While reading
HIGH-ly sought after CFOs?
Answers
What great questions, Chris! This is where branding can really play a role in one's decision-making, as a move into such a controversial role would certainly impact future career opportunities - and - dollars aside, the environment must be a good fit with your values or you will quickly become dissatisfied.
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Very true about branding. I think this would make a great blog post for you. I wonder how CEOs would feel about hiring someone from this industry.
I couldn't imagine being who I am and representing what I seek to represent while working for a marijuana-based company. I think the cost of what I would lose in many circles outside of finance and
Those are interesting questions, Chris. As a 'well-established' CFO in the relatively conservative midwest, I wouldn't plan to move in that direction myself. However, when I was younger I would have considered it - if, as Cindy said, the environment was right. As long as it was operated as a professional organization, supplying product within legal boundaries and not just operating as a shell for
I've worked for and with a lot of different types of distributors, and frankly, at the end of the day - it's all widgets anyway for the accountants.
How would it be so different from being the CFO of a tabacco company? The product is legal, but generally accepted to be addictive and quite detrimental to one's health.
I once hired an
Like so many factors in life, from career choices to how one decorates their home, the reaction or approval of others is out of one's control, wildly variable and not worth losing sleep over. It all depends on who you're
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I think the difference is that tobacco hasn't always been stigmatized in the U.S. until recently (15-20 years). Marijuana has had a stigma against it in nearly all circles except with people that participate for years. It was never said, "Look at those cigarette smoking hippies and their free love. Wasting their brain cells." It was the marijuana and other illegal drug users that were seen in such a way.
Tobacco has received bad press because of the revelations of years of its use. Tobacco commercials, when they were allowed, were always sexy, cool, and everyone was having a good time. Now users are informed about its destructive qualities.
I see it has an assessment of
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I completely agree with Mark's assessment...and I, too, would not consider it a negative when considering employing an individual from that industry. However, recognizing that everyone may not necessarily be as socially liberal as I am about certain things, I would be most concerned about the impacts on MY future employment opportunities.
Sounds like murky waters to me. Especially under the
Congrats Chris!
http://ww2.cfo.com/careers/2014/01/ups-downs-cfo-marijuana-careers/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonvqXBZKXonjHpfsX%2B6u4rWaGg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YIETsJ0aPyQAgobGp5I5FENTrDYUKhrt6EPWQ%3D%3D
Chris,
I was once (last decade) involved with recruitment for accounting professionals for a tobacco company, and I have to say that the company had a very difficult time hiring for their team because many people did not want to be associated with working for a tobacco company.
Will an upstart marijuana industry end up being like tobacco (which used to be acceptable but is no longer as accepted), or like alcohol (wine & spirits - which used to be unacceptable - during Prohibition - but today is a very accepted)?
Time will tell.
We are all responsible for our personal brand. The choices we make are ours to make, and we need to ensure that we can be proud of those choices.
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- The choices we make are ours to make, and we need to ensure that we can be proud of those choices. -
I think a decision for or against relates directly to our value system, Samuel. And our values are tied directly to our personal brand. Whenever we violate our values, we end up dissatisfied, discontent, and often miserable. And, of course, those "wrong" decisions can also confuse or malign our brand at the same time.
I posted another question on accounting for the marijuana industry.
Support for some form of legalization is now at 54% http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/07/6-facts-about-marijuana/ and three-quarters of all states have made some move towards decriminalization in recent years.