Here are five accountants (or would-be number-crunchers), who disregarded the call of the financial calculator to take centre stage in an entirely unrelated field
Accounting is a profession prone to stereotypes – of green peak caps, introversion and unhealthy obsessions with “the numbers”. If they are to be believed, you’d expect these “bean-counters” to only emerge from the back-room when there was a major emergency, such as the office burning down, or on International Accounting Day (yes, it does exist). Here are five accountants (or would-be number-crunchers), who disregarded the call of the financial calculator to take centre stage in an entirely unrelated field.
John Grisham
Grisham has been behind some of the biggest legal thriller bestsellers of the past couple of decades including The Firm, A Time to Kill, Pelican Brief, The Client and The Runaway Jury. Many of these have been turned into big-screen blockbusters, which has given Grisham an even bigger celebrity profile. Before the fame, however, he earned a degree in accounting with a view to practicing tax law, but the temptation of criminal law was too strong to resist. He’s probably the only accountant on the planet who prefers words to digits.
Chuck Liddell
Possibly the only qualified accountant with a Mohawk, former UFC champion and mixed-martial arts superstar Liddell (pictured) graduated with a Business and Accounting Degree from California Polytechnic University before becoming one of the most dangerous men on the planet.
Mick Jagger
The lead singer of the band that brought the world Paint It Black, Rolling Stones co-founder Jagger was once on the path to keeping clients in the black. Jagger spent a year studying accounting and finance at the London School of Economics, before bandmate Keith Richards convinced him to give up the exciting prospect for a more stable life of rock n roll.
Phil Knight
Knight is better known for being the co-founder of Nike and a billionaire many times over, but he is also a Certified Public Accountant. After graduating from business school, Knight visited Japan and secured the US distribution rights to the Onitsuka Tiger sneaker brand. This led to the launch of Nike in 1964. The world’s best athletes on the track may represent his brand, but as a CPA, he can still run the numbers.
Janet Jackson
At one point, the Jackson 5 prodigy was considering entering the accounting profession and perhaps opening a Jackson & Co firm in a demure office block. As luck would have it, her talent was soon discovered and she enjoyed global success as a singer in her own right. There’s no word on whether she helped the King of Pop with his books.
