Accounting is a very popular field. It’s also one of those fields that many people use as a springboard to some other area of career interest. After all, if you have your accounting degree, you can always find a job, right? Well, take a look at these seven famous guys who started out as accountants but ended up far from their original careers.

1. Bob Newhart – the famous comedian and star of several television shows (two named for himself) had his first real job as an accountant in Chicago. He took the job right out of the army and decided to move on to other things when his boss accused him of not using sound accounting practices.
2. John Grisham – Most people know that the famous writer was first a lawyer. But, his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State was in accounting and he practiced as an accountant before going on to law school later.
3. Kenny G –The famous saxophonist obtained a degree in accounting, graduating Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Washington. His first love was music, but he got his accounting degree so that he would have a “plan B” if music didn’t work out.
4. JP Morgan – Railroad magnate, financier and banker JP Morgan’s first job was as an accountant on Wall Street. He practiced as an accountant until his father died and left him the family business.
5. Josiah Wedgewood – The man known all over the world for his famous pottery was also the creator of what is now referred to as “cost accounting.” You see, during the depression, Wedgewood found that his bookkeeping clerk was embezzling from him, so he took over his own books rather than hire another during such a rough financial period. He determined that he needed to find a way to track bottom line costs and profits so that he could determine the actual cost of making his wares. This helped keep his pottery business afloat during the tough economic times.
6. Arthur Blank – Arthur Blank’s first full time job was as an accountant. He took a second, part time job at a hardware store, and later founded The Home Depot. Today, he still runs Home Depot and is also the owner of the Atlanta Falcons NFL team.
7. Tim Dubois – One of country music’s most famous songwriters and the one time head of Arista Records was originally an accountant. Between writing such hits as “She Got the Goldmine, I Got the Shaft” and running Arista records, he also found time to teach accounting at Owen University for many years.

So, as you see, your accounting degree can prepare you for nearly anything. Accounting makes a good foundation for many types of business ventures and can give artsy types something to fall back on in case their first love doesn’t work out. And, of course, it’s also a great career for the long haul if your first love just happens to be accounting!

M. Ward writes about how to find online colleges for accounting.