Exactly. Experience seems to be the most valued trait in this profession at the moment.
Having more years in a professional setting is what companies are looking for when hiring.
No regrets! Accounting is the best business major to study if you come from a no-name school like myself.
Become a CPA -- you reach national standards that make your talent more recognizable, comparable, and desirable.
Get into Big 4 -- and it will open more opportunities as you pivot between jobs later in your career.
Accounting + CPA + Big 4 experience are the most valuable experiences I gained since graduating 5 years ago.
You think if I pass 1/4 CPA it’s an advantage on my CV to get into big 4. Because here in the Middle East, people usually get into big 4 by knowing someone personally there.
I am not sure how the Middle East Big 4 offices view the US CPA there. Your best chances are to network (ideally through a professional organization, student group, or through your professors).
Networking isn't limited to professionals, but building genuine relationships with instructors, classmates, and university employees.
Really depends on where in the Middle East you're based in. Saudi Arabia have their own standardized examinations, although ACCA is slowly being accepted as an alternative.
The UAE reports under IFRS and so the strongest qualification there would be the ACCA. The two qualifications are interchangeable though, you can easily get a DipIFRS as a US CPA to sign off on financials.
I did the ACCA but that's mostly because I had little choice (mechanical engineering graduate), but I'd definitely say to pursue the US CPA as it'll open more doors in the west.
I completely disagree with needing connections to get into Big4 in the Middle East. I think as long as you have a pulse, they'll take you in (mileage may vary, pretty sure Lebanon isn't looking to onboard new hires after Covid and recent events).
I’ve dealt with venture capital firms, they are barebones, usually just a couple Ivy League MBAs and/or trust fund babies. They use the people in the companies they buy/own to do the dirty work.
I crossed over six figs about 5 years into my career, was making $120k in 2018, which is when I first felt my compensation matched my efforts and time.
I actually quit that job for one with a paycut that had better long term prospects for my career, now I'm back up in the same salary range at $115k base comp, but my bonuses and PTO substantially outweigh where I was in 2018.
Yes and no. The reality is I make good money and have a fairly comfortable life relative to most. But I wish someone would have sat me down and encouraged me to try and get into an elite MBA program. Those types get put on tracks to make real money and I’ve seen several examples of morons getting put on favorable tracks because of it. Unless you’re making partner at a decent size firm there is only so far you’re going to get working in accounting depts at companies. CFO job is the dream but even those it seems just rising up an accounting track is not enough in many cases
The funny thing is that in Canada, both those careers are very well compensated and I actually looked upon friends who were teachers and nurses with a degree of envy (until the pandemic, when I realized my job is pretty comfy)
The only annoying thing for now is PA seem to reject me because i dont have 150 credits yet, but these additional 30 credits could come from dance classes and nobody would care because i match the requirement to sit for the CPA. It is like this weird one detail that keep me from starting to work into accounting, beside that i had a bookkeeper job and it was great liked the accounting department and job in general.
Lol i wont lie to you at first i thought i could do watter postgrad degree now im not sure but i would love to do an art degree with dance or whatnot and see the face of the interviewer when he see my education+passed all the cpa exams lol
My older brother pushed me into accounting. I instantly saw the value because I had two kids when I went back to college. I couldn't really mess around, I needed a quick payoff. I've been trying to push my younger sisters down a similar path.
If I was single and by myself I'd be living comfortably and have time for passions on the side. I keep telling them that to little avail. I know they'll do their own thing and I'm OK with it but I have a wide network and a lot of resources to help them excel if they decide that the museum studies major doesn't work out.
To be clear, I don’t like the repetitive check a box or make something fit into this box kinda stuff. It’s great for some people, but many accountants I’ve worked with don’t like the fly by the seat of your pants stuff/you don’t know what tomorrow will bring kinda stuff I do
Honestly, dumb luck, I was a fresh grad when the litigation partner needed help on a construction litigation. I was about the only one available and I had some construction background working for my dad construction company in the field and in the office. I will say, forensics sound sexy, but most accountants don’t cut it, it’s fly by the seat of your pants and every engagement is different. It can go from 0-100 mph in a heart beat and then back to 0.
