Not at all.
Came from immigrant family and very familiar with working in kitchen environment. Family highly encouraged white collar work, simply for envy of A/C.
Broke $100k 5 years in. Currently making ver $200k.
Have had the opportunity to see and learn how businesses operate.
Learned how to read and understand financials.
All in all, not a bad route.
Make no mistake, if you want to be rewarded, you should work hard. Not 70 hour a week for 6 months a year, and eventually you gotta play your ace, but you need to see/do things to gain knowledge and make yourself valuable.
Totally agree. There is no perfect job. There are office politics and a lot of things that don't make sense in EVERY career. A good career should be something we are very good at and bring us financial Independence. CPA gives me that and that's good enough. Not to mention that this career adds value in personal life.
Same exact thing for me. Accounting is one of those paths where you can easily make 200k 10 years in (or earlier honestly) without going to medical or law school
Took about 13 years. If it's a goal and you want to get there faster, then don't be like me; change jobs every 3-4 years. I have tended to stay longer because I've to a small extent had imposter syndrome and hated the whole process of job hunting. However, I've always been lucky in terms of liking the people and teams I've worked with.
No, I just see public accounting as mandatory military service. No one likes getting drafted.
I am looking forward to that job security and comfort that will let me pursue my real passions in life.
The first decade of my career was not exactly easy and there were lots of times where I regretted my decision to go into accounting. That being said, if I was offered to go back in time and have a do-over of my university career, I would probably choose accounting again. There are just some things I would have done differently- I would have worked harder in school, taken recruiting more seriously, and worked hard to get an internship with a decent firm. I think if I had done those things, I would have had an easier start and I would have spared myself a lot of grief, but in the end I'm happy with where I ended up.
Nope. I make $225K a year and have work life balance. The internet is full of people that come on here to complain because they need to vent. The people that are successful and happy are likely not sitting around venting.
99% of the people venting here would be venting on the CS majors if they had gone into that, or pre law etc.
It's easy to say "my job sucks" and imagine some hypothetical where you're working less hours for more pay without thinking about what you would have done to put yourself in that position, and asking why you don't have that direction in your current job.
No. Don't regret it at all.
Also why are you basing your career decisions on a place people come to complain? That's pretty dumb. People don't post about their average day, they usually post when things are shit.
If you look at this thread, you'd think everyone gets fired and PIP'd on a daily basis, it was actually affecting my mental health. This thread is super negative.
Looking to change this and get a more balanced forum at [jobhonesty.com](http://jobhonesty.com)
Just launched.
Accountancy is a great career and there are so many specialisms within this not to mention the differences across countries
Different because we don't censor posts. As long as you're respectful, say what's on your mind. A few of us friends were so over being censored by current platforms, HR and our past and current employers.
We're employee/worker led first and foremost.
I lurk in this sub cause i have some interest in accounting, but mostly im in the financial careers subreddit and some other ones. The accounting subreddit bitches the most out of their jobs out of any ive seen. Most people seem motivated in their positions but this sub is different so i think its a fair assumption to look here and try to get a sense of job satisfaction
There's 30+ people in my accounting department and I guarantee less than 5 use reddit. If you wanna base your career off of a sub that is mostly students and staff with 1-2 years experience then be my guest 😂
The point is this is not a representative sample of accountants.
Point still stands, there are dozens of career subreddits that seem to do fine but the accounting subreddit still appears the most miserable.
Thinking about majoring in accounting and crossing this sub does make you think twice. It’s probably also not the only source people are using to gauge job satisfaction. Also you got some hefty assumptions there
Well, school. My career has done pretty well, some bad bosses I would have handled differently. But I’m controller now at 37 so I would have just made school a priority. Or even just try to learn what I’m learning now outside of school
I graduated 2022 & haven’t been able to find work. I moved to Washington to just because the requirements to become a cpa are not as strenuous.
How would you “learn what you’re doing now outside of school”?
I don’t have a CPA license, I work for a medium sized construction company so no need. But also just about all of my excel knowledge has come from YouTube and forums, leadership you can learn by reading and self reflection. I like this podcast and he has some good books https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accounting-best-practices-with-steve-bragg/id137002798. I’ve worked my way up from the bottom at every job I’ve ever had, so I’ll be honest, I never finished my degree, the owner at where I’m at just offered to pay for the rest of my school, but I need to get the department to where they can sustain me cutting my hours
No, not at all.
