[seagull8]

Hi all,

So after graduating college, I joined a CPA firm in the audit department and was there for just under three years. Got my CPA a year after graduating. Tired of all the long days, all the traveling and no hopes of moving into tax dept, I decided to make a move into private.
I am working as an accountant for one of the largest banks. My audit clients were all smaller non public companies.
This is my fourth week in my new job and I feel so dumb. I feel like I know nothing. I am constantly learning new things (which is good ) but I feel like I actually don’t really know what I’m doing.
Do you remember your very first year in accounting where you could do the work by following the prior year’s/month’s work papers and finish the work but not really know what you were doing?
That is exactly how I feel. Banking is so complex and there are A LOT of terms or even procedures that I’m not familiar with.
There have been times when I even regret leaving my old job where I was already comfortable and was still growing.
Has anyone been through this? Is it normal to feel this way?

[10keyLeah]

In my opinion and experience, what you described is very normal. It can take several months to start to feel like things are falling in to place. Is there someone you can ask for some guidance? A new job can be overwhelming at first. I'd suggest making a list of questions as you go, and then find someone to ask.

Ninja Combo, Yaeger, Wiley -- Licensed CPA, May 2015

[pwhite8388]

Whatever you do, make sure you ask questions when you don't understand something. The worst thing you can do is mess something up because you were too afraid to ask the question. I've been in the corporate world close to ten years and was a manager for most of them. Keep asking questions, write down the answer if you think it's something you may forgot, and be patient with yourself. With some jobs, it can literally take 6 months to a year before you finally have you a-ha moment where everything clicks.

[Author]

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