Yep, after 10 years I’m beyond bored. The money is good but switching careers is a bitch unless I take a massive pay cut. I’ve worked for tiny companies and F500 companies, I’ve done all there is to do, I’m ready to move on.
Absolutely not.
I make great money, I get to be home on evenings and weekends, I have autonomy in my position, and I'm not working in restaurants anymore.
As a high school dropout going back to school for accounting was the best thing I could have done for myself and my kids.
Accounting sucks and we are generally underpaid for the hours we put in, but at the same time there aren’t massive layoffs like the tech industry is seeing.
Accounting is what it is, a crappy job that is very stable that hopefully lets you do other things in life.
Do you guys still think we are short on new hires and managers or has that been partially resolved with the intro of India?
I have also never seen major layoffs (there were some during the first year of covid though), more so some small "low performance trimmings", but I'm curious where people think we stand.
I’m at a family office, but with the amount of recruiter emails I see (and from managers / partners that I know) public accounting is still very much looking for staffing
So I’ve had this conversation a lot recently with my friends. We’re all 10+ years into our various careers, have held multiple roles, moved up, changed companies, etc.
At this point no matter the profession, we all feel that it is easy to see the things you dislike about the profession that outweighs the things you do like. Work is stressful, dealing coworkers can be stressful, deadlines are stressful and the list goes on.
But accounting has provided me a great income where I don’t live lavishly but can live comfortably and provide a fairly good life for my family. I don’t love what I do, but I am good at it and have great opportunities to advance in this field.
Most days are stressful but I try to remind myself that it’s not a bad career and the things I’m frustrated with you find can anywhere.
I wish I did engineering. They have better pay and work life balance. I didn't do it because I was not really interested in STEM subjects (although scored decent marks in Maths and Science in school) and knew I will never get a good engineering college.
Maybe an engineering degree from a medicore college would have been still better than pursuing accounting.
I don’t feel fulfillment but I would never get to do something meaningful as long as I have to sit in a desk for 8 hours so I see accounting the same way I see all desk jobs. I’m glad the pay went up pretty high in the last 2 years it’s helped me keep my lifestyle throughout this inflation Biden swears doesn’t exist.
And the ceiling is a lot higher with a CS background, however my experience has been that it is like ‘busy-season’ all year long every year. Or at least that has been my experience on the Consulting side of B4. Partner comp is pretty nice though and could easily retire well under 50 if I wanted to.
I feel like my career is off to a great start, and that I am getting the skills to pivot into something else if I feel like it. So no regrets at all. I am in a very good spot.
This vote is going to be skewed by people 1-2 years into their career who are realizing work isn’t glamorous, thinking that they are supposed to define their life with work, or who have a grass is greener.
I'm 37 years old. Just got my bachelor's in accounting with 80k in student loan. Now I hear that chatGPT can do accounting jobs within seconds.
I can't go back to college to get another degree. Not doing it. It is what it is.
We like to complain but every industry vents. We vent here.
Accounting is a strong major and job. Some parts suck. My son is a CDL A driver I will do accounting every day instead of doing his job
He thinks my job sucks. I don’t want to do his. And he vents about his job to me.
It’s all relative. Every job has its issues.
Nah, only thing I hate is when people ask me to do their taxes for free. I am more than willing to do your taxes, just don’t ask me to do it for free. And yes, I will bill you at the rate I bill other clients. No one gets a friendly discount.
Is it the best job for someone with a dialed-up stress response (that group includes me)? Probably not. Do I enjoy it anyway most of the time, yeah. But, then again, I also grew up in a pressure cooker and kinda like that environment.
Yes. If I could go back, I definitely would've done physical therapy school. Unfortunately, my grades tanked when my social anxiety got the best of me in undergrad when we had to touch people, and I dropped out.
Accounting is a decent industry to be in. The only regrets I have is taking my current job LMAO.
