of the things I love most about pursuing the audit profession. Typically, I’m assigned to a client a week. As a senior, I’m responsible for completing the more complex areas of the engagement. In the nonprofit space, that entails accounts receivables, revenue, and compliance testing — depending on if the organization receives funds from local state and governments. I am also tasked with teaching, training, and developing staff and interns, while reviewing their work. Various meetings and on-site client engagements occur on a week-to-week basis.
You’re pitching accounting as a career path to incoming college first-years. You have five words. What do you say?
Flexible, limitless, opportunistic, challenging, interactive.
What are the top three things you love about your job?
The three things I love most about my job are the people, the flexibility, and the impact we make. The people I get to meet in the nonprofit space are truly inspiring as they are all in this industry to try and make a difference. Through the accounting services we provide, we make their job a bit easier so they can focus on the big picture. Also, I've developed very close relationships with my coworkers. The people I still get to work with from my intern class are some of my best friends to this day.
The flexibility of my job has allowed me to work remotely, which has granted me access to travel to various states in the U.S. and outside the U.S., all while still being able to complete assignments and reach out to others on my team for help no matter the time zone. A lot of professions don’t allow a hybrid work environment.
Lastly, the impact we make, having a client praise the work you did and how grateful they are for you, is truly edifying for me. Being able to help my clients help others is something I’m most proud of as an accountant.
If accounting were an indie band, what would your artist or group name be?
The band name would be “The Immaterials." You’ve got to become an accountant to get it. #IYKYK
Do you have anything to say to the accounting haters out there?
I say, “Bah humbug!” Accounting is part of everyone’s day-to-day life. From the coffee you purchased in the morning at Starbucks to the concert ticket you purchased on the weekend, it all has accounting tied into it one way or another. Everything has an aspect of accounting embedded into it. To say you hate accounting is to say you hate everything and no one hates everything — not even Ebenezer Scrooge!
Interested in pursuing a career in accounting? You can learn more at Accounting+.