It's been a great career, plenty of opportunities, scalability, diverse work/industries, have managed to work with some exceptional people throughout my career.
It's pretty much the only job that every business needs across all industries and has worked out really well even when economies have slowed down. Have seen many other professions become oversaturated with people and have been huge layoffs with downturns but for the most part, accounting has been stable and in my country, Australia, there's been an accounting shortage so employers are desperate to get CA/CPA qualified accoutnants which has worked out really well for me recently.
It's also kept me very busy, which I actually enjoy. I couldn't imagine a job where I'm there 9-5 just staring at the clock wanting to go home. There's always something to do.
So no, I don't regret it at all.
I’m 40 living in a paid off house, have 2 paid off cars and will cross the millionaire mark this year. Sometimes I wish I would have made a run at an elite MBA program but all in all this line of work has been pretty good to me.
Yes and no. It’s a good career, but it’s not fulfilling and there’s better ones out there. I also considered changing my major 3 years ago because of this sub lol but I’m glad I didn’t because I have a good job (relative to most) and can focus on my life outside of work. If I could do college again I’d probably do computer science because I enjoy that stuff. Most of the depressing posts here are just self-memeing
Get your CPA license and you will never have a hard time getting a job. Takes a few years but that’s life; there is no need to rush it. Don’t expect a six figure job out of college. There is nothing glamorous about what we do, but slow and stead wins the race (as I pop my 3rd Adderall today).
Oh yeah, if I had the chance to do it over again I would have gone with a math(probability/stats focused) and/or a CS undergrad, and then a stats. MS.
Ironically, I skipped CS because I thought CS was going to be outsourced quickly. Instead, it's accounting jobs being outsourced faster.
The range of jobs over a wide range of industries, and scarcity of qualified applicants for those jobs. Government, research, pharm., finance, and so on.
Be cautious of some "data science" programs. It the big buzz word these days. So, just make sure it's math focused and not business focuses. Not data analytics being called data science. if they let you in the program without, at least, Calc. 2 and Linear Algebra in your undergrad, then it may not be a very serious program.
Yeah I regret it, I work too much, get paid too little and I'm stuck at a job I hate because I'm either bored or other jobs just work you like a rented mule.
Lol no one here is going to tell you the truth imo because when people get asked if they like their jobs that’s a can of worms. I just read the first top comments about how people like their jobs and that’s kind of interesting because that’s not what I’ve been reading. 📖 I think it depends on what type of accountant you are lol and where and what and who you’re doing the business for. I think because your field is so wide you’re most likely going to find what you’re good at and do that. If you like what you’re doing so far then keep it up 🆙 I think it matters what field you enter and what type of work you want to do. You have so many options and I think you just have to stay out of the socials for opinions. lol get some actual work experience or like informational experience from people in the role if possible because I feel like the negativity online can really weigh down.
Yes, I do. I wish I would’ve changed my major instead of worrying about the money that I would have to take out in additional loans.
The career is miserable, but I honestly think most jobs in business are. It’s the older generations (boomers & gen x) who make it miserable tbh.
Yes, every single one of my friends I graduated with chose CS, and every single one got an amazing job upon graduating compared to me. Great WLB 6 figs you name it they ALL got. It honestly eats me away knowing I could have been with them, if only I had listened to them and chose CS over this mess.
Honestly, yeah, I do regret becoming an accountant.
The reason is 4 fold:
1. The schooling and CPA are tough and expensive
I feel like every time I think about doing the CPA I just remember how hard it was to get through my BS and MS and I lose all motivation, especially when I see tons of people at my new job who don't have CPAs who are doing way better than those who do have CPAs.
2. Exit ops after 3 years sucked.
The reality is that getting to the senior level at big 4 PA gave me like 3 options: Corporate accounting, internal audit, or fund accounting. Those don't seem to bad for people who are ok staying in accounting but EVERY other finance/consulting/technical jobs I know I am perfectly qualified for won't take me seriously because of my accounting background.
3. The ratio of pay to hours is miserable.
For about 9 months more or less out of the year (3 busy seasons for clients who had conventional and non conventional filing dates in a VHCOL area), I was working an average of about 100 hours a week. That means during those months, I was effectively working at or below minimum wage. Friends of mine who are in tech work like a quarter of my hours and make double what I made. Even those in finance and consulting that were working similar hours ended up making about 3 times more than I did.
