[Anonymous]

started as a staff accountant a few months after graduating from undergrad. it’s been about 10 months so far — i have survived my first busy season which, to be honest, wasn’t that bad.

i’m starting to realize i don’t like my job — i’m not sure if it’s my actual job itself or if it’s the entire accounting industry. i’ve been stressed out a lot lately — being frustrated at work, and also with the fact that i barely have any leisure time since i’m studying for the cpa.

i’ve been thinking a lot about what other types of jobs there are out there…i’d gladly take a lower pay for more job satisfaction and less stress. it’s just not worth it for me to stress myself out for this job, or any stressful job. i’d still like to pursue the cpa, although i’m sure some would advise against it if it’s not going to help me. but i don’t know what other type of work i can do with a business degree.

sigh…how are you guys liking your first jobs? i hear most people dislike their first jobs out of college. maybe it’s because we’re young and eager to get a job so instead of taking the time to find a good “fit”, we just go with whatever offer we get first.

[MeaDebitum]

If you are complaining about pay, you're crazy. Most recent graduates from other majors/degrees are without jobs or starting below $40k. The only other degree that I think currently beats accounting is engineering, possibly a few others.

[Mayo]

After 5 years in public at a Big 4 one makes around 80,000. Yah, the work can kill your life, but in absolute terms that's not a bad payday.

Mayo, BBA, Macc

[Anonymous]

I would work for any of the Big 4 for free. Too bad they won't hire me :'(

[Keely]

@Mea: I wasn't complaining. I simply said I thought the pay would be better. So what if others are making less than $40K? I'm sorry, but I don't think $40K as a starting salary is great pay for those who have shelled out for 4 years of undergrad, probably 3K to 4K in exam/prep expenses, and a year of grad school. That's not a great first year return, in my opinion. I am completely aware that we all have to start somewhere, and no one starts out as CFO makes $100K. I know the opportunities for advancement and a higher salary are much greater in accounting than in teaching, let's say, but you cannot convince me that 40,000 bucks a year is awesome.

@Awkward, that makes a lot of sense. I talked to two of my friends who just started in public within the past six months and they said they knew absolutely nothing about what they were being told to do, and someone told them “give it two years and you'll feel comfortable.”

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[Keely]

However, I will say 55K to 80K in a few years is an awesome raise. I look forward to that 🙂

BEC: (4/2012) 88
AUD: (5/2012) 91
REG: (8/2012) 82
FAR: (1/2013) 78 🙂

VA CPA #42010

[Anonymous]

Speaking of opportunities within the CPA realm..

what're some long-term job prospects for someone who ventures down the tax or audit paths?

for tax..i imagine that would be ideal if you want to run your own tax firm, or if you want to be a tax shareholder/partner in public accounting. what opportunities are there in the private industry for a tax specialist?

for audit..the long-term prospects in public accounting are obvious: audit shareholder/partner; or you can be some consultant (you've worked with clients all this time anyway), or CFO.

coming out of college i thought i would be delving into audit because that's all they emphasized — getting the CPA and getting a nice audit job at a big 4. but now that i'm actually in public accounting industry, i find myself doing whatever work needs to be done at my firm — which has been tax.

however, i'm trying to think long term and see what tax can do for me. i know i don't want to work 60-80 hours for 6 months out of the year for the rest of my life. that's why being a tax stockholder isn't much of a motivation for me. however, i kinda like tax and could be convinced that i can stick with it if someone can tell me what other long-term job prospects can stem out of tax?

[kts1010]

I am currently working in tax for the last year and half, but I definitely don't want to do it forever. I finished up with my CPA credit requirements this past year and plan on finishing this exam in my second year. After that I really think I want to move into a financial analyst position. I know tax isn't direct experience for this type of position but it's sort of where I always wanted to be and when I graduated last year it was like impossible to find a entry level position that required no experience in this field. I hope with the 2-3 years experience and the CPA designation it should be easy to get into this, since doing forecasting and project and just regular accounting activities is more interesting to me than reading tax code and just filling in boxes with numbers on the tax return forms.