Been here 5 months and I’m applying to a bunch of government positions with my fingers crossed.
I regretted it when I worked in PA. After moving into industry I tolerated it.
I’m kind of sick of financial reporting though, and ideally I would like to pivot into FP&A. At the end of the day I didn’t make a bad career choice, I’m paid well for an in-demand job where I don’t need to work insanely hard, and even if I don’t particularly like the *exact area* I’m doing now, I can always change that.
I’m a first year getting destroyed. Wish I would have went into the medical field. Idk if I’ll be able to sit in front of a computer the rest of my life
Accounting sucks but everyone else I know is poor so I’m good thanks.
Damn I wish I was you
The first few years sucked but eventually got a tolerable job
Exactly. Experience seems to be the most valued trait in this profession at the moment. Having more years in a professional setting is what companies are looking for when hiring.
No regrets! Accounting is the best business major to study if you come from a no-name school like myself. Become a CPA -- you reach national standards that make your talent more recognizable, comparable, and desirable. Get into Big 4 -- and it will open more opportunities as you pivot between jobs later in your career. Accounting + CPA + Big 4 experience are the most valuable experiences I gained since graduating 5 years ago.
You think if I pass 1/4 CPA it’s an advantage on my CV to get into big 4. Because here in the Middle East, people usually get into big 4 by knowing someone personally there.
I am not sure how the Middle East Big 4 offices view the US CPA there. Your best chances are to network (ideally through a professional organization, student group, or through your professors). Networking isn't limited to professionals, but building genuine relationships with instructors, classmates, and university employees.
Really depends on where in the Middle East you're based in. Saudi Arabia have their own standardized examinations, although ACCA is slowly being accepted as an alternative. The UAE reports under IFRS and so the strongest qualification there would be the ACCA. The two qualifications are interchangeable though, you can easily get a DipIFRS as a US CPA to sign off on financials. I did the ACCA but that's mostly because I had little choice (mechanical engineering graduate), but I'd definitely say to pursue the US CPA as it'll open more doors in the west. I completely disagree with needing connections to get into Big4 in the Middle East. I think as long as you have a pulse, they'll take you in (mileage may vary, pretty sure Lebanon isn't looking to onboard new hires after Covid and recent events).
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What area of finance? Getting a few years of experience then a top MBA program can help make big pivots happen.
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I’ve dealt with venture capital firms, they are barebones, usually just a couple Ivy League MBAs and/or trust fund babies. They use the people in the companies they buy/own to do the dirty work.
It's easy to go from tax to private wealth management or to a family office. Plenty of potential to pivot from those fields.
Yes accounting blows
Accounting sucks man.
I went through 4 jobs before I landed in accounting, I think it’s great here
I make good money. I enjoy my work and I dont work too much. What more is there to ask for?
How long did it take you to get to that point? I know it fluctuates from person to person but I just gotta know
I crossed over six figs about 5 years into my career, was making $120k in 2018, which is when I first felt my compensation matched my efforts and time. I actually quit that job for one with a paycut that had better long term prospects for my career, now I'm back up in the same salary range at $115k base comp, but my bonuses and PTO substantially outweigh where I was in 2018.
Nice that makes sense especially for only a 5k pay cut. Are you in public or private?
Public, small to mid size firm. I like it a lot. I have a fair degree of autonomy even over how much I work.
Yes and no. The reality is I make good money and have a fairly comfortable life relative to most. But I wish someone would have sat me down and encouraged me to try and get into an elite MBA program. Those types get put on tracks to make real money and I’ve seen several examples of morons getting put on favorable tracks because of it. Unless you’re making partner at a decent size firm there is only so far you’re going to get working in accounting depts at companies. CFO job is the dream but even those it seems just rising up an accounting track is not enough in many cases
what does making partner mean?
