This story is set in the days before computers, when accountants had to do everything manually on paper.
A man who worked in the accounting department of a large company was famous for never making a mistake. His ledgers always balanced to the penny and he never had to make any adjsuting entries to correct anything. All of his co-workers noticed that he had a routine to start his day. Everyday he would come to work, sit down and open the drawer of his desk. He would look inside and nod his head and then get to work. The day finally came when he retired from the company. At the end of his last day as soon as the door slammed shut behind him the other accountants raced over to his desk to see what was inside. They found a note taped to the bottom of the drawer that read "remember, debits go on the left".
This is hysterical because I am in accounting right now and it took me forever to remember which columns were debits and which were credits. Anyway, people in my class are already accountants and know how to do everything on the computer. Now they are learning how to do it on paper and they are lost!
ReplyDeleteThats great, there is a saying out there that "The simplest things make a person successful." It's also funny because most people always want to find out the secret to people's success and find out it's something trivial.
ReplyDeleteAccounting was a lot to remember so to hear this story is not surprising. Constant reminders help you become more successful.
ReplyDeleteThese things that make us great as thinkers is the ability to categorize and process information. This simple skill is being replaced by computers and things of simplicity are being needed less often. This is part of our social evolution. The skills of problem solving and free thinking are becoming more needed in people. This will shape our future technology.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing wrong with having some post it notes to help you get through the day. There is also nothing wrong with having a routine every day, when you make things simple you make less if any mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really funny story. As long as the job gets done, it doesn't matter how you get there. Whether you use post its or take notes on your hand with a pen, whatever works!
ReplyDeleteThis was funny, it was hard to follow it through because there always have to be adjustments at the end of the period whether you remember your debits and credits or not. And debits are only on the left on the left side of the equation! Debits are on the right under assets but switch under liabilities. But i shows that people are always trying to figure out others secrets and sometiems the secret isnt one at all but it was known by everyone else the entire time. SOme technologies work that way and they are known knowledge but that isnt used the correct way!
ReplyDeleteI leave myself reminders all the time, not because in uninteligent but because i just dont want to forget the inportant things. like the acountant.
ReplyDeleteI took two accounting classes and wow that's a whole lot of work! If you make a mistake you have too go through everything to try and find it. I haven't gotten to the accounting classes on the computer and honestly I don't think I will ever take that class. Accounting is definitley for a patient person who is very intersted in numbers and that is not me.
ReplyDeleteThis post was funny. When I took accounting last year we did everything by hand. Then halfway through the semester we did it all on the computer. When we did it on the computer it made things so much easier, it basically did everything for you. Doing it on the computer saves a lot of time for accountants. I don’t think doing it all on the computer is best thing because it wont help you learn how to do it. I also had trouble remembering the order of the columns when we did it by hand.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine having to do all that by hand. It seems like we need a computer for almost everything these days. I hardly ever do any type of math without a calculator.
ReplyDeleteBeing an accountant and doing everything manually must have taking some skill! Doing his work manual is what he knew. He didn't know computer or a calculator. Adding these extra bits of technology might have really screwed up his whole process of work. All he really needed was his post it note that made him feel confident about his whole day!
ReplyDeletehaha thats a funny story. I'm also a business major so I've had to take accounting courses and everything is done by hand. I hate the idea of being an accountant today, I could'nt imagine what I would do if I were in this poor guys position. Being an Accountant could be one of the most depressing job descriptions out there. You sit in a desk all day and crunch numbers till the day is over. Does'nt sound anything close to a dream job.
ReplyDeleteThis is too funny! I am in the Accounting Operations department and so is my mother and I hear her complain all day about how the accountants never reconcile at the end of the month. I'm sure his note would help a lot of people!
ReplyDeleteSo simple, yet so important. It makes me think of office space when Michael Bolton misplaces a "minor" decimal point.
ReplyDeleteThat was really cute.
ReplyDeleteIt's like something from Dilbert.
Dilbert was funny ... at first.
The fun stops when you realize the most popular entries tend to be based on three reoccurring themes: 1) ha ha I slept with the boss's wife 2) ha ha the boss's daughter is a tramp 3) Windows 95 crashes a lot. The questionable maturity level is further evidence for a pet theory of mine: everything you need to know about success in the corporate world is learned in high school, not university. Allan Bloom be damned.
That is funny. I can relate to this because I am an accountant myself. Debits and Credits are tricky. With today’s computer technology though, our job is becoming easier and easier. It is always nice to know which side the Debit is on though.
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