Auditors Break Down the 5 Things the Film “The Accountant” Got Right

This article was originally published by the Center for Audit Quality and Discover Audit.

If you’ve been on the internet or flipped channels on the TV recently, you’ve almost certainly seen previews for the new Ben Affleck thriller, The Accountant. Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a CPA/mathematical genius who happens to also be trained in martial arts and operating heavy artillery. His office is a cover for his work doing freelance accounting for dangerous criminal organizations.

We know we probably don’t have to say this, but we will anyway: The Accountant is not an accurate depiction of the accounting/auditing industry (duh!).

However, that doesn’t mean the movie got everything wrong. First and foremost, Wolff was absolutely right when he said the accounting profession is one of the fastest-growing fields, based on a Department of Labor stat. In fact, they say that the number of jobs for accountants and auditors will grow 11% from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for many other occupations.

Here are five other commonalities that we found between auditors and Christian Wolff. And listen up auditors: It’s not every day you get compared to a Ben Affleck character!

1. There’s More Than Meets The Eye

Some people think that auditing is a desk job that involves staring at the computer all day, every day. Those people are wrong. There’s so much more to auditing than you might think at first. This video gives you a much better picture of life as an auditor.

2. Costume Changes

No, we don’t switch from a suit to an artillery vest, but our job does require an ever-changing wardrobe. If we are heading to a company for a meeting, we might suit up. Casual day at the office? Bring on the jeans. Traveling for work? Don’t forget your backpack and sunglasses!

3. Travel

Our travel is not because we’re on the run like Wolff! It’s because we have companies to visit, meetings to attend, and exciting networking opportunities at conferences (both local and abroad)!

4. Numbers

Although auditors often are mathematical whizzes, the difference is that we use our number-crunching superpower for good!

5. Decisions, Decisions

Here’s one that applies to everyone. We all have to “calculate our choices,” especially when it comes to our future careers.

So what do you think? Is it time to Discover Audit? Ben Affleck wants you to!