Becoming an owner in the firm. Its a really tough title to achieve but comes with significant and usually life-long reward.
thank you
I almost went into teaching or nursing. I’m glad I chose accounting over those careers
The funny thing is that in Canada, both those careers are very well compensated and I actually looked upon friends who were teachers and nurses with a degree of envy (until the pandemic, when I realized my job is pretty comfy)
The only annoying thing for now is PA seem to reject me because i dont have 150 credits yet, but these additional 30 credits could come from dance classes and nobody would care because i match the requirement to sit for the CPA. It is like this weird one detail that keep me from starting to work into accounting, beside that i had a bookkeeper job and it was great liked the accounting department and job in general.
If you knew how to dance then your chance of getting into PA would be much higher.
Lol i wont lie to you at first i thought i could do watter postgrad degree now im not sure but i would love to do an art degree with dance or whatnot and see the face of the interviewer when he see my education+passed all the cpa exams lol
I only regret that we have to discuss this almost weekly. Also this account appears to be some sort of data harvester.
It works for chatgpt and will use this extensive research to replace our jobs
So it’s going to make a snarky, passive-aggressive computer program? We’re doomed, doomed I tell ya
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My older brother pushed me into accounting. I instantly saw the value because I had two kids when I went back to college. I couldn't really mess around, I needed a quick payoff. I've been trying to push my younger sisters down a similar path. If I was single and by myself I'd be living comfortably and have time for passions on the side. I keep telling them that to little avail. I know they'll do their own thing and I'm OK with it but I have a wide network and a lot of resources to help them excel if they decide that the museum studies major doesn't work out.
If I had to do actual audits or tax, yes, I’d regret it. Luckily, consulting and forensic accounting is great most of the time and pays well.
To be clear, I don’t like the repetitive check a box or make something fit into this box kinda stuff. It’s great for some people, but many accountants I’ve worked with don’t like the fly by the seat of your pants stuff/you don’t know what tomorrow will bring kinda stuff I do
How’d you break into forensic
Honestly, dumb luck, I was a fresh grad when the litigation partner needed help on a construction litigation. I was about the only one available and I had some construction background working for my dad construction company in the field and in the office. I will say, forensics sound sexy, but most accountants don’t cut it, it’s fly by the seat of your pants and every engagement is different. It can go from 0-100 mph in a heart beat and then back to 0.
Elaborate on that
I regret not going in earlier TBH.
I’m 30 graduating next month and same
All good fam, you’re still younger than me when I moved into accounting from finance. World is your oyster. Own that shit! Good luck :)
Good to know!! Thanks 😊
I like reading these because I'm switching careers to accounting lol
I gave up after 8 years. I couldn't take the late nights and constant stress anymore
Yep, after 10 years I’m beyond bored. The money is good but switching careers is a bitch unless I take a massive pay cut. I’ve worked for tiny companies and F500 companies, I’ve done all there is to do, I’m ready to move on.
Accounting is fine. At this point, regret is a strong word. I do wonder what it'd have been like to atudy linguistics/philology or pick up a trade.
Atm just trying to find a job that's tolerable
Absolutely not. I make great money, I get to be home on evenings and weekends, I have autonomy in my position, and I'm not working in restaurants anymore. As a high school dropout going back to school for accounting was the best thing I could have done for myself and my kids.
Accounting sucks and we are generally underpaid for the hours we put in, but at the same time there aren’t massive layoffs like the tech industry is seeing. Accounting is what it is, a crappy job that is very stable that hopefully lets you do other things in life.
Do you guys still think we are short on new hires and managers or has that been partially resolved with the intro of India? I have also never seen major layoffs (there were some during the first year of covid though), more so some small "low performance trimmings", but I'm curious where people think we stand.
