[1skibum]

Hi all! I work for a regional firm ranked about 18th nationally. I’ve been working about 60% in tax and 40% in audit over my two years in public accounting. For about the past year I’ve been slightly unhappy with my job which led to it being a tough/long busy season. I’ve been looking at senior accountant roles in industry as I don’t know if I can making it through another busy season without quitting. I’m sure some of you have gone through this kind of thing. Any advice? Should I stay or should I go? If I should stay, how do I get back to liking what I do and giving a crap? Thanks!

[jombe]

I am 100% audit and have two busy season under my belt now.

I can't wait til I leave public accounting myself, but a lot of people told me that you should at least do 1 busy season as a senior and then consider leaving.

I've done two busy season as an associate and expect to make senior by end of this year.
Not sure if I can survive another busy season though. Good luck!

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[Kat]

I left and it was the best decision I ever made. I worked one busy season as an intern and two as an associate accountant. That was good enough for me. The last busy season there, I was so miserable. I knew I would never make it through another one. I went to a better managed firm and my quality of life has increased tenfold. Good luck with your decision!

[Josh]

I stuck it out just over 5 years hoping to make manager once I nailed that last exam section but it was that whole carrot on a string scenario.

There are obviously far greater exit opportunities at the manager level but there are some really solid options for senior level.

The best thing I ever did when interviewing for my next step was to ask if I would be reporting to a CPA. I really value our profession and knew it would be hard for me to continue my professional development under someone not licensed. Just a thought if that's something you feel is important.

During my audit career I really enjoyed the philosophy of being a CFO so I chose to jump into a financial analyst role. I was warned to avoid Senior Accountant titles because you can easily get stuck down in the transaction trenches but honestly those can be rewarding as well. Just think about what pieces of the businesses you've spent time in that you've enjoyed and draw out what a path to that would look like.

3 of my staff (2-3 year experience) went into internal audit. 2 of my managers went into controller positions. We're all in different industries and all very happy.

[Author]

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