Which profession has a higher prestige in the eyes of the public: CPA or computer programmer? (transaction, analysis)

[StPaulGal]

Personally I would say the order of prestige goes:

Lawyer
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CPA
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Computer Programmer

Law is held up as one of the "big 2" prestige careers. You would never hear someone say "Little Timmy is smart as a whip! He's going to be a CPA one day!" It is doctor and lawyer that are at the tippy-top of the prestige ladder. CPA is hit or miss. Most people are probably going to think of the seasonal worker who does their taxes at HR Block, but more savvy individuals will realize the amount of work it takes to attain that certification. Computer programming can pay a lot in certain circumstances but it is not a prestigious career.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by leibstandarte

Which profession has a higher prestige in the eyes of the public: CPA, computer programmer or lawyer if money is take out of the equation?

Currently I'd say lawyer, CPA, programmer. People tend to hate lawyers for good reasons, but the profession still has obvious prestige.

But CPAs will become fewer due to automation while demand for programmers will increase. Not sure what will happen to lawyers, though I hope they decline as well.

So who has more prestige, an unemployed CPA or lawyer, or an employed programmer?

[stanley-88888888]

lawyers are juris doctors so i think the profession is seen in highest prestige.


i would next say programmers because everyone loves apps (eventhough they dont even know what they are outside of mobile) and hates taxes.
most laypeople (ew) dont have any conceivable idea what this means:

#include "stdio.h"
 
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  printf("hello world");
}

whereas most people have at least an inkling of how to add and subtract (although cpa's do much more than spreadsheets during tax season, public perception is far smaller).
Misunderstood professions




edit: i find it weird people are commenting cpa above lawyer. public perception to me means what is in movies/tv/internet. there are plenty of movies about smart lawyers and i cant think of any about accounting. and internet searching / mobile apps / social networks / web forums / ecommerce / email / web video / web chatting / ... people use this stuff every hour they are awake that the brands are much more recognizable to (ignorant) commoners. i am fairly intelligent and outside of deloit and touch, ernest and young and proctor and gamble [sic], i dont know any cpa firms.

[unixfed]

Law school is like most education, it just takes commitment. I know plenty of low IQ attorneys.

[stanley-88888888]

^ theres a difference between being smart and being able to afford education. the smartest person in the world has no perception of if article iv, clause 2 of a commercial leasing contract allows the non-voting rights holder of a public trust, annuity or bond stock of the subsidiary company to sue in a us district court. or if they have to abide by binding arbitration with a moderator of the trusts choosing.

a dim-witted lawyer would be able to figure that out in 5 minutes.

[convextech]

Originally Posted by leibstandarte

Which profession has a higher prestige in the eyes of the public: CPA, computer programmer or lawyer if money is take out of the equation?

Programmer.

Lawyers are not seen as good people by the public. CPA is just a pencil pusher.

[armory]

Originally Posted by leibstandarte

Which profession has a higher prestige in the eyes of the public: CPA, computer programmer or lawyer if money is take out of the equation?

Is "the public" to be found at Starbucks or 7-11 buying their coffee? "Public" means who? Not everyone thinks alike so the choices are worlds apart. I wouldn't want to be either.

I agree with the poster who suggested this be a poll.

[Utopian Slums]

CPA
lawyer



computer programer

.

[MassVt]

Doctor and lawyer, in that order, will always be the most coveted professions. Computer programmers and CPAs require a specific set of skills, but they aren't considered "elite" by any means. I definitely would place engineers above both CPAs and programmers.

Most CPAs that I've met over the years are reasonably intelligent, but not at the level of physicians and lawyers. There is a palpable difference..

[RVD90277]

Originally Posted by longneckone

Really? I don't know of any prestigious computer programming companies.

Let's take a look at Forbes best places to work for in 2015.

The Best Places To Work In 2015 - Forbes

Let's see who's #1. Oh, it's Google. Oh, it's Google for the 6th time.

Let's see which company is the most valuable company in the world (by market cap). Oh, it's Apple.

Both computer programmer companies.

I don't see any law firms or CPA firms in the top 10.