Jonathan Immanuel Siregar

Statement of Personal Budget

For the Month Ended 31 December 2018

Income
No. Sources Nominal (in IDR)
1. Budget Surplus as of 30 November 2018 1,000,000
2. Parents 4,000,000
3. Christmas Gifts 1,000,000

Total 6,000,000

Expenses
No. Activities Nominal (in IDR)
1. Food and Beverages 1,000,000
2. Transportation 300,000
3. Entertainment 300,000
4. Shopping 600,000
5. Others 300,000

Total 2,500,000

Surplus (Deficit) IDR 3,500,000

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JONATHAN IMMANUEL SIREGAR: A FUTURE PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT

In the future, I would like to

become a public accountant. A public
accountant is a person who performs
auditing, tax, consulting and
accounting services for other
businesses, organizations or
individuals. Although job tasks vary by
specialty, such as tax accounting or
forensic accounting, some common
duties include making sure financial
documents are correct, working with
budgets and providing financial advice.
Beside being a public accountant, I would like to set up my own accounting firm as well.

There are several reasons why I want to become a public accountant. The first reason is I am
getting inspired by my uncle – who is a successful public accountant and has his own accounting firm
– and I really like to discuss with him about his career as a public accountant, how he manages his
occupations and performs accounting services, as well as accounting and financial issues in
Indonesia. The second reason is I have huge passions in accounting, auditing, and finance. It is really
interesting to practice accounting studies, especially when we deal with arranging financial
statements (income statement, retained earnings statement, statement of financial position,
statement of cash flows, and notes on the financial statements) of an entity and determining the
reasonability of an entity’s financial statements and core business while we want to state an audit
opinion. The third reason is I want to implement accounting and finance studies that I have got in
higher education at my accounting firm.

Well, to become a successful public accountant, what should I do?

 I should get bachelor and master degree in Accounting and Finance. I should have formal
education in Accounting and Finance as a requirement to open an accounting firm and to have
knowledges and skills in performing accounting and audit.
 I should read a lot about accounting and finance issues. I often read articles and information
related with accounting from certain websites, such as iaiglobal.or.id (official website of Ikatan
Akuntan Indonesia (IAI)/Institute of Indonesian Chartered Accountants), accountingtools.com, and
accountingcoach.com. I am trying to update myself with the newest accounting standards that
issued by accounting institutions. Those standards are International Financial Reporting Standards
(IFRS), issued by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB), and Pernyataan Standar
Akuntansi Keuangan (PSAK)/Financial Accounting Standards, issued by IAI. I often get the newest
standards from the official websites of IASB and IAI, my uncle, and my accounting lecturers.
 I should have experiences in performing accounting and auditing before setting up an accounting
firm. There are two options to get those experiences. You can choose for being a government
accountant or a managerial one. For being a government accountant, I should work in
government institutions that have specialties related with accounting, finance, and auditing, such

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 as the Kementerian Keuangan/Ministry of Finance or Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan (BPK)/Audit Board
of Indonesia. For being a managerial accountant, I will choose working in an accounting firm, such
as Big Four (PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, or EY). By having those experiences, it will enable me to have
deep understanding and knowledges in accounting, get connections, and earn capitals to set an
accounting firm.
 I should have certificates in accounting and/or audit. The authority requires you to have
certificates in order to be able to perform accounting and audit services. Those certificates could
be:
o Chartered Accountant (CA), issued by Ikatan Akuntan Indonesia (IAI)/Institute of Indonesia
Chartered Accountants [mandatory]
o Certified Public Accountant (CPA), issued by Institut Akuntan Publik Indonesia (IAPI)/Institute of
Indonesian Public Accountants [mandatory]
o Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA), issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors -
Indonesia (IIA Indonesia).
o Certification in Control Self-Assessment
(CCSA), issued by IIA Indonesia.
o Accounting or audit-related certificates
 I should have many good connections.
We can get connections by joining
organizations and activities at campus,
joining external organizations or
activities, and having at least
experiences in performing accounting. I
have done those, except having
experiences (I am still at college,
anyway). It will be easier for us in founding an accounting firm and getting clients if we have many
good connections.
 I should join two organizations that accommodate accountant in performing their duties. They are
IAI and IAPI. I could meet many accountants around Indonesia so that we can discuss together
about our duties as accountants as well as accounting issues in Indonesia and the world.

Those are things about being a public accountant. I do hope that it will become a reality so
that I could contribute to the economy of Indonesia and Southeast Asia.