[KeeKeeKat]

Apparently I have been mis-informed about what I thought accountants were supposed to make. Online it says 40,000-50,000 salaries starting out. I can not find an accounting job anywhere offering anything close to that. The jobs I have found are hourly and considering a 40hr work week average out to a little over 30,000 a year. Someone please tell me there are other people out there who started out at a wage this low and worked up to a nice pay check.

[Y05H1 3GG]

This has been my journey…

I got my undergrad in Accounting and immediately got my masters right after and my first job was with a small interior design firm that paid $11/hr for 3 days a week.

My next position was with a local cpa firm and made $13/hr part-time.

After leaving the cpa firm I started with a large health system in my area as a “Business Specialist” at $19/hr. I pretty much did month end journal entries for my department and submitted them to finance. After two years at this position I was able to make a case to be reclassified as a Finance Analyst and my salary went to $47,700. 2 years later I am at the same company and make $49,700.

I recently passed the CPA Exam and should be licensed later this month. Once it becomes official I plan to make a case to become a Senior Finance Analyst and reevaluate comp.

[Warrior]

First of all, the salary depends on the location or state. For example, in NYC there is a minimum wage of $15 so nobody working full time in the company with more than 10 employees receives more.
If you can't find an accounting job with more than 30K you may change the area of your search or parameters of your search.

[TommyL]

IreneZ is right. In the SF Bay area (easily one of the top 3 highest cost of living cities in the US), an AR/AP accountant starting salary is 35K, with 1-2 years experience you can make 50K no problem. A staff accountant gets 60k starting and 70-80K with a few years experience. Senior accountants make about 90-100k, managers 120k+ and controllers 180k-200k+

Before you start packing to move to San Francisco, note that the average rent here is $3000 per month for an apartment and $2000 for a small studio.

[KeeKeeKat]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm from Arkansas, in a rather rural area.

[fassopony]

AR and AP are clerk jobs and pay less-as do payroll.

Construction accounting pays more generally I have found for entry level and clerk type positions. Keep in mind, you may have to eat it and do the entry level stuff to learn.

[Rene]

@KeeKeeKat I'm also from Arkansas and got a job right out of college the 45-55k range; however, this was in public accounting in a larger city. If you live in a more rural area and especially if the positions available aren't for a larger company or CPA firm, I don't think you are going to see many higher paying positions. A lot of it depends on the job market in your area and your applicable experience unfortunately.

[Recked]

You need to start somewhere and build experience and a skill set. Without any skills you are likely to cost your employer more than they can produce from your work, especially right out of college. As your gain more knowledge and skills (and credentials) your pay scale increases. I started fresh out of school in 2002 (2 hours north of NYC) for $30k a year at a small firm. Take the job if that's all your can find, learn as much as you can, as fast as you can, and look to jump ship in 2 years. After 2 years you will no longer be a new hire with no experience and you should expect a considerable raise, especially if you have your CPA.

[slickrick]

@KeeKeeKat I'm from rural Arkansas and started with state government as a tax auditor when I graduated. I started at around 40K and was making 67K when I left for another position. If I were you I would apply with the state legislative audit section. They pay really well, but expect you to get your CPA license if you want to make upwards to 90-100k.

[Silent]

As in anything it's location, location, location. If you are in Los Angeles, accountant assistant makes $17-22. Full cycle bookkeeper makes between 50k to 70k etc. Obviously if we are talking about some state like Tennessee then yes it will be much lower but that is because cost of living so much lower.

[Author]

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