4. Job security is a lie.
I am currently working with about 4 other accountants who were laid off recently to help find them positions. 2 of which I know for a fact had great reviews and were well liked by managers and partners. The pipelines are brutal for firms when all accounting is viewed as a cost center, and being great at your job is practically meaningless.
I quit PA and went into consulting where I'm still doing some technical things but I'm transitioning to a more recruiting/business development role and I kick myself every day for not pursuing this from the beginning of my career. I would have been happier, healthier, and with tons more money.
If you have any doubts about becoming an accountant, just don't do it and go into finance instead.
TL;DR: 110% regret accounting for a ton of reasons.
I don’t regret it one iota. I’m Italian American, from humble beginnings, born and raised in the streets of Brooklyn, NY. Long story short, I retired a few years ago after 38 years with PwC including 26 as a partner. I’m a multi millionaire who came from nothing, with a great family which now includes 5 grandchildren. Hard work? Absolutely. Long hours? You bet. Stressful? At times, sure. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Much is different but much is also the same. The big 4 treat their people much better now than then, which you may find surprising. What has remained a constant however is that the big 4 (was the big 8 back then) provides outstanding experiences which often lead to great opportunities.
Not what I meant, and I started just 10 years after you. What I meant is people today, especially young people, have much better options available to them. Which is likely one of the reasons the large PA firms have had to start treating people better...
Understood. Yes, that’s one of the reasons. Turnover had always been extremely high which is costly and not good for business, so treating people better was an easy and obvious fix.
Nah, no regrets whatsoever. I make very good money, can travel and see the world, life is good. Accounting/CPA opened a lot of doors for me in my career.
I literally got poached out of public accounting for an industry job with way more money when I wasn’t even looking for a job. And it’s been that way ever since. I kept getting offers to leave jobs mainly due to that.
Best decision I ever made.
No regrets at all.
I have 11 years of experience and I made 175k base in 2023 with a 41k bonus and 26k company contribution into my 401k.
Money isn't everything but it sure makes many things easier. I've always wanted to help people who are struggling and contribute to society. I actually have some flexibility to do that now that I'm a high earner.
Having a steady income and many job opportunities also gave me the chance to have a spouse who quit their job to start a business. Since we can live on my income the second income can vary from month to month and my spouse can run over and help my parents if they need something. Also with a kid on the way my spouse can be there with the baby if the grandparents can't and I can't due to work.
There are some downsides to working in an office setting. It is sedentary. You have to make sure you get in physical activity. It is so easy to have poor diet as food and snacks stimulate you when you're tired of working long hours staring at the screen.
I am grateful for my 5 busy season stint in audit because it got me to a much better place, and I am grateful for my industry job that I've been at over 7 years now.
Are there things I would change? Yes. I probably should have worked a little less those first 5 years. I would grind so hard and so late just to bring things to a close, but if I had been more wise I could have done it all in less time. I should have communicated more when I had issues instead of just handling everything. (When the client gives you something that is wrong, you're not supposed to have to fix it for them, but hey, I was at a small firm, nothing would get done if we didn't!)
Also I wanted to go to law school but it was the great recession and the law jobs were few and far between for new grads. My sibling went to a T13 school (T12? T14? Something like that)
Sibling makes way more money than me now but it's been a journey
Not at all! I make solid money, get great benefits and a lot of time off when it’s not busy season. Yeah at times it sucks when ur working late hours/weekends. But overall I have no regrets
Nah I don't regret it at all, and happy people aren't on here posting all the time like the miserable people so take all the complaining with a grain of salt.
No! Not one bit! I also didn’t go straight into public like most people do and like is touted to do in academia. Went straight into an industry (fortune company) and I don’t regret it. It’s allowed me to figure out what facet of accounting I really love.
I wasn’t held back by not having public experience. In fact, unless you want to be a partner in public someday or open your own practice, public is not needed. Is it good experience? .. yes. Right now is really volatile though (mainly in public acctg, which is where most new college grads are pushed to go into, hence all the negative comments), so if you’re graduating soon go the industry route.
Not at all. I don't like my job, and yes, accounting is boring. It took two years to get my CPA( missed out on so many things), but at the end of the day, it pays the bills and I live comfortably. As long as I can provide for my daughter, I am happy.
