What qualities do you have that will make you a good accountant?

The qualities that I have that will make me a good accountant include trustworthiness, honesty, organized, purposeful, patient, self confidence, enthusiasm and being goal oriented.Trustworthiness is the most important quality as this would keep me accountable to my actions in accordance with the law and professional standards.   My being trustworthy is of course based on honesty with my dealings to others and to myself.The accounting profession requires independence of mind and integrity as necessary values; hence by being trustworthy and honest would make me fit and compatible with the profession. If these values are lacking there is no use of accounting profession, for these are very core values needed to keep it functioning.It was the lack of these values that had caused Andersen Consulting, one of the â€Å"Big Five† auditors to have fallen from its position, thus presently the group of auditors, who are also accountants, are now called the â€Å"Big Four.†Honesty must not only be observed in words but also in deeds.   An accountant cannot be successful if he cannot even be honest with small things as he or she is being made to account even to the smallest cent of a dollar.I believe that I have the characteristics of trustworthiness and honesty since I have been given the chance to assume functions that required these qualities and I did well with the experience.I handled two organizational funds by having been treasurer for at least two organizations on campus, The African Cultural Society, for which I am currently the Secretary and The Syndicate (Hip Hop Dance Team), for which I am now the Vice President. Another value that accountants require is competence. This value is something that is normally acquired by training and education. What I believe would make me fit to have this value is my proven capacity for leadership. The two positions that I now have in the organizations I mentioned are living proofs of my leadership.Of course accou ntant need to produce quality work based on the value of competence hence accountant need to have to have their outputs on time because of deadlines set by government regulations and commercial realities. In almost similar ways, I believe my values of being organized, purposeful and patient are necessarily compatible with competence.  I know that I possess said qualities since I plan my activities in order not to miss important dates and deadlines. Based on my experience in my internship at one of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms, Ernst & Young, LLP, I know the requirement of long hours to complete tasks and I am prepared to undergo the same experience.My self-confidence, enthusiasm and being goal oriented are also complementary to becoming a good accountant. Self-confidence will keep me trust my abilities hence competence will follow. My enthusiasm will sustain me in some activities of accountants which may be considered by other professions as boring and even when I am not feeling well by creating a friendly and amicable environment.My goal orientation would also make things easier for me as I am able to break down my goals into manageable steps and make progress towards reaching that goal.   As proof, my main goal for this year is to study for my GMAT by scoring high in order to obtain a scholarship for my graduate studies in Accounting. To attain that, I plan to allot study time outside of my academic classes and extra curricular activities and to actually do the studying needed.2. What are you hoping to achieve during your studies in the MAcc Program?After I graduate with the Bachelor’s degree in Accounting this May, 2008, I plan to proceed with Masters of Accounting Program of Mary's Mason School of Business to fulfill my 150-credit requirement so that I can be eligible to take the CPA exams.More than fulfilling the credit requirements I believe the Macc program will really prepare me to attain the values of competence which I will need in being a good accountant.I have learned that program will be conducted in small class sizes and relaxed, with informal interaction between faculty and students[1], thus I believe attaining my objective would be greatly enhanced.   With such policy of access to faculty, I believe, I will be able also to build at least some relationships that I could perhaps use in my long term future goals.It has been my plan to eventually go back to my home town in Accra, Ghana in West Africa and build a hospital with modern equipment and facilities that will bring affordable and effective health care to the average Ghanaian citizen. By that time I believe I could be of help to people like my father who is a pediatrician.I’m hoping that my education in Accounting together with my concentration in Entrepreneurship and hopefully to be strengthened and enhanced by the Masters of Accounting Program of Mary's Mason,   will really give me the knowledge, leadership, and management skills necessary to accomplish this goal of mine. [1] William & Mary Mason School of Business, Master of Accounting Program, A Distinctive Educational Experience. {www document} URL http://mason.wm.edu/Mason/Programs/Master+of+Accounting/, Accessed January 13,2008