[Anonymous]

Im not trying to come off as a jerk but I constantly hear people crying about the hours and pressure at the Big4. I’m sure that a lot of the people posting these complaints to this bulletin board are most likely ages 23 – 27 who’s only work experience probably consists of internships, part time jobs, and/or campus/summer jobs so they’re probably experiencing their first grown-position. I start at a Big4 firm next month and have read lots of complaints about the hours and the work environment. I’m entering public accounting after serving 6 years in the military where we would spend months at a time away from our families to work 12-16 hour days, 7 days per week in countries where the locals would love to put a bullet in our skulls. The lucky months where I was allowed the be in the US, we still would pull 50-60 hours per week easy. So when I repeatedly read these posts about the stress and long hours of public accounting I just shake my head. Public accounting is a dream compared to being shipped off to the desert for several months to be shot at 24 hours a day. Give me a break.

[Monkey Wrench]

I will start by saying this, I respect those that go into the military, but you are the reason why so much of the military comes off the way it does, and all look elitist.

People complain because its either 40 hours a week in industry or 70 hours at big 4.

[taxman89]

Industry is not usually 40 hrs unless you are hourly

Aud-75 3x I knew i never liked you
Bec-77 1x being in the bubble is stressful
Reg-82 4x its not me its you...and no we cant be friends
Far-78 1x easiest section

[mla1169]

My personal experience with industry (and what I feel the difference is between industry and public) is that most people above the clerk level in industry work 60+ hours the first week of every month for closing and closer to 70+ for the week at year end. The remaining 3-4 weeks during the month are closer to 45-50 hours.

My analysis then is public accountants pump out 60+ hour weeks consecutively for 4 months a year while industry accountants are able to smooth the bulk hours evenly over the entire year. There are pros and cons to both. Its a drag to never ever be able to take the first week of the month off, and its a drag not to be able to take Feb-April 15 off. But I am telling you most industry jobs (with the exception of Govt jobs) are not 40 hours per week.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[stoleway]

Thank you for your service, but I respectfully disagree with all the things you mentioned.

You're just about to start big 4, get into it and let us know how it feels after a year or two.

REG -63│ 84!!
BEC- 59│70│ 71 │78!
AUD- 75!
FAR- 87!

Mass-CPA

[Herbieherb]

Yea no comparison its like comparing being in prison making license plates vs working at Deloitte

NEW YORK- DONE

[zieba]

I suppose it's all relative 33. Some of us chose not to get shipped off to the desert to spread democracy o/b/o big oil. To those people – a majority of the population – working at big4 is as taxing as we perceive it to be.

My grandfather shot at Nazi's and ate potato peels for months on end only to watch his family get slaughtered in front of a wall pitted with bullet holes while wearing ill fitting wool clothes in the dead of a Siberian winter. I guess that makes you a nutritionally balanced, warm MRE meal eating, air-support calling softie. This is to say nothing about your communication privledges (calls home) and probably a fistful of air-conditioned air to boot.He'd probably think you're cute and give you a pat on your head. That doesn't invalidate your hardship. does it? Again, it's all relative, and I think your analysis was a bit hasty.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[nicole2035]

i work in industry and I work 8 hrs a day, I may stay over a few hours a week during close but not by much. If you take on a ton of stuff then yea, you have more work. But there's a way you can balance it and throw away the lower level items that eat up your time. Anything manual I did or mind numbing, a guy in our office who has 10 years experience on me does it now. It fits him because that's the type of stuff he worries about, while someone who has only been working full time for year, I learned quickly to stop doing that. Cost/benefit in my opinion. If I was working 10+ hours a day and doing clerical stuff, no way i'd stay especially if it's not a high probability i'll move up or make more. I don't think being in the army is a good comparison, I just don't think it's normal for anyone to spend 75%+ of their day outside of sleep at their job, but if you love your job, you're a manager etc then sure. Most people who work in the Big 4 complain about hours but also the ‘monkey' work they feel they do, so not only do you feel less valuable but majority of your time is eaten up. So the question is then how much is your time really worth for the end goal you are looking for @ the big 4

I personally find that you'll see certain people in and out at a certain time in industry (I've heard mixed opinions on if you can do this in public). The ones working crazy hours tend to do it to themselves and make it as if they don't have an option when they clearly do. So I think it's about being smart with how you handle things. If you think it's not a big deal to have 4 or less working hours to yourself almost daily, then more power to you.

[thechapman]

People like to vent about it because they are comparing it to what they would be doing if they didn't choose what could be considered the delayed gratification route in terms of accounting careers. A more logical (read: rational) comparison for you to make would be to compare whatever you signed up for to something like the Coast Guard. If you tell people how easy they have it work, prepare to have too many friends to count.

On a side note, I wouldn't be shocked if some clients would also like to “put a bullet” in the skull of certain people on the engagement team they deal with.

Passed - 2014

[Anonymous]

If public accounting hours is a dream, then what the hell is a regular 9-5 job that pays better than public accounting?

Not trying to come off as a jerk? PLease.