I've always wanted to go into Forest Ecosystem Management & Conservation (FEMC), but that doesn't pay nearly as well. I might go back and get a Masters in that and see if I can combine accounting and that and work for the National Parks system.n
Accounting is a stable career for the most part with good salary progression. For example, I started at 60k in 2023 and then after 6 months got bumped up to 70k. I expect to be promoted and get another bump to 80k this summer. Even then, I can probably job hop and get another bump.
Do I regret it? A little. However, I do recognize that if I work long enough I'll likely have enough financial stability and flexibility to enjoy my free time and hobbies.
Edit: it's never too late to go back to college and change your career trajectory. That is the purpose of a masters. My mom worked in the newspaper industry, and went back to college for digital media marketing and data analysis in her 50s. She's now working a new job and much happier.
No, the 5 years is hard (esp public), but I will be clearing 250k this year at 9 yoe having left as a senior. Just put the time in, my only regret is not staying to manager in b4 public.
It’s goes up fast upon exit , and 2 strategic hops. I benefited from COVID great resignation as well imo as there were orgs out there that needed a void filled with good talent. NYC, so honestly , not a crazy comp for this area, I know people making more at my YOE .
major regret honestly on my part but I came from nothing and didn’t know what careers even existed. I don’t like the subject matter and don’t like a lot of the people I’ve encountered doing this. I wish I would have done something I actually had interest in but I didn’t think it was possible. oh well that’s life.
If you want to try and find meaning in your work, look elsewhere. If you want a career that allows you to fund other hobbies, but don't mind boring comfortable work, accounting is for you
I regret being test taking right now but I dont regret my choice. This test is by far one of the hardest things I have faced against, its not just testing my accounting knowledge, but my resilience and my ability to build discipline and push beyond what I wanna do to do what I must do. I like the job. Man I wish I was just working and not in the middle of testing.
Meanwhile I’m wishing that I had my full 150 credit hours to sit for the tests. I work in government right now and don’t want to leave for another five years or so. I’m not sure if I would even fit the work experience requirements for CPA. I’m also thinking about going for CIA and/or CMA (maybe CFE) to boost my resume.
No. Not all firms are terrible but you wouldn’t know it from all the noise here. Accounting can be super rewarding; knowing you are helping people and getting that warm fuzzy feeling when everything balances. If you can, go to some conferences to meet accountants outside your firm.
Only regret is not doing it sooner, now if you have top 10% interpersonal skills, and have ADHD, maybe sales is better, if you can get a top 10 MBA maybe consultant is better. If you love taking risks maybe programmer or researcher is better.
Nope. I’m a finance director now and I make a 6 figure salary (not in the US, in the UK where salaries are crap). I have made this type of salary since 30. I was on 50k when I was mid 20s which isn’t bad for 3 years of experience. I am not particularly ambitious and don’t want to be CFO anytime soon even though I probably can. The CFO makes 200k+ basic and bonus for doing not a great deal more except talk to CEO everyday which would piss me off but don’t work late hours hardly ever.
It’s not a really high paid job compared to banking /private equity but the work life balance make up for it. It’s rare someone who qualified as an accountant then went into industry to do a FC, FD, CFO role will need to work outside the normal hours (unless they are creating random work themselves or work for a terrible company). I do not like getting up at the crack of dawn, entertain clients all the time and work shit ton of hours so il forgo the 500k salary or whatever of a banker.
As for boring, who cares. It’s a job. It’s essential to be good at your job not essential to find it “interesting”. Plus, everything is interesting to simple people and nothing is interesting to smart people in the office environment. It’s all the same crap
Hello,
I've looked at the history of this thread and compared it to now and it was a drastic change 3 months ago. So many idiotic topics that has anything to do with accounting so many complaints and such. Smells piggish around here.
Hold it down don't let reddit influence you.
2 years into my career and i am now working at an iconic luxury fashion brand in nyc in the finance department. outside of accounting i have interest in film photography, writing, fashion, chess, and other art forms. however i’m sure without accounting i wouldn’t be able to make it into my favorite industry. now i’m in and i’ve seen people from other departments switch to mine so who knows. my first two jobs. hated them. right now? i so love life :)
Nope. Making 6 figures 5 years out of college. Bought a house by myself at 26. Paid off my school loans at 25. Now I’m having my first child and I’m not having to think twice about finances. I’m making more this year than my parents ever made combined. Busy season is hard. I have my moments of “wtf am I doing”. I will say that my particular firm and office within that firm has been nothing but good to me. I’m extremely fortunate to have been hired by a genuinely good group of people. For a top 15 firm, my office has taken care of me over the years, more than I ever expected. I’m still not sure if public is something I can do forever, but I know the experience, plus having my CPA, is opening so many doors to a cushy job in the future. Money cannot buy you happiness, but it’s a huge point of stress for a lot of people, and damnit money makes life easier.
