[Anonymous]

I’ve been at my top 10 accounting firm job for about 7 months now and things are going alright. I have decided that auditing isn’t really my true passion but I would like to stay a minimum of 2 years before leaving and go elsewhere. I finished my CPA and have an MS in Accounting. Anyone think 2 years is not enough or too much…?

[tcheney3]

Where are you looking to go? If you are looking to move into private most firms want 3-5 years of public accounting experience.

BEC - 82
REG - 86
FAR - 85
AUD - 84 and I'm out!!!!!
Ethics - 95
In Skynet's Honor:
Act I: Shutdown Skynet and prevent Judgment Day.
Act II: Add a comma and three letters to my title.
Act III: Time Travel and marry a young Denise Richards (and prevent subsequent plastic surgery),return to present.
Act IV: Serve as Successor to Elon Musk as CEO of Tesla.
Act V: Ensure Judgment Day has been stopped. Utopia achieved.

[mena je twa]

I have come across company's and recruiters, that require 2-4 year too.

So it comes down to need of the hiring company, if they are growing and there is a need for people, they might even consider someone with 1+ year.

So, it all depends, but anywhere from 2-4 years is ideal.

Licensed CPA, Texas - 2012

[fuzyfro89]

2 years is certainly not “too much”, but whether it's “enough” depends a lot on how well you interview and the job market in the area that you are looking within.

Some people will get great offers elsewhere (within their own firms in other practices, externally in a related field, or even externally in an unrelated field), but that happens at a different time for each person.

I hate to be cliche… but IT DEPENDS ON YOUR GOALS!!! There is no such thing as “best time to leave”. If you want to switch paths, then you should get out of public no later than 3 years in, otherwise you're too specialized. If you want to be in a technical accounting position in industry with clients that you currently serve in public, then staying could help if you think it will advance your skills more than in another role.

“Audit is not my true passion…”

Fine. It's not for many people. What do you want afterwards? Financial analyst? Senior Accountant? Acct Manager? Internal Audit? M&A/Transaction services? The “best” time to leave will vary for each of the areas, but is also highly dependent upon what's available to you and how well you frame yourself and network/interview.

[Mayo]

After 3 years my offers quadrupled in number and greatly increased in terms of interesting roles. Really, haivng that “Senior” title does a lot for you on the recruiting circuit,

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Author]

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