[Vlakmir]

Okay: Off-topic for a second- I think it is weird when people thank people for serving in the military. I have much family in the military – but they signed up and are compensated for the job they are doing -a few not dangerous at all, a few extremely dangerous. Should I be thanking every random police officer, oil field construction worker, or other known dangerous workers? Sorry to get off topic a bit, I just think it's really tacky. It's not that I am not thankful for America's serivce, It's that I think it is tacky to say to people on a whim when you know nothing about them. Does anyone feel that, or am I just a dick?

I'm not trying to be offensive and I am happy we have such a strong service, I am just curious and interested and the possible discourse – but in the end, you can't really compare the two – Not everyone in the service gets shipped off to the desert to get shot 24 hours a day, and not everyone has 80 hour work weeks 3 months in a row – Is pulling 50 hours a week standing a gate easier than 50 hours a week of solving little math puzzles? Probably. Is pulling 60 hours a week in the desert getting shot at easier than 60 hours a week solving little math puzzles? Define easier, I guess. Probably not?

You can ignore everything above – but no matter what, listen to this : Don't, I repeat, DON'T walk into Big 4 with a chip on your shoulder thinking you have served and done more difficult things and feel the need to trivialize your colleagues' stresses. Come on the internet forums and do that, but do -not- show that attitude at work – you will be hated very quickly for being an arrogant douche. Please note I'm not saying it's not true, or even that you're arrogant, I'm just saying you will be seen and judged that way- for your own sake, leave those thoughts at the door and simply enjoy to yourself how much easier it is! Speak this through actions and getting things done, and you will go far. Speak this through your mouth and make others feel weak, and you will only hurt yourself.

Anyway, as for working at the BIG 4- OP, I understand what you mean. Full disclosure – so to qualify my own opinion – I have not started full time at a BIG 4 yet, but have interned there. It seems the internship was the bait for the bait and switch (wined and dined, 40 hours, easy work, etc…).

There were definitely people that couldn't even handle 40 hours a week. One kid even didn't get an offer because he fell asleep at a client's office. There were definitely people that couldn't do -anything- fun after work during the week because they were so tired from working a full week of work.

I started working with a paper route at 11, and I can't even count the number of jobs I have had…I got to 20 and then got bored. The point is, many kids working at the BIG 4 come from money/Big cities. Money in the city means you don't work through middle school/ High school, and you probably don't work through college. Many of my colleagues had never had a job before the internship, which was just utterly shocking to me. Many of them would bitch if they were hung with a new rope.

I am now really thankful to my parents for making me play sports when I was young, making me be involved in something during highschool (I could choose, I just couldn't be coming home at 3:30 to sit on my butt), and for not just handing cash out to me (I don't think they could anyway). I never had an allowance. The concept is crazy foreign to me. An Allowance? For what? Wtf? I was always so confused why kids got allowances. For doing chores? Doing chores was for not pissing off the parents and because I was told to….I dunno…I'm rambling now

So I can definitely agree – I have always thought a 4.0 in school doesn't mean anything other than that you didn't have a job. In many cases that is true. In a few rare cases, there are some real super-stars out there.

My school is recruited -heavily- from the Big 4 because of the exact reasons you describe, though. Everyone in my rural state is poor, and almost everyone has jobs, multiple jobs, other obligations outside of school. Hell, I got picked up by the big 4 with a 3.2 or something not that great. Why? Because a 3.2 with 2 jobs at 30+ Hours a week while volunteering looks much better than a 4.0 who watches netflix all day. And when I started work? Man what a breeeeezeeee~ you mean I don't need to spend 15 hours in class a week, 30 hours studying, 25 hours working, and 6 hours volunteering a week? AWESOME!

At the very beginning, I have heard BIG 4 somewhat expects first years to need some study time to get through their tests and doesn't schedule them too crazily – so be aware that things may get worse.

REG - 92
AUD - 90
BEC - 82
FAR - 82
BISK Review Materials
DONE! /Happydance

[jeff]

Thank you for your service (I grew up around a military base (Ft. Leavenworth)…big fan of the military).

Everything is relative, for sure.

(Let's not blow the the OP's comments out of proportion, please.)

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Anonymous]

What is being blown out of proportion? What is the point of this thread, if not to paint and discount public accountants as whiny pansies who don't know how good they have it?

Serving in the military doesn't make someone immune from being called out as an Internet troll.

[jeff]

Nothing is blown out of proportion yet, but posts like these quickly escalate into F-bombs and it goes South from there.

I was just trying to save DRAMA NINJA some work…it's a Bob Ross painting marathon today.

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Vlakmir]

LOL. BOB ROSS MARATHON?! SWEET!!!!

That guy will never truly die.

Aww….I made myself sad…..

It is true that the OP has not responded to anything, yet.

REG - 92
AUD - 90
BEC - 82
FAR - 82
BISK Review Materials
DONE! /Happydance

[Anonymous]

Hi Jeff,

I know its not related to this topic, I wanted to ask if you no longer accept LinkedIn invites?

I sent you and invite. I will like to join your network -:)

[Author]

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