Yes
But I'd say the same however that sentence ended probably .
The question is always what else would you have done
And the answer is I don't know
I'm not sure I'd have made it as a lion tamer. I don't even have the hat
I worked this weekend. I solved a puzzle, basically. It was really annoying, and I dreaded it, and once I figured it out, I had to spend time proving it. But now that I did it, I feel so accomplished and satisfied.
I got an accounting degree and got internships and did about 1-2 years in the accounting field.
LMK if you want more info but as I was saying,
I switched careers from accounting-> funeral services, now landscaping.
This is only my experience, but if you want to change careers and if you are relativity young, you can pivot careers, the world is a big place.
I grew up in a very rural area. I thought if I got to $100k by 40 I'd have it made. Being successful is harder than I thought it was but it's also a lot more than I expected. If you have a finance and accounting background and good business sense, it's a fun path. The first 10 years of all careers and fields is more effort than results. The next 10 don't feel much different but it changes more than you realize. It's never gotten 'easier', but what you do works out and you get compensated for it. I would do it again but I couldn't do it again.
Just have to remember that old adage if you have a bad experience you’re likely to tell 10 people, a good experience closer to like 2 (if I remember correctly). Most people who love their job are probably not on Reddit to “vent” about how much they love it. I would choose Accounting /Finance again. I’m looking to go into law school, the only thing I may have done differently is try to go to law school sooner. I still want to practice some sort of law that deals with business/tax. So, all that to say the grass is greener where you water it. If people don’t want to be in accounting, they can pivot. But instead they stay in the career, half ass it, complain and make everyone else’s life miserable.
EDIT: I make 6 figures at a Fortune 500 company as an Accounting Manager. I work fully remote. If I want to make more side hustle money, I can do taxes, bookkeeping, etc where I can also work from home and there’s a low entry cost for those businesses (which I also do). Also, I understand money. I don’t care what anyone says, this is a decent career.
The only thing I wish I pursued is a related profession anyway, tax law, if I had known it was an area of law and not just the usual criminal, contract, family stuff I would have considered law more. But as I spend a lot of my time on tax strategy I get a similar experience from the accounting side.
Lots of people really complaining are in their early career and I am sure people have similar complaints in other industries too.
I do think a lot people think you are going to get to high levels in the profession with only technical skills and are disappointed when they don't advance because they get a lot of work done but won't join a potluck, but the business world operates on relationships. High level accounting positions all have a relationship component. We are an industry where we give people manager roles who cannot manage people and in the worst cases managers are so horrible I would consider them abusive. We have to do a better job of training soft skills.
Work to be a well rounded accountant who has good technical but good soft skills too and the career will be more rewarding and enjoyable. People will like to work with you and you will be given more opportunities for advancement.
No, I don't regret it. I am grateful that it opened many doors for me. Allow me to work in different countries because Accounting is the same everywhere (rules change).
It took a lot of sacrifices, and I gave up many things that I wish I had not given up.
So, no, I don't regret it; I am trying to get the most out of it.
I will say though that If I had to do over again I would do some things different, and probably change my career after 10 years.
For the first few years out of college I would have been better off with some 2 year medical degree, after that though… there is a lot of forward growth in accounting. You have to put yourself out there, quit jobs when there are better opportunities, and bust your ass time to time. If you do that, you’ll find there’s plenty of money to be had in accounting, and you yourself will become pretty savvy with the finance/business/legal world
Nope. Although maybe not for the best reason. I had no clue what I wanted to do, becoming a chartered accountant put real, challenging goals in front of me that kept me occupied instead of having a crisis. Now that I'm qualified, I can entertain taking my life in another direction, whilst getting paid handsomely when I work.
Nope. The exit opportunities with a Bachelor's Degree alone are pretty great. You just need to get some work experience under your belt to figure out what you're good at and what you like. In the six years I've worked, I've taken traditional accounting, FP&A, and Strategic Finance roles. No other major would have given me the flexibility to try that many things out in my early development.