AUD - 08/20/12 - 82
REG - 10/30/12 - 82
FAR - 01/05/13 - 80
BEC - 04/15/13 - 84

[JakeO]

@CannotPassAgain A tax specialist doesn't have to be relegated to opening a small firm and doing income tax preperations or working for a large firm either. Most larger corporations have tax departments, and if you're head of that department you are going to make bank. This position is vital because managers and executives will be relying on you to tell them the tax implications of various business plans which could result in saving millions (or spending millions).

As to the OP, I have been at my job exactly 1 year working for a state legislature audit division and just yesterday I applied for a new job. I am definitely ready to switch things up and see what else is out there outside of the auditing field. But understand that the experience you gain when auditing is a big plus for future employers because you get a lot of experience with several different agencies.

AUD-Failed (Waiting for Score)
BEC-PASSED (First try)
REG-Failed (Retake February 2013)
FAR-Failed (Retake January 2013)

[rachenyc]

@cannotpassagain Well there are different types of forensic accounting services. I work at a firm that is a “global business advisory firm”–we have services that range from forensic accounting (what I do) to bankruptcy, technology recovery, etc. So basically we are “event driven” vs. audit which is standard and necessary. I know there are smaller forensic firms that do smaller jobs, I happen to work on larger scale engagement such as multi-million dollar ponzi schemes.

The hours are better than audit–at least they have been for me. There is no busy season, I've definitely had my later nights here than in public (I've had a few all nighters) but they would never be consistent, they would only occur if we had a deadline. For example, I've had a week to draft an expert report and had to stay late for a week straight. When thats over, I have a calm period for awhile and can come and go as I please. As for pay, I did well when I first got here because I did have public experience and I think its comparable if not more than what my friends are making in audit. Its not super easy to get into this field now, its in high demand but with audit experience, you should be in a good position.

I don't plan to stay at my firm much longer once I have my CPA–after six years, I feel that I really could use a change. A lot of my colleagues have moved on to other firms and I realized I needed my CPA to do the same. So I will definitely stay within the industry.

BTW, all the Big 4 firms have forensic groups–just check out their Forensic Advisory Services.

FARE--78
AUDIT--88
REG--81
BEC--75

DONE!!!!

[Anonymous]

@jako thanks for opening my eyes to other opportunities within the tax realm! i was so narrow minded before

@rachenyc i'll have to keep that in mind, thanks! (forensic accounting, that is)

[Anonymous]

@CannotPassAgain and to some others…..this is EXACTLY why I made the initial post that I made. I agree with a lot of you! I don't mind busting my hump for a job but at the same time I too do NOT want to feel like a slave, ESPECIALLY since their requirements are a bit extreme.

For example, some employers ask you to damn near run the business and only want to pay you $12-15 per hour….what i find funny is when they post(well this is for the most part on Craigslist) $8 an hour for an accountant assistant[this is not the problem] but when they say BA/BS in Accounting, Business or finance “preferred”….im thinking to myself that something like this is a total insult!

I was Math/Engineering major (a HS teachers salary is a joke for what they demand and i cant do chemistry which is why i left both ) before switching to pursue accounting. And its hard for me to “stay” motivated when I read starting salaries for entry level CPAs to only make 48-55K…its like,this is all a 4YR degree plus a Masters,passing a “balls to the walls” CPA exam, Ethics exam(since people like enron couldn't keep their hands out of the cookie jar),)2 years “verifiable” experience(in my state,its a must) under a licensed CPA gets me?!

I enjoy the subject of accounting and Im sure those who do love math,logic and helping others[well some of the reasons why I like it a lot] But Sometimes I seriously question why demand so much education when you have people who can barely tie their shoes as CEOs. I mean when we have people like Jamie Dimon making millions for losing BILLIONS,how can one fledgling accountant keep motivated?

Some may so oh dont complain about the work, well, if we do not ask questions then we would keep having economical and social problems that were created by those who just went with the flow not asking any questions.

[Anonymous]

“your balls to the walls”….that's an excellent quote…

[Anonymous]

“balls to the walls”

just pictured it in my mind. ouch.

[Author]

Replies