[Anonymous]

Help me evaluate this offer please:

my background:

1 year as an oil and gas cost accountant at a top oil and gas services company (huge company);

undergrad from a top 10 school; double major econ/accounting;

0 parts of the CPA passed but about to take my 1st part (confident I will pass)

pay = 55k + 10% bonus + standard package (already got my raise + bonus for the year. Started out at 50k)

not much room for growth; i would grow in the same position (inventory)

job offer:

unknown company doing the same thing my company does but on a smaller scale

30% added responsibilities (forecasting, budgeting, etc)

most likely longer hours (I already work 50 hrs/wk; this will be 55-60 hrs/wk)

lots of room for growth (newish company and making lots of $$)

pay = 66k + 8% bonus potential + standard package

all things being equal, what would you do?

[Anonymous]

cpa2012: thx! are you in O&G? If you're in Houston, imo you should be in O&G b/c I think you'll learn more, more challenging, more valuable skills, and you get paid a lot more. But just my free advice so take it for what it's worth.

Aggie_CPA: agreed. I plan on trying to streamline this job asap (hopefully within 3-6 months), but if that doesn't work out, I still think this job will put my career on a faster track than earning the CPA based off job responsibilities + talent I'd be working with.

Wanna_B_TXCPA2014: ya but I anticipate staying here for 2-4 years minimum so I don't chop my resume up.

r1racer: very solid points! I ran the #'s again on how much I'll be working AND factored in drive time… I'll only be working 2-4 extra hrs per week at the new job and 5-7 extra hrs during month-end close. I value the job I'll have in 10 years the most… so my goal is to do whatever it takes the next few years to get me to that job in the most efficient way possible. The “job” is most likely VP FP&A (I know I'm not on the best career path, but I've evaluated everything and this is the best route given my circumstances) at an O&G company.

StephAV: Well I'm in Houston and in O&G and this industry/location pays above mkt. I doubt I'll be able to really study for the first 3 months at a minimum. I do think I will be able to put in 1-2 hrs/day after that which should get me to pass.

fuzyfro89: good points! Honestly, I can't tell for certain if I'll be a workhorse putting in 60hr weeks or if it'll die down after a few months. But the job experience will outweigh me having my CPA in the next 1-2 years I think. Especially since I anticipate staying at this company for at least 2 years. So right now the goal for the worst case scenario is to outperform the first 6-12 months, then get the CPA the following 12 months.

tomq04: While I don't think the job will be overwhelming, it will definitely push me close to my limits. But I'm very confident in myself… and really want to be on the fast track on my career so if I nearly drown, but somehow survive, then it'll be worth it.

Thanks all!

[Kimboroni]

It sounds like you have a plan. Go for it!

I'm really impressed with the thoughtful questions everyone asked to help you with this decision.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[Kimboroni]

It sounds like you have a plan. Go for it!

I'm really impressed with the thoughtful questions everyone asked to help you with this decision.

AUD 84 (1/9/14-Wiley books/TB + free materials)
FAR 83 (5/21/14-the above + NINJA 10 Pt Combo Lite)
REG 84 (7/9/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC/Notes)
BEC 76 (10/5/14-Wiley books/TB + NINJA Audio/FC)

Disclaimer: My ninja avatar is not meant to imply that I have any affiliation with this site other than being a forum member. That's a pic of a T-shirt that my daughter gave me for my birthday. 🙂

[jhawkins1010]

I'm an accountant in houston oil and gas and I think it's a great offer, especially considering you only have 1 year's experience under your belt. If for whatever it doesn't work out, you're in the perfect city to make a switch. I would go for it. I think there's a lot to be said about the opportunity for growth within a company.

[jhawkins1010]

I'm an accountant in houston oil and gas and I think it's a great offer, especially considering you only have 1 year's experience under your belt. If for whatever it doesn't work out, you're in the perfect city to make a switch. I would go for it. I think there's a lot to be said about the opportunity for growth within a company.

[Anonymous]

Kimboroni: Appreciate the support! I'm very thankful for all the good advice/comments in this thread.

jhawkins1010: ya when I first got the offer I was hesitant b/c I'm a very analytical person and wanted to know all the details and angles before I agreed to anything. Also, I just gave my recruiters word to start the job search 1.5 months ago and getting such a quality offer like this so early in the search made me wonder if I could potentially get more… then I thought: how many accountants make 70k+ base in their 2nd year of accounting? (also, I have 2 years prior job experience in high finance so that helped some too)

[Anonymous]

Kimboroni: Appreciate the support! I'm very thankful for all the good advice/comments in this thread.

jhawkins1010: ya when I first got the offer I was hesitant b/c I'm a very analytical person and wanted to know all the details and angles before I agreed to anything. Also, I just gave my recruiters word to start the job search 1.5 months ago and getting such a quality offer like this so early in the search made me wonder if I could potentially get more… then I thought: how many accountants make 70k+ base in their 2nd year of accounting? (also, I have 2 years prior job experience in high finance so that helped some too)

[Anonymous]

I'm in Houston as well. You can't miss being an accountant/auditor in this city; jobs are oozing and the pay is solid. Texas in general is one of the best places to be for jobs.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Houston as well. You can't miss being an accountant/auditor in this city; jobs are oozing and the pay is solid. Texas in general is one of the best places to be for jobs.

[Author]

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