[CPAGRIND]

I left my job as an accountant because I hated the work environment.It was really bad and I do not regret my decision.

I now work as an AP Clerk and went from temp to perm within a few months. The workplace is great(tech company)! I feel like I’m learning a lot. I’ve picked up everything really fast(according to my AP supervisor) and cut the AP dept’s. load big time. However, the work is becoming really easy. It’s basically data entry.

Anyways, my colleagues in the AP department do not have degrees. I have a BS in Accounting. Until recently, I didn’t even realize that you do not need to be a college graduate to work in the AP dept. 🙁

Sometimes I see the other Accountants and feel that I should be taking on that role. I’ve have done some GL work at my last job. I would really appreciate any feedback on my situation. Do you think I should apply for different positions or wait it out. I’ve been there for about 10 months.There are no open positions within the company. I’m afraid I will get stuck in AP like my colleagues. I feel like people sort of look down on that position too or maybe it’s just my ego talking.

Any comment/advice is appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Yes. You are overqualified. Although it is getting more common due to the workforce being more educated, you not need a degree to work in AP or AR. But if you enjoy it and the pay is satisfactory, no need to get restless.

Honestly, it seems like you enjoy the current environment. So might as well stick around a couple more months so you get to put at least a year on your resume and to see if any staff accountant jobs open up before then.

[REG-FTW86]

Take it all in while you can until something comes up. Once you are in a leadership position you will be able to understand and relate to AP / AR personnel much better. You will know how you expected to be treated and how you were actually treated. That will make you both a better manager and a better leader once you're in the new role.

How far along are you towards your CPA? If you're in the middle of it and you're not financially strapped right now maybe it's good to have that job while you finish your exam before looking elsewhere. It sounds like you've got a pretty easy gig while most people I see on here are always talking about the long hours and busy season that makes it hard to study.

No matter what you're doing, what your job is, learn as much as possible. It will only make you more well rounded in the future.

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[Anonymous]

Yes, you're over-qualified, but if you like it, then enjoy it while it lasts. My last job was as an A/R clerk. I used the opportunity to learn everything I could and ended up preparing certain reports that went to top management of a 14,000 employee international company…all as an A/R clerk. I think of my 4 coworkers, 2 had Bachelor's degrees (one in business management, one in an unknown field), 1 had an Associate's in Business/Accounting, and one had gotten within a semester or two of a degree in fashion design. So, no one to my knowledge had a degree in accounting there. I completed my CPA while there and then, with the help of the experience gained there, moved on to a job more deserving of the CPA. In my interview for my current job (Controller at a quite small college), they had more questions about my A/R clerk job than my previous public tax accounting job. So, I really feel like the A/R clerk job helped me tremendously in getting my current job.

Point of sharing my story is to say that a Clerk job can still be valuable experience if you make it your personal goal to be the best clerk, to learn the most as a clerk, and to take on any responsibility offered. When I was a Clerk, the Director we reported to (one level of management between me and Director) was someone who from my understanding had gone the public accounting route and, prior to taking the job managing us, had only done public accounting. He didn't know what we did or what the clerk work was like. So, he also didn't understand what our manager (who was his direct report) was doing or dealing with as the clerk's boss. He tried his best to learn, and did gain knowledge as time went on, but I thought several times that if/when I was in management some day, I'd know better how to manage the people below me because I would've worked their position (albeit likely at a different company) and would understand some of what they're dealing with.

I'd say at 10 months, don't get restless yet. Maybe keep your eyes open for the perfect golden opportunity, but at least give it 2 years before you start worrying about getting stuck. Could make it a goal to find another position between 2 and 3 years there? Definitely wouldn't be pigeon-holed at that point.

[Anonymous]

Assuming financial considerations are not an issue, I wouldn't hastily apply for new jobs just because your current one is becoming too easy and your co-workers have no college degrees (e.g. I've worked as a payroll clerk and some of my no-degree co-workers were smarter/more competent than CPAs I'd work with later).

The fact that you're fearful of getting “stuck in A/P” like your colleagues indicates that you won't. I would take advantage of this AP clerk job to figure out what you want your next professional objective to be –and to be honest, if you really plan on staying in accounting for the foreseeable future, then you're going to want to be a CPA and will regret it later if you never try (no getting around this). I personally would knock out CPA exam sections while working at your A/P clerk job and then (ideally) look into other jobs once you have everything passed.

You're in a great spot!

[Lion_of_the_Rock]

I've been applying for jobs for about a month. I've only got two people to actually email me and say “no thanks.” At this point I'd go for an A/P or A/R job just to get a foot in the door.

There's no shame in honest work, just keep trying to improve.

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[Author]

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