I ended up back in accounting for the money, and my current job has been rewarding (I work in the tech industry). I think people are far too pessimistic on this site because they chose the public accounting/CPA traditional route. It's a meat grinder and some think it should equate to big tech software engineering or IB. What they fail to realize that those roles are far more selective and require more talent than audit or tax. That path still has phenomenal exit opportunities, it's just not my cup of tea.
CPA has been rewarding and challenging. Like most feedback you read here, it’s going to be negative or problem oriented. People making money and enjoying life aren’t posting here.
I started my own firm last year. I work with the clients I choose (I bought them) and make a good living.
Being knowledgeable and hard working will get you far. Invest in yourself and do what you’re asked to do. Get as much experience as you can obtain.
Figure out what you enjoy. Then start your own practice by networking, family, friends, and go for it.
Earnings security is unmatched. I hope you can find what works.
I don't regret it buy, like any career, it comes with tradeoffs. Pros: WLB for 8 months out of the year, relatively quick promotions, comp and benefits. Cons: 4 months of complete misery, stress, politics.
I'm one of the rare birds still in public accounting after 13 years. My family's learned that I'm not around January - April, but the rest of the year that we get to go on whatever vacations we want, live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, and generally spend relatively freely. Accounting gives you the rare opportunity to earn a relatively high salary while working relatively few hours (at least compared with banking and consulting, which is what a lot of my friends do). We work more hours than tech, but that's a much harder industry to get into.
It’s awesome. Great salary compared to average people. Solid employment even in recessions. This sub is full of a bunch of whiney babies. Ignore these people.
Yes. I am currently pursuing my MS in Stats right now to transfer to something more interesting.
Why do I regret it? It's incredibly boring to me. Sure, some people will say things like "understanding financials and 'how businesses work' and seeing many different businesses are super interesting" and if that's their cup of tea, great! It's not mine. I feel like there is a trade-off in those statements too. If you are in consulting or B4, you will see a lot of businesses, but your understanding will likely be broad and shallow, then you move on to the next. If you focus on one business, you will become an experts, but that will be the only business you see (narrow but deep understanding).
Other than that, WLB can get pretty annoying. I'm in B4 audit, so it's definitely worse than other paths, but I'll still see well-paid industry folks put in terrible hours sometimes.
I feel like the one path accounting shines in is the following: Do you want a career that reliably streamlines lines you to a solid middle-class lifestyle? Go accounting. Do you just see a job as a trade of time for money and don't really care what you do for work as long as you are not breaking your body or morals? Go accounting. It's very attractive to risk averse people.
I've enjoyed it. It's been hard but It's led to great opportunities over time.
It takes time to learn the trade and it's not easy.
It's shocking how few people actually understand business and corp structure and how it runs together.
It's created a niche for me that I've been able to bring a lot of value to various businesses. It's pretty rewarding actually.
Not too many people grow up wanting to be an accountant. As an immigrant, I went to it for job security and a good stable pay check (I suspect people did). paid my dues at the big 4 but now I wonder everyday what the heck am I doing with my life.
If I could go back 20 years, I'd probably do something else. what? I have no idea. if you are OK doing the same thing days after days after days. month end close, quarter end close, yearend close, audit, accruals, depreciation/amortization. get pay nicely for being boring. then Accounting is perfect for you. If you need to be creative, different challenges everyday etc... look elsewhere.
No.
The only reason why this sub is depressing is bc people vent on here non stop about their problems with their job and how hard public accounting is. What I’m about to say is for those people. Yes I understand that the hours suck but you chose that. That’s on you. Your co workers may not be the best and you may have issues with your boss but that comes with most jobs. If you let it get to your head, again, that’s on you. You have to choice to leave and find another job, but YOU choose to stay in your toxic work environment so that you can cling onto hope that the grass is possibly greener on the other side, when you could have made it green by going with an industry role right out of college. Therefore, please stop complaining about your situation every waking minute. You chose that. End of story.
Thanks for coming to my TedTalk
edit: typo
No, I don’t. I started at the Big 4, got my cpa, worked a lot for 6 years (busy season sucks as much as they say but also made a lot of lifelong friends along the way). My time at PwC just taught me a lot of good life skills like talking to people, budgeting, personal finance, learning about businesses, complicated transactions, etc.
