Counting Beans

I should have paid more attention in Norm's accounting class in college. Admittedly, with something over 900 students crammed into an auditorium, paying attention required a lot more effort than I was willing to put in some days, but I have a sneaky suspicion it would have paid off.

I balked at having to take accounting to work in public relations. My theory, in my "I know everything I'm a college student" phase, was that was what accounting departments were for, right? Wrong. I failed to realize the number of accounting-related tasks I'd be required to do, and do well, in my future endeavors. I don't think I gave Norm enough credit. He was a fabulous professor, but I was a knot-headed student. If there were 30 people in the class instead of 900, I would have been the one sullenly slumped in the back - only there because someone told me I had to be to get out.

Today I had to do a budget reconcilliation. I've successfully put it off for months, and now, I can no longer come up with any excuses for procrastinating any longer. To do my reconcilliation I had to enlist the help of the accountant, the ad agency and the systems manager for our accounting software. It is ridiculously humorous that it would take four people for me to figure out how much money I've spent. It's like balancing a million-dollar checkbook, only your errors could run $50,000 instead of 50 cents.

I don't like dealing with numbers. I can do an excellent budget - but reconcilling it is another story. Detailing it in revenue vs. expense style of classic accounting is something I rank right up there with mopping the floor and paying bills - I do it because I have to, not because I find any particular enjoyment in it.

I think I have to admit my academic counselor knew what she was talking about. Accounting is something I should have left college knowing.