Should you stop being an accountant?

So, you’re working hard to get a professional qualification. But is finance and business the area you should be in? Will there still be a need for finance professionals in the future?

These are all good questions but my personal view is that I think there will be a need for finance professionals going forward. Individuals will always be needed to analyse, interpret and advise on financial areas.

What about other occupations? What about taxi drivers for example?

Taxi drivers have been around for many years. Starting with the horse and carriage and now moving up to date with the latest cars and limousines, taxi drivers are a common sight in most towns and cities.

The drive in a London black cab for example is in my opinion a mixture between a personal “Disney style ride” through the sights of London combined with having a driver who knows more about everything than all the websites on the Internet (at least if the driver of the taxi I was in this morning is anything to go by…).

Had I had the opportunity this morning to get a word in edgeways there would have been an interesting discussion about whether taxi drivers will be needed in the future though.

The state of Nevada in America has just approved America’s first self driven vehicle licence. Wow, let’s just slow down a moment and review that last comment.

Yes, Nevada changed its laws to allow self-driven cars in March and Google have been testing a Toyota Prius which has been modified to enable it to be driven without a driver.

This is not science fiction, this is reality.

The car has already driven nearly 150,000 miles by itself but during these journeys it did have a driver sat ready to take action if needed.

However, Nevada is the first state in America to register cars that can drive without a driver and the first driverless journey has now actually taken place.

The car uses video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder to find its way around.

This is all clever stuff and as a result if you are just starting out in your career and are planning to be a taxi or limousine driver, will you actually be needed in 10, 20 or 30 years?

That’s a good question but one thing is for sure and that is in the back of your driverless taxi in 10, 20 or 30 years I’m sure there will be an accountant on his way to a meeting…