[Anonymous]

So I quit my public accounting gig 2 months ago after only working there for 3 and a half months. I did this for 2 reasons. 1st and most important I failed my past section of the cpa exam (reg) 2 times in a row and needed to pass it before my far section expired. I didn’t think I would have time to re study for reg during busy season and therefore decided passing the exam was more important to me than my job. The 2nd reason was because I hated public accounting. I’m now at a point where I passed the last section and am now looking for a new job. I’ve interviewed at about 4 places for corporate staff accounting positions but didn’t get any of them. I can tell people don’t like that I left public accounting so fast and don’t think my reasons are justifiable. I’m deciding if I should just suck it up and go back to public accounting or stick it out and keep interviewing for corporate positions. I hate public accounting so much and quite frankly believe the whole busy season hours thing is criminal considering it could be avoided if these firms cared more about employees and less about making ridiculous amounts of profits. Is there anyone out there who left public accounting after only a few months and found a new job they like much better?

[tygolfer]

I have never worked in public accounting, but in my opinion, if you hate something why would you go back to it?

It is definitely going to come up in an interview why you were only there for 3 months, but in my opinion it is better to be honest and tell them you decided to take time to focus on the exam. Best of luck.

[Tim]

Ah I've made those kind of mistakes in my past as well. In the future never quit a job unless you have another one lined up, for any reason. I would keep interviewing for corporate accounting jobs, but you will probably have to take a lower level position with significantly less pay than public, i.e. clerk level, until you have more experience. Those corporate staff accountant jobs usually want a decent amount of prior work experience (2+ years minimum). Work with a recruiter who can help you with your interview skills. It's important to always be positive during the interview. Don't even hint that you didn't like your previous job.

[Kemi22]

Hi Dbul2,

I have not had that experience but we are currently looking for a staff accountant position at a not-for-profit in DC. It's probably not a great fit for you as you are probably a CPA by now (it's not a position that requires a CPA), but maybe NFP is something you could consider.

2010:
BEC: 74, 71, 74, 75
AUD: 71, 74, 83
REG: 71, 76
FAR: (I quit) 34, 45

2015:
BEC: 79
AUD: 78
REG: 67, 76
FAR: 56 (trial run), 74, 74, 74, 80!
Thank God. Your prayers are always answered! Do not give up. Thank you St. Joseph Cupertino.

[jdub]

If you hate something definitely don't go back. I have been in the full time accounting force for 6 years now and have 0 public experience. But I was willing to take a lower paying entry level job (disclaimer: no CPA and only Bachelor's at that time) for 2 years to start out in something other than public. My salary has more than doubled since then so there's lots of room for quick progression in the private sector. Also don't underestimate networking if you know people.

About a year ago, I moved across the country because my husband is in the military. My first job at our new residence I was there for 2ish months and hated it. It's the only time I have ever walked out of a job, I'm not a super emotional person and the last week I was there I cried everyday and my support system convinced me that it wasn't worth it – and they were right. I didn't put this job on my resume or on LinkedIn because I didn't want to be asked why I left so quickly (it was 100% company management, which is never a reason you want to give in an interview). Have you considered just removing that experience from your resume so you won't even be asked about it? Potential employers might “like” a larger gap more than seeing someone quit so quickly.

Also some really good advice I got in college was to never put something on your resume that you hated. For example, I hate taxes. And although I have a small amount of sales tax experience from one of my roles as a financial accountant, I don't put that as one of my duties because I don't want to ever do it again.

[Author]

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