Life of an auditor

As much as companies hate auditors around the world, it would make it much easier if companies hired and trained personnel who understood what they were doing, as well as what auditors do. It is excruciatingly painful to deal with people who are clueless, people who make you grab and squeeze your stress ball till it breaks, or make you want to throw your computer across the hall. Seriously, train your employees, or atleast explain to them what we do. And employees, google us, wikipedia us, do something, but don't just think we're there solely to bug you and grab invoices from you. You'll make our lives easier and we'll make your lives easier if you educate yourself.

I'm surprised that nobody's talked or written about the life of auditors, the very people loathed by companies, and loved by...well, not many. We're the ones who bug company personnel for invoices and documentation...and more documentation. We then ask questions that either make us look stupid or make the controllers and other accounting personnel look stupid, since they probably are clueless about how what they do affects the entire company. But, that's for another blog. Now, how does one become an auditor? You know how kids grow up wanting to become astronauts, doctors, presidents and athletes. Well, nobody grows up wanting to become an auditor. We only major in accounting in college because people tell us that unlike art history or basket weaving, it will lead us to a guaranteed job, which means money. We then have the Big 4 - PriceWaterHouseCoopers, KPMG, Ernst and Young, and Deloitte and Touche - who pounce on college campuses across the nation and recruit some fre...