[ms11]

I worked a year in public accounting in tax and decided that it was just not for me. I left and went to a private company and while I like the company, it isn’t challenging enough. I basically book entries, prepare bank reconciliations and work on monthly close. I am not sure if I am just working too quickly but I can never stay busy. It is really disheartening to go to work and have absolutely nothing to do. I did not enjoy being overworked in public accounting but I at least was learning and felt challenged. I really do not know what I should do next.

Has anyone experience this after leaving public accounting? If so, what did you do?

[KaliKingz]

I experienced the opposite, although I did have a tax internship under my belt.

My first job was in industry, and worked for about a year. It was too boring for me. Like you, I would finish my work very fast. What's sad, is that they fired the other staff and had me doing both of our work.

Towards the end of my stay, I would be done with my daily work befor lunch.

I decided that I was over being static, and moved to public. I enjoy being busy and challenged, but hate the hours required. I am planning on moving to a tax department in a public company. I've heard these are good jobs.

Also, you can consider applying for another job as a controller. This may offer you more of a challenge.

[Missy]

Unfortunately even in industry there's a natural progression which starts with generally mundane tasks. Is what you're doing vastly different than the job description when you applied to the job?

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[SeattleCPA]

Two comments that might help you figure out a solution…

First, not all public accounting jobs require a million hours. Some firms (the smaller ones often) provide team members with a lot better work-life balance.

Second, if you're a really strong performer–like it sounds you are–you really want to be in an environment where the firm or the employer makes a special effort to keep, grow and reward strong performers. That extra “tlc” can make a big difference.

[ms11]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I definitely like the work I do and think I will stay in industry. I think the main issue is that my company is small and there just isn't a lot of work to go around. I've been here for 4-5 months and I have done everything on my job description. The part that is concerning is I don't know if that's it for this position.

SeattleCPA, how do I find a company that really challenges it's employees but also values work-life balance? I feel that most companies look good on paper or during the interview process but reality is vastly different. I was promised a good learning environment and that a private company would be better than public. I'm starting to think that a publicly traded company might have been a better choice.

[mtaylo24]

Please be sure to update this thread in 6 months whenever you have more work 🙂 It takes a while for them to get comfortable with you, but after a while they will take full advantage.

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[ms11]

Mytaylo24, I'm very curious where I'll be 6 months from now. Coming to work everyday is such a struggle when you know you'll only have 1-2 hours of work, at the most.

[ForgottenOne]

I was working for this medium size international company (servicing, not manufacturing) in Operation Accounting (A/R then later A/P) right after college (Fall 2014). The hiring process was kinda weird with them, I applied directly through them, but after the interview, they sent me to a tempt agency to get processed. So I was a tempt and the pay was like $16/h. Is this common? I didn't really care at the time cause I needed the 2000 hours CPA license requirement and easy job meant more time to study.

Anyway, I only needed 2 hours to complete my daily task and it was basically same shit different day. I also was struggling finding myself thing to do. But after a while, I stopped caring and used those free time to study for CPA exam. Not sure if this is the same everywhere else, my company had ZERO room to grow. I was the youngest there and my coworkers were ancient, many have stayed in the company over a decade or more and only a few got promoted to management position after 15 years of service. Maybe you should also consider this while going private

ms11, I have never worked in public accounting and I am very interested in taxes. I spent two seasons working as tax preparer while in college at Liberty Tax and Jason Hewitt. I even got my Enrolled Agent designation. I just left my job after 20 months and thinking about doing public accounting taxes. Could you tell me why you left? maybe tax accountants doing different and harder things than tax preparers.

[RyonT]

I had the exact same experience when I left public. When my gf got a job in a different state we moved and I accepted a “controller” position with a mid sized company that operated without an accountant for about a year and a half(the outside CPAs did the best they could with the books as they were for tax purposes). I was promised steady work for at least 2 years, but once I got the books corrected, all I really have to do is some basic maintenance, answer questions for A/R and A/P departments, and month end close stuff. Now my free time is spent pissing around online and dealing with our advertisers (which doesn't take long). I actually miss busy season, so for me, I will probably end up going back to public once I pass the exams.
My advice would be to go somewhere bigger where you actually have work, or if that isn't an option, perhaps you could ask for more work that doesn't necessarily fit your job description. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[ms11]

ForgottenOne, I left my job as a tax accountant in public accounting because I just wasn't interested in it. If I liked tax, I probably would have stayed because it is a great learning environment. It's definitely challenging because you're working on multiple clients at once but you'll learn more than you think you will in a short amount of time.

RyonT, I definitely think I will ask for more work, even if it's outside of my job description. I guess I don't know how much time I should give this job because I don't want to keep bouncing from place to place. I definitely think that going to a larger company would help resolve the issue. I'm just worried that I'm going to go someone where and then it's going to be the same thing I experience here.

[ms11]

I just wanted to provide an update. I had my 6 month evaluation and I brought up a few ideas of things I could do. Many of the items were shot down because either someone else was doing it or upper management didn't want me doing it. I asked what I should expect at the 1 year point and my supervisor wouldn't give me a straight forward answer. I really think that they do not have enough to give me. I'm waiting for my 1 year to make a decision. Looking at how things are going, I have concerns about not ever having enough to do.

[PubMaster]

Dang!

I was in a pretty similar situation too. I did Big 4 tax and now I'm working in Financial accounting in industry. When I first started it seemed like I couldn't get any work either.

It took me a while to get work but now I'm slowly in charge of more and more things.

It also helps to have a lot going on outside of work so that way you can keep busy in other areas of your life, while work is relatively slow.

Best case, you can find a public firm that's easier on the hours (yes, they exist). Or you can find a faster-paced job in industry (yes, they also exist). These might be harder to find but they're out there for sure!

Best of luck to you and thanks for keeping us updated.

[ms11]

Pubmaster, thanks for the advice! How long did it take for you to get more work? From the way my supervisor spoke, they've given me all that they can and it's not enough. Also, do you work at a private or public company?

[ms11]

Just wanted to provide an update. I have been at my current job for 9 months now and things are more or less the same. The work picked up when the auditors were here, so that helped me stay busy. Now that they are gone, work has slowed down again. One thing I miss about public accounting was the learning but I know that tax and audit are not for me. Does anyone know if companies outsource their financial reporting to public accounting firms? I think I would be more interested in that because at least there would be some variety.

[Author]

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