[Accountant]

I was wondering which field will have more opportunities tax or audit. I have been applying for jobs and I noticed there are more jobs in audit for entry level than tax.

I was wondering for long term is better to go into audit for more opportunities. I am looking for your input as I am new to this. I just feel that tax has limited opportunities because you are mostly hired for public accounting while audit you can go anywhere.

[Icarito]

Both are good starting points. Tax is a little harder to get out of once you stay for 5 years or so.

Audit you should get in and get out. Being an auditor sucks. The people you audit cringe when they see you. Get some accounting experience in the audit field, then find a corp job in financial accounting or corporate finance.

Tax starts out as general but then you need to find a specialization. Compliance (federal or international), tax accounting (tax provisions), transfer pricing to name a few.

[bigstakk]

If you want to be able to eventually be a CFO audit is the best path. Most CFOs come from an audit background if they are not finance MBA guys. If you want to be a tax director at a company reporting to a CFO that’s where you top out in private for going the tax rout. I started my career in audit and it’s given me a clear advantage. Most accounting jobs at the manager or controller level require or prefer audit experience. If you want to start your own practice and run your own business, though, tax is the best option. Good luck.

[vbmer]

Tax professionals are more respected both within and outside the firm than auditors. I disagree that audit opens more doors than Tax. They open different doors. Tax departments at big accounting firms are far more diverse than Audit, and if you're willing to learn, you have opportunities to develop general consulting, M&A/Corporate Finance, technology, and business analytics skills that would play well into a wide range of jobs in industry.

If your end goal is to become a Controller or SEC Reporting in industry, then Audit is clearly the way to go. Otherwise, it really depends.

[Tncincy]

I would like the experience in Audit although my strength is tax. How can I get a CPA to help me with that area? I know I could just ask, but I would like to increase from tax and maybe add audit after passing. Any suggestions?

It begins with a 75
Been here too long as a cheerleader....ready to pass

[Tommy]

Tax does not have near as many opportunities as audit. I've been very successful in tax, but half of my career experience i have been trying to do something different. Once you're in tax for a few years, you're a tax person. It has felt impossible to switch to anything even with a CPA. If there are any stories of people successfully switching out of tax to something else i would love to hear! It rarely happens. But my auditor friends jump around all the time.

[Maverick]

Audit > Tax

[Author]

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