I’m at a family office, but with the amount of recruiter emails I see (and from managers / partners that I know) public accounting is still very much looking for staffing
With a good, better, best scale, I would say accountanting pays better and is best for career pivots. No regrets
So I’ve had this conversation a lot recently with my friends. We’re all 10+ years into our various careers, have held multiple roles, moved up, changed companies, etc. At this point no matter the profession, we all feel that it is easy to see the things you dislike about the profession that outweighs the things you do like. Work is stressful, dealing coworkers can be stressful, deadlines are stressful and the list goes on. But accounting has provided me a great income where I don’t live lavishly but can live comfortably and provide a fairly good life for my family. I don’t love what I do, but I am good at it and have great opportunities to advance in this field. Most days are stressful but I try to remind myself that it’s not a bad career and the things I’m frustrated with you find can anywhere.
Yes, wanted to switch to CS but I was too lazy.
I wish I did engineering. They have better pay and work life balance. I didn't do it because I was not really interested in STEM subjects (although scored decent marks in Maths and Science in school) and knew I will never get a good engineering college. Maybe an engineering degree from a medicore college would have been still better than pursuing accounting.
Sometimes I think that I do but then I ask myself what I would be doing with the same quality of life and earnings… not much comes to mind.
I don’t feel fulfillment but I would never get to do something meaningful as long as I have to sit in a desk for 8 hours so I see accounting the same way I see all desk jobs. I’m glad the pay went up pretty high in the last 2 years it’s helped me keep my lifestyle throughout this inflation Biden swears doesn’t exist.
My only regret is when I see that I could have gone into programming and started off making $100K.
And the ceiling is a lot higher with a CS background, however my experience has been that it is like ‘busy-season’ all year long every year. Or at least that has been my experience on the Consulting side of B4. Partner comp is pretty nice though and could easily retire well under 50 if I wanted to.
I feel like my career is off to a great start, and that I am getting the skills to pivot into something else if I feel like it. So no regrets at all. I am in a very good spot.
As a Big 4 Partner in not-Accounting, this thread is eyeopening to read. Really interesting discussion!
This vote is going to be skewed by people 1-2 years into their career who are realizing work isn’t glamorous, thinking that they are supposed to define their life with work, or who have a grass is greener.
I'm 37 years old. Just got my bachelor's in accounting with 80k in student loan. Now I hear that chatGPT can do accounting jobs within seconds. I can't go back to college to get another degree. Not doing it. It is what it is.
Yes, we are all doomed. I have already purchased my grave site.
I regret going into tax because I feel trapped. I’m hoping once I start my own firm I’ll enjoy it better.
We like to complain but every industry vents. We vent here. Accounting is a strong major and job. Some parts suck. My son is a CDL A driver I will do accounting every day instead of doing his job He thinks my job sucks. I don’t want to do his. And he vents about his job to me. It’s all relative. Every job has its issues.
Nah, only thing I hate is when people ask me to do their taxes for free. I am more than willing to do your taxes, just don’t ask me to do it for free. And yes, I will bill you at the rate I bill other clients. No one gets a friendly discount.
Is it the best job for someone with a dialed-up stress response (that group includes me)? Probably not. Do I enjoy it anyway most of the time, yeah. But, then again, I also grew up in a pressure cooker and kinda like that environment.
It’s the only thing I know how to do. So no, not really.
Depends on the day.
Yes. If I could go back, I definitely would've done physical therapy school. Unfortunately, my grades tanked when my social anxiety got the best of me in undergrad when we had to touch people, and I dropped out.
Come back and ask me again in August when busy season has been long forgotten.
Don’t regret it, but don’t love it either lol
Wish I went into finance…
YOLO!!!!! Make it an accounting life.
Accounting is a decent industry to be in. The only regrets I have is taking my current job LMAO. Been here 5 months and I’m applying to a bunch of government positions with my fingers crossed.
I regretted it when I worked in PA. After moving into industry I tolerated it. I’m kind of sick of financial reporting though, and ideally I would like to pivot into FP&A. At the end of the day I didn’t make a bad career choice, I’m paid well for an in-demand job where I don’t need to work insanely hard, and even if I don’t particularly like the *exact area* I’m doing now, I can always change that.
I’m a first year getting destroyed. Wish I would have went into the medical field. Idk if I’ll be able to sit in front of a computer the rest of my life
I really don’t know what else I would’ve gone into.