[Allergic2CPA]

I have a few questions for those that have experience in the oil and gas industry, especially if located in Houston.

Not sure if this info is helpful but I have my MBA and CPA with 9 yrs. overall exp with none in the oil and gas industry.

I’m applying for a Management Accountant position with Schlumberger (supplier of technology to Oil and Gas clients). After working for this type of company, what type of exit opportunities can one have? I have no supervisory exp and the position does not offer any exp. Not sure how likely it would be to advance in this type of industry/company.

I’m looking for general pointers as to what areas to avoid in Houston as far as crime and traffic. In addition, what type of salary is sufficient for a single person. I haven’t been able to get promoted with my current employer so it seems that I’ll eventually have to find something in Houston or some other big city in Texas.

If you have exp in the oil and gas industry located anywhere, your feedback is more than welcomed!

FAR 46*, 77
AUD 70, 79
BEC 67, 82
REG 75

Texas License July 2013

Used Yaeger lectures based on Wiley textbooks

*Studied less than two weeks, forgot I had purchased NTS.

[mcfly]

@Allergic2CPA

Houston is great! It just takes a little time to get acclimated to. There are no zoning laws in the city limits, so while this makes for some very eclectic and interesting neighborhoods (I live within walking distance of many great restaurants and bars), it can also make it hard to find large, “safe” areas in the city. There are neighborhoods with million dollar homes where you can travel just a couple of blocks and find that it's, um, not so nice. But it's not at all impossible to find a good, secure, convenient place to live. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for.

Generally if you live inside of Loop 610 (and west of I-45) you'll find lots of good neighborhoods full of young professionals and/or artsy types. It's more expensive to live in this area, but if you want to experience the full city life that Houston has to offer, this would be my suggestion. Plus, if you're working downtown the commute would be a breeze.

If you're not used to a big city atmosphere, or if you're looking for something a little quieter, there are many suburbs that have lots to offer, and they're probably more appropriate for people looking to settle down with families. This is not a strict rule, but generally people move out to the ‘burbs when they have kids, families, etc. Kingwood, Katy, The Woodlands… they're all very nice and have plenty of charm in their own rights. You'd just have to brace yourself for a long commute if you're working downtown.

I love Houston. It's got so much to offer if you know where to look for it. The people who write it off as a traffic-ridden sprawl just haven't been lucky enough to see what I see every day: A beautiful, diverse city full of great career opportunities and tons of things to do. Sure, the summers are brutal, but if you can make it through your first one you're golden. Complaining about the weather is a tried and true tradition in Houston. Good luck to you!

REG - PASSED
BEC - PASSED
AUD - PASSED
FAR - PASSED

DONE. 🙂

[mcfly]

@Allergic2CPA

Houston is great! It just takes a little time to get acclimated to. There are no zoning laws in the city limits, so while this makes for some very eclectic and interesting neighborhoods (I live within walking distance of many great restaurants and bars), it can also make it hard to find large, “safe” areas in the city. There are neighborhoods with million dollar homes where you can travel just a couple of blocks and find that it's, um, not so nice. But it's not at all impossible to find a good, secure, convenient place to live. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for.

Generally if you live inside of Loop 610 (and west of I-45) you'll find lots of good neighborhoods full of young professionals and/or artsy types. It's more expensive to live in this area, but if you want to experience the full city life that Houston has to offer, this would be my suggestion. Plus, if you're working downtown the commute would be a breeze.

If you're not used to a big city atmosphere, or if you're looking for something a little quieter, there are many suburbs that have lots to offer, and they're probably more appropriate for people looking to settle down with families. This is not a strict rule, but generally people move out to the ‘burbs when they have kids, families, etc. Kingwood, Katy, The Woodlands… they're all very nice and have plenty of charm in their own rights. You'd just have to brace yourself for a long commute if you're working downtown.

I love Houston. It's got so much to offer if you know where to look for it. The people who write it off as a traffic-ridden sprawl just haven't been lucky enough to see what I see every day: A beautiful, diverse city full of great career opportunities and tons of things to do. Sure, the summers are brutal, but if you can make it through your first one you're golden. Complaining about the weather is a tried and true tradition in Houston. Good luck to you!

REG - PASSED
BEC - PASSED
AUD - PASSED
FAR - PASSED

DONE. 🙂

[Author]

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