"Confessions of a Tax Collector," by Richard Yancey

"Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS," by Richard Yancey, (New York:Harper Collins; 2004) 364 pages. ISBN 0-06-055560-2.

No one grows up thinking they want a career as a tax collector. The people that end up doing that job get there somehow. This is one man's story of how he came to be a revenue officer for the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). In Confessions of a Tax Collector, former drama teacher Richard Yancey answers an recruitment advertisment in a Florida newspaper (remember those) seeking people to work in The Treasury Department. Attracted by the job security and salary, he applies and is recruited. The book traces his career from his employment interview, training, and his early career. Yancey pulls back the curtain on what the IRS was like in the 1990s, to show us how revenue officer collected income tax revenue for the IRS. 

Exposes  by insiders spilling the beans on what its really like working for an organization usually make interesting reading. This book is no exception. If you are interested in working for the IRS, then Yancey's book should be recommended reading, even though the IRS has changed considerably from the way it is depicted in this book. This book's utility is not confined to future agents wanting know what its really like to work for the IRS. Anyone thinking of working in a job that requires managing a caseload (e.g. investigator, insurance examiner/adjuster, etc) would benefit from it: this book reveals the type of work constraints and limitations associated with such work. Yancey also provides engaging and detailed critiques of how he successfully did his job and closed cases. These are first-rate accounts of what is required in jobs that require you to handle a case load. The book also gives an important lesson for all people: Yancey decided that if he was going to do the job of revenue officer, he was going to be the best revenue agent. Success for him was a decision, and was something he worked hard for and achieved. This is a lesson for all people in that no matter how little you enjoy you job, or are embarrassed by it, namely, there is a lot to be said for deciding to be the best at it and doing it exceptionally well. Who knows where it will lead. In Richard Yancey's instance, its led to a careers as a writer.