[mike0910]

Assuming one lives in a high demand city like New York or Houston, how is the job security?

And is any thing in this forum post below true?:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/work-employment/1004020-think-twice-before-you-get-accounting.html

[Anonymous]

I'm in Houston and if you are halfway comptent you will find a job immediately. This city has incredible opportunities for young people.

[Anonymous]

The OP in the thread you linked to sounds like he failed at his career and is whining about it. But let's break down his claims:

Big 4 necessary to do well in your career – nope. I'm 24 and Controller at a small college, never stepped foot in a Big 4 office or applied for a job there.

Pay is terrible – nope/depends. Some jobs pay low wages, but many don't. You're not going to become a millionaire overnight as a normal accountant, but you can live quite comfortably. The specific figures he mentioned could be good or bad depending on where he is and what he is comparing to.

It's hard to get a job in accounting – well duh, everything is hard to get a job in right now. But, if you're a good candidate, you can get a job. In some areas like Houston, it sounds like it's even easier to get one, but generally speaking most places, a good candidate will find a job in time.

“Only get paid for 40 hours” – salaried is *not* getting paid for 40 hours. It's getting paid to do the job, regardless of how long that takes. Being salaried means that you don't get overtime pay, yes, but that's not unique to accounting. However, I will concede that a lot of accountants work some crappy hours, but that's worked into the pay. You're not going to make big money with little hours.

Basically, accounting is a career with openings and with a solid outlook that you can excel at if you work hard. However, same as all other jobs and careers, it still takes hard work and dedication. It's not a fortune handed to you on a platter, but it's an honest career and it pays honest wages. If you work hard and do well (both “soft skills” and technical skills), you can excel. If you expect to get a great job just cause you want one, then you won't. But…that's the same as anything else. (“You” is not addressed to the OP here; it's addressed to the OP int the other forum. 🙂 )

[ScarletKnightCPA]

Calling him a failure at his career is a bit rude.

Consider the time that it was posted. 2010, it was pretty close to the peak where everyone was losing jobs, and yes it was rough out there. I graduated it 2009, I didn't get an accounting job until 2011. My first job out of college I was making $12 an hour as a temp (along with an army of temps they hired) and I am located in the Greater NYC area. Employers were really taking advantage of desperate people then.

Far: 76 (Wiley Test Bank)
Aud: 77 (Wiley Test Bank)
Reg: 61, 76 (Wiley book, Wiley Test Bank)
Bec: 86 (Wiley Test Bank)

MBA in progress

[Anonymous]

Do you have a pulse? If you answered yes to this question then you will have no problem finding a job 🙂

[Anonymous]

My first accounting job out of college I was paid $8/hr, so I understand that there's not always high wages available. My point was that his tone is that one of someone who thought he'd have everything given to him just for showing up, is upset that he didn't, and is switching careers to medicine because it's going to be the magical option instead. It didn't strike me as someone who was desperate, but someone who was pampered. Given that he's not on this forum to discuss it, it's hard to know what he's really like – all we have are a couple old posts.

[mla1169]

The post you linked to is nearly 5 years old and I couldn't figure out the location.

That said ALL fields are competitive right one and thats a good thing. Are there kids coming out of college with accounting degrees making $10/hour? Yup. There are also kids walking into $50k plus jobs. Which category you fall into is entirely up to you.

There are also kids with law degrees flipping burgers. The field you choose matters less than how you position yourself through grades , experience , professional networking, and of course job performance. If you work for a company facing hard times and reducing workforce, the high school grad who busts their hump will be there long after the prima Donna CPA who thinks their credentials are enough to rest on.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

There is some truth to what he is saying. I know tons of people with master accounting degrees or 150+ credits with pretty low paying jobs, given their high level of education. So, I'd say 4-5 years in a medical, hard science, engineering, math or computer science degree will, in general, trump a 4-5 year accounting/business degree.

WITH that said accounting is still a good career path, especially for people who aren't incredibly smart but are still driven and can work hard; like me! I aced most of my beginning level accounting courses and could get respectable grades in the higher level courses but there is no way that I'd be smart enough for a math degree.

[ScarletKnightCPA]

Sad thing is that math/physics degree by itself usually don't make much in their respective fields unless they're able to segway it into another field, such as finance or engineering.

My friend's father is a Physics PHD, in academia it was very competitive, in industry he was competing with engineers for jobs and he was continuously getting the response that he was overqualified. He eventually left the field completely to do project management and also start his own it staffing/recruiting/consulting firm where he was making and eye bulging amount of money at the peak.

The funny thing is that he to start working as a project management all he did was read a book and then applied.

Far: 76 (Wiley Test Bank)
Aud: 77 (Wiley Test Bank)
Reg: 61, 76 (Wiley book, Wiley Test Bank)
Bec: 86 (Wiley Test Bank)

MBA in progress

[Anonymous]

The job market is tight for any recent grad, no matter what you do. That fact of the matter is that not many employers want to take a chance on someone with no experience.

After you get a year or two under your belt you can find another job in no time flat as long as you aren't a total mutt.

[hampster]

Bobcat, do you think the Houston market is still strong given the plunge in oil prices? I've been searching for an accounting position for over a month now so I might be suited to answer this question. I spent about a month looking at only 2 industries and last week I decided to cast a wider net. So far 2 interviews this week and a 3rd in the works.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Houston. I get calls every day about jobs in O&G paying $65k+. Only reason I haven't taken the bait is 1) I feel I need at least another busy season, 2) I'm about to have a baby and that's the worst time to changes jobs, considering I have security + great benefits where I am at, and 3) despite wanting to look out for #1, I do feel some loyalty to my firm.

I haven't seen any accountants lose their job because gas is cheaper. If anything, they need accountants more to show them how to re-structure and stay profitable (who am I kidding, people aren't getting laid off so O&G can stay profitable, people are getting laid off so they can stay AS profitable…greedy bastards).

I wouldn't want to be in any other city right now as an accountant.

[fuzyfro89]

I wouldn't want the “lower” end jobs in any field, especially if I saw no hope for advancing.

Mike:

Generally, there are great opportunities in big markets like NYC/Houston/etc. However, that is a double edged sword, and this is why. Because there are so many opportunities, that attracts a lot of high caliber candidates. In some places (and also in certain times) the balance goes off where supply of candidates is greater/less than demand for candidates. I know that post was years ago, but the point still stands. In 2008-2010, there were a similar number of candidates (give or take) as a year or two prior, but the demand for candidates dried up. Companies were cutting, cutting, cutting.

Many more candidates who are reasonably qualified for a certain position competing for a reduced number of openings. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happens…

So I'll leave my rant to rest, but the point is you have to go where there is a structural advantage in the labor market (i.e. you are in a smaller pool of qualified candidates, or have some other informational advantage to get a position); however, to also be mindful that supply/demand can change quickly, even in some very large markets. Things like industry specialization, functional specialization, geography, certifications, experience, etc, can all add to this advantage (or disadvantage).

[Author]

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