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- May 13, 2013
I live in Boston. While there are plenty of accounting jobs, there is also a lot of competition.
And yeah, planning on getting my CPA.
And yeah, planning on getting my CPA.
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I actually went back to school for accounting. I'm taking intermediate accounting now and honestly I hate it. I don't know if it is because I've gotten more lazier but I don't care for it at all anymore. I did great in my previous accounting courses but this one has seriously made me rethink whether or not I want to pursue this profession.
Yeah, I feel you. I just always question whether or not if it's for me. I do it quite often. I have no passion for anything, no musical talents, or athletic abilities, so a plain dude like me picked the major that is allegedly "easy" to find a job in.
Just stick it out for now, would be my advice. I'm in the same boat as you bruh.
I actually went back to school for accounting. I'm taking intermediate accounting now and honestly I hate it. I don't know if it is because I've gotten more lazier but I don't care for it at all anymore. I did great in my previous accounting courses but this one has seriously made me rethink whether or not I want to pursue this profession.
I actually went back to school for accounting. I'm taking intermediate accounting now and honestly I hate it. I don't know if it is because I've gotten more lazier but I don't care for it at all anymore. I did great in my previous accounting courses but this one has seriously made me rethink whether or not I want to pursue this profession.
Change out of accounting, ASAP.
The lowest answer was right, not the highest. I get the correct answers tomorrow. Thanks alot though, that answer came through in the clutch^For actors 1 and 2 use the PV of $1 tables
For actors 3 and 4 use the PV of an annuity tables.
Im not sure about my answers though but $779,068.9 is the highest and Actor 4 and $762,758.87 is the lowest and Actor 1
Props to you for your success but let's not get carried away with that dime a dozen statement. There are many different types of accountants. A GL accountant is very different from a corporate controller. Both come from accounting backgrounds, but their salaries are very different.Don't sweat it. I swapped out of accounting my second to last semester of college. Tough pill to swallow at the time but best decision I've ever made. Not to mention accountants are a dime a dozen. I put a job posting up the other day and received close to 50 applications.
Big 4 Alum and CPA checking in.
Overall I'm happy with my decision to pursue a career in accounting. Here's what I did:
-Maintained a 3.5 GPA in college.
-Snagged an internship at a big 4 my junior year.
-During my internship I knew nothing. The key to succeeding is having a great attitude. Smile, nod your head, and do what you're told to do with enthusiasm on your face. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Got an offer for a full time job.
-With that full time offer under my belt, I went nuts my senior year in college. My GPA dropped to just above 3.0 by the time I graduated . Luckily, they didn't retract their offer.
-Graduated college and started work. Reality hit me hard. Worked 50 to 60 hours a week on average. Pulled a few all nighters, had no social life, yambs were scarce, I was miserable. Spent 4 years doing that......BUT......those were the most important years of my professional career. Learned so much. After working 12 hour days, I would come home to study for the CPA exam, till like midnight. Wake up and do it again. Passed my CPA. Learned so much from the job, both technical accounting wise and human psychology in the work environment wise as well. Most valuable years of my life thus far.
-By the time I turned 27, after 4 years at big 4, as a CPA, I got a job offer from one of the clients I audited. A manager position getting paid over $110k. Work life balance is amazing, 40 hours a week. I'm home by 6 everyday.
-I honestly think landing my job now would only be possible by going through that pain period where I had no life for 4 years. When people see Big 4 + CPA on your resume, they KNOW you are serious about your career. I'm not the smartest guy in the world. You don't have to be. If you are good with people, and somewhat intelligent, with drive and ambition, you'll do well.
Well, done and thanks for being so informative. I've made the career change to accounting and it is always great (and inspiring) to hear about the career path of other people.
I'm a bit older (2 and am about 75% done with a Master of Accountancy program. I did an undergrad in Business Economics. I really never thought I'd be going back to school for accounting. I hated those classes as an undergrad. Now, it's actually been a fairly interesting study path for me. Currently have a 3.97.
I did the Meet the Firms and got a few internship offers; and some from the Big 4. I decided to go with a well known, but still growing a lot, regional firm. I have no desire at my age to be grinding the Big 4 style. I'd rather be a big fish in a smaller pond.
If you don't mind, would you say what market you in and how your salary progressed through those 4 years? When did you get your CPA/how did that affect salary?
I'm in the San Francisco area and hope to get a full-time offer (after the internship) in the 75k for a first year audit staff. Am I being crazy or is that realistic? I'll likely graduate with a 3.8+ and with the CPA test fully completed/enough units etc for licensure. My internship offers ranged from $23/hour to $28 an hour (40 hour work week).
My not so great understanding of a career path:
1-2 years: Audit Staff
1-2 years: Audit Senior
2+ years: Audit Manager
Is that generally right?
Props to you for your success but let's not get carried away with that dime a dozen statement. There are many different types of accountants. A GL accountant is very different from a corporate controller. Both come from accounting backgrounds, but their salaries are very different.
Accounting is the language of business. Whatever industry you're in, whatever country you're in, whatever statutory rules you are bound by, accounting is fundamental to business. It's a valuable skill set to have that has demand in any economic climate, whether we're in a recession or economic prosperity, you're gonna need accountants through it all. Can't say the same for other finance folk in say FP&A/strategic planning, which is a respectable field without a doubt, but those groups are far more sensitive to headcount reduction than accountants are.
Accounting is a great career path and a great place to start, especially if you aren't sure what you want to end up doing. Many CFO's started out in accounting/CPA before they branched out into finance, because, I can't stress this enough, accounting is the basic language of business and it never hurts to know how a balance sheet and P&L work together.
Sure, it's no where close to being as "glamorous" and "sexy" as banking or hedge fund managing, but not everyone is built for that, and that's ok. I'm in my late 20's making over $140k as an accountant. All I have is an accounting undergrad, CPA and big 4 experience, nothing fancy. I'm not "wealthy" by any means but what I earn provides me with what I need. I continue to learn every day and get challenged everyday. To each his own but I'd recommend accounting to anyone
don't quit..once you get the cpa possibly switch professionscurrently working at a small audit firm, and i'm miserable. got hired out of college and the firm im at never really hired staff to train before, and mainly focused on grabbing seniors from other firms, and i'm feeling those effects right now. i haven't been challenged to do anything different from when i first started nor have i received any training in areas i want to get into. their idea of "training" consists of following prior year work papers.
i got promoted to senior earlier this year, but am still treated as a staff on engagements im assigned to. i'm 2 tests into my CPA and am having a lot of trouble finding motivation to finish - mainly because this firm has really turned me off on the profession
really contemplating of quitting, focusing on my tests, and applying to another firm, hopefully national or big 4 to revitalize my hunger to do better and challenge myself. i don't want to get stuck at this firm, being okay collecting paychecks, but the thought of applying and interviewing to other places is scary.