[onmywhey]

Hey Everyone!

Congratulations to everyone that got an offer and good luck to those that are still trying. Now… I want to discuss remaining positive about public accounting.

If one has ever read the reviews on glassdoor most of the reviews will be along the line of “you will work so many hours, you will forget you are human” or “there is no work/life balance, they will work you into a dust because they know most of the people are leaving.”

If you go to urban dictionary Deloitte means: “the last form of slavery in the United States.” Now, I want to be happy which I am grateful to get an offer, but how does one remain positive and become excited about a career in accounting?!

[Anonymous]

Everyone has good points here. I have not worked in public accounting, but I can say that jobs in industry may surprise you with long hours. Everything looks rosy in the interview, then they will stick you with ridiculous hours.

At my last job with a public company, no one left before the CFO and he liked to stay until 9 or 10 at night. The key is to remain positive and think about where you want to go in your career. As acamp said, you can leave at any time, but think about where you want to go and evaluate the alternatives. Also, the more demanding jobs usually come with higher rewards/opportunities.

[StephAV]

I did my time… I was excited to get worked like crazy, travel, etc. I think for the young (traditional) college grads it is like your social life and work life all wrapped in one? I worked at a mid-sized regional firm, about 60 accountants, I think we had 13 new hires the year I started. It was kind of fun and exciting. There were times that it was awful… The best word… Intense! I had some good times and some really awful times and man that was the longest 2.5 years of my life. Lol.

I wouldn't go into this with dread, go into it with excitement and adventure. This is going to be the beginning of an amazing career. Hard work will pay off. I have been out for 5 years and I miss the team environment, I really do…

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[StephAV]

I did my time… I was excited to get worked like crazy, travel, etc. I think for the young (traditional) college grads it is like your social life and work life all wrapped in one? I worked at a mid-sized regional firm, about 60 accountants, I think we had 13 new hires the year I started. It was kind of fun and exciting. There were times that it was awful… The best word… Intense! I had some good times and some really awful times and man that was the longest 2.5 years of my life. Lol.

I wouldn't go into this with dread, go into it with excitement and adventure. This is going to be the beginning of an amazing career. Hard work will pay off. I have been out for 5 years and I miss the team environment, I really do…

FAR - 7/13 - 72, 11/13- 74, 2/14- 82!!! Best score ever (for me)!!!
BEC - 1/14 - 75!!! Perfect score! First Pass! YAY!!!
AUD - 8/14 - 80!!!
REG - 5/14 - 72, 10/14 - 66, 1/15 - 78 - DONE FOREVER!!!
I did 5 of the UNA and CPAExcel classes to earn units.

[Keely]

First of all, know that there are plenty of options outside of Big 4, and you will learn just as much from a smaller firm, and unless you are hoping to be a CFO for a Fortune 500 company one day, you will be just as qualified as everyone else. Name recognition isn't everything, in my opinion. I know plenty of people who aren't accountants, but associate Big 4 with slave labor. A lot of employers don't want robots whose crowning achievement is they worked 100+ hour weeks and didn't die.

Secondly, you will probably make instant friends. People go out a lot, have lunch/dinner together, hang out outside of work, etc. Just last night, my coworker and I went to a Rockets game. It's nice because I moved to a city where I know no one. Also, you'll hate busy season, but you'll feel really accomplished afterward. It's kind of like an adrenaline rush (or what I tell myself to stay sane!).

And finally, know you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. It's not like you're in jail. If you hate it, quit and find something else. Don't let a job become the only thing in your life. I see some people I work with, and it's like their job has taken their soul. They live, eat, and breathe work constantly. Never stops. Don't be like that. Don't give up all your hobbies. Refuse to have your little fingers worked to the bone. A good company understands there is more to life than sitting in front of a computer 16 hours a day. Well-rounded people make better employees. Your clients want to be able to shoot the shit with you, and how are you going to do that if you have literally nothing else going on in your life besides Excel spreadsheets and tax returns? This is why I didn't even attempt to go to Big 4. I value my career goals, my professional development, and so on. But above all, I value my time. Try your best to maintain a work/life balance, even if you'd rather just eat Cheetos for dinner every night and sleep away your one day off a week during busy season.

You will be okay. Some people can work 80, 90, 100 hour weeks and they feel like they just climbed Mount Everest. If you're anything like me, you'll understand it's okay to not be cut out for that kind of life, and being able to put your foot down and say “This isn't the life for me,” is an accomplishment in itself.

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[Keely]

First of all, know that there are plenty of options outside of Big 4, and you will learn just as much from a smaller firm, and unless you are hoping to be a CFO for a Fortune 500 company one day, you will be just as qualified as everyone else. Name recognition isn't everything, in my opinion. I know plenty of people who aren't accountants, but associate Big 4 with slave labor. A lot of employers don't want robots whose crowning achievement is they worked 100+ hour weeks and didn't die.

Secondly, you will probably make instant friends. People go out a lot, have lunch/dinner together, hang out outside of work, etc. Just last night, my coworker and I went to a Rockets game. It's nice because I moved to a city where I know no one. Also, you'll hate busy season, but you'll feel really accomplished afterward. It's kind of like an adrenaline rush (or what I tell myself to stay sane!).

And finally, know you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. It's not like you're in jail. If you hate it, quit and find something else. Don't let a job become the only thing in your life. I see some people I work with, and it's like their job has taken their soul. They live, eat, and breathe work constantly. Never stops. Don't be like that. Don't give up all your hobbies. Refuse to have your little fingers worked to the bone. A good company understands there is more to life than sitting in front of a computer 16 hours a day. Well-rounded people make better employees. Your clients want to be able to shoot the shit with you, and how are you going to do that if you have literally nothing else going on in your life besides Excel spreadsheets and tax returns? This is why I didn't even attempt to go to Big 4. I value my career goals, my professional development, and so on. But above all, I value my time. Try your best to maintain a work/life balance, even if you'd rather just eat Cheetos for dinner every night and sleep away your one day off a week during busy season.

You will be okay. Some people can work 80, 90, 100 hour weeks and they feel like they just climbed Mount Everest. If you're anything like me, you'll understand it's okay to not be cut out for that kind of life, and being able to put your foot down and say “This isn't the life for me,” is an accomplishment in itself.

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[Author]

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