[SFLocal]

I need some advice. I received an offer for a local accounting firm, but I had to turn it down because my wife does not support my taking the offer. Accepting the offer entails a paycut, but I would easily make it up in 2 years. I received a promotion and a $15K raise in my current job that is unrelated to accounting. I was in school before we got married, so this career path was not coming out of nowhere.

How would you convince your spouse to support your decision?

BEC - Passed!
REG - Passed!
AUD - Passed!
FAR - Passed!

[mla1169]

Personally I'd be concerned about the future with your current employer. When an immediate supervisor asks you to lie to an outside agency, the writing is on the wall that your days are numbered when you resist. IMHO look for another job more comparable to your current salary (if you're saying IT audit would start you at 67k as opposed to 57k, jump on it). If you believe your chances of starting elsewhere at your current salary are not good theres little logic to sticking around in an unethical environment just because the money is good.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

Personally I'd be concerned about the future with your current employer. When an immediate supervisor asks you to lie to an outside agency, the writing is on the wall that your days are numbered when you resist. IMHO look for another job more comparable to your current salary (if you're saying IT audit would start you at 67k as opposed to 57k, jump on it). If you believe your chances of starting elsewhere at your current salary are not good theres little logic to sticking around in an unethical environment just because the money is good.

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

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

You said – how do I convince my wife… As someone who has been married for 19 years, this express is true-

“A Man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

You also said your wife “won't let you”. I don't “let” my husband do or not do something nor does he “let” me. We are a TEAM; not mother/son. That's something I would say to my 12 year old.

Was she on board when you interviewed? Did she understand then the pay cut and the potential benefits plus the cons of your current job? If not, you should have not interviewed. If she was fine then, then you need to find out the reasons. You two need some serious heart to heart about what your goals are for 3, 5, and 10 years down the road. I just took a job in public accounting vs private and we discussed all the pros and cons before I began interviewing because it does involve sacrifices.

Good luck but do NOT look for another job without her being on board if you plan to stay married for a long time.

[Anonymous]

You said – how do I convince my wife… As someone who has been married for 19 years, this express is true-

“A Man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

You also said your wife “won't let you”. I don't “let” my husband do or not do something nor does he “let” me. We are a TEAM; not mother/son. That's something I would say to my 12 year old.

Was she on board when you interviewed? Did she understand then the pay cut and the potential benefits plus the cons of your current job? If not, you should have not interviewed. If she was fine then, then you need to find out the reasons. You two need some serious heart to heart about what your goals are for 3, 5, and 10 years down the road. I just took a job in public accounting vs private and we discussed all the pros and cons before I began interviewing because it does involve sacrifices.

Good luck but do NOT look for another job without her being on board if you plan to stay married for a long time.

[SFLocal]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! I wanted to let you guys and gals know of a pleasant surprise over the holidays: My wife finally supports my decision to enter public accounting!

In hindsight, I did do a few things wrong. I assumed my wife had the same experiences and professional knowledge. She is not in the finance, IT, or accounting field nor has she experienced company restructures. This difference in experience created a communication barrier.

I also assumed she would be supportive on blind faith. The situation would be analogous an IPO trying to sell a stock to someone on a company that they know nothing about. Any sane person would say “No” at first instinct and do the research later. The company founders would have a very different perspective because they have a stake and are in control of the company. I am not sure I could have done things differently even if I knew the challenge.

What did change her mind was talking to other CPA's and other professionals that made this transition and succeeded. She had to find a CPA and an actuary for a unique tax situation this December. Over casual conversation, my wife learned that the CPA and actuary both started in vastly different fields, but transitioned into accounting and finance, respectively. I was able to help my wife bring up relevant questions, but the details of the subject was outside my expertise. My wife finally realized the value the work experience and she told me she would support the decision to enter public accounting.

I will still do a good faith effort to find a new job without forfeiting the pay until June 2014. If I do not find an alternative, I will give public accounting firms another shot.

On another related topic, would it be wise to call back the firm I turned down and interview again in the next recruiting cycle?

BEC - Passed!
REG - Passed!
AUD - Passed!
FAR - Passed!

[SFLocal]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! I wanted to let you guys and gals know of a pleasant surprise over the holidays: My wife finally supports my decision to enter public accounting!

In hindsight, I did do a few things wrong. I assumed my wife had the same experiences and professional knowledge. She is not in the finance, IT, or accounting field nor has she experienced company restructures. This difference in experience created a communication barrier.

I also assumed she would be supportive on blind faith. The situation would be analogous an IPO trying to sell a stock to someone on a company that they know nothing about. Any sane person would say “No” at first instinct and do the research later. The company founders would have a very different perspective because they have a stake and are in control of the company. I am not sure I could have done things differently even if I knew the challenge.

What did change her mind was talking to other CPA's and other professionals that made this transition and succeeded. She had to find a CPA and an actuary for a unique tax situation this December. Over casual conversation, my wife learned that the CPA and actuary both started in vastly different fields, but transitioned into accounting and finance, respectively. I was able to help my wife bring up relevant questions, but the details of the subject was outside my expertise. My wife finally realized the value the work experience and she told me she would support the decision to enter public accounting.

I will still do a good faith effort to find a new job without forfeiting the pay until June 2014. If I do not find an alternative, I will give public accounting firms another shot.

On another related topic, would it be wise to call back the firm I turned down and interview again in the next recruiting cycle?

BEC - Passed!
REG - Passed!
AUD - Passed!
FAR - Passed!

[Author]

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