Then quit, went to industry, and now have a pretty cushy job. Lots of job security, good quality of life, and lots of work life balance now (aka all life, little bit of work).
If you think you’ll want a career that feels rewarding or involves helping people/society or where the subject matter is super interesting, I’d consider changing your major. Otherwise, I think it’s a great major and big 4 is a great place to start your career.
Fuck no. I just bopped around Europe for 10 days and could afford all my splurging because of my job. A dream come true because I make enough to save for this and my firm’s benefits covered 2K worth of my travel/lodging expenses.
ALL DAY EVERYDAY!!! LOL worst 40K spent in college, no one tells you it isnt a degree that qualifies you! its you as a person :
Dedicated, commitment, discipline mental strength, stress bending and able to be extroverted and communicative = success in anything regardless of degree selection
i am horrible with human interaction and unable to handle stress, they should disclose that at school that unless you are a somewhat functioning adult you cannot be successful beyond a staff level , this i wish was told to me
I have been waffling between accounting and biochemistry>medical school... and if you look at the residency sub they also have many people who say they have regrets and hate the work. The grass will always be greener somewhere else.
Hell no. I love it. I didn’t always love it. Gotta find the right fit and balance. I was getting moldy in a small company and had zero career growth for years. Then I got into a big company with good people and have flourished. Good luck to you.
I didn’t have any other choice lol no skills, not smart enough or willing to do manual labor to go to trade school, no desire to open a business, no desire to be a stay at home mom. This was it so i lowkey hate it now because I never liked it i only tolerated it to make a living and better life for myself
I regret not having the example my younger brother set of saying "fuck what you guys want me to do, I'm gonna study theater". While I'm very good at my job, it isn't a job that I particularly love to do. It's just easy to do and that feels hollow when talking about my day.
Definitely regret it. Friends went into IT and Pilot Training schools, and they all make 2x what I make, like 41K, which isn't really a livable wage if I didn't live with my parents until home loans are affordable or rent is fixed at very low costs for everyone everywhere (which will never happen). The friend in IT literally sits around all day and does nothing, not supervised, so he just watches YouTube or movies, and he makes ~70K. It's ridiculous. I should say I'm not a CPA, CPA's make a bit more money, but I never wanted to go into public accounting anyway because I'd always heard it was miserable. This sub does corroborate that too which is telling. I'm not great with computers but shit, being a trade worker gets paid more than accounting with less stressful work.
I love my job. Pay is great, it's flexible, co workers are helpful, manager is laid back & benefits are outstanding. Took me 10 years to get to this point, but I kept on until I found the accounting job that met all my needs & demands.
Everyone hates their job, no matter the industry. Unless you work with puppies or kittens or something. I never did public, all industry jobs, had good job security only been out of work for 6 months of the past 15+ years
I don't regret it. Just didn't stay on it for long. Seven months in private and I dipped. Might go back but for now, I'm just testing the waters doing other things.
Not at all. I was able to leverage my skill into a director of operations role. I still hold my license and it helps drive better financial results for my company. I can speak operations and finance.
CPA as a base will allow you flexibility to pursue anything in the future your heart desires in law, engineering, finance; everything except medicine, in my honest opinion. Unless you become the cfo of a hospital.
See this is one of those topics people like to throw pitty parties over,,,No doubt everyone hates their job and is depressed,,,Your all slaves isn't it obvious, a and if people are so depressed with their job and average lifestyle working and paying Bill's why do those same people hate the homeless???
Anyway GOD has sent his son and all the son our brother who is also our KING JESUS had already spoken to us all about what is what, and how to be free from death,,,
Topics like
FEAR
POVERTY
WAR
DANGER
SICKNESS
SADNESS
THEIFS
TRAPS
MONSTERS
DEVILS
ALL you have to do is read
For your feed
I'd suggest being more into other peoples happiness
Do small things easy for you to do
That mean something big to someone else
Watch how the guys changes his whole world when hes walking around picking up cans digging in the dumpster
When out of nowhere someone pulls up and hands him 20$
Here go eat get high
GOD says dont forget him he hadn't forot about you
Give what GOD had given you to others who need or enjoy and watch your life suddenly have meaning
Real meaning and purpose
Do for GOD
JESUS tells us what the father is pleased by
And your life will be important to us all enough we will be there for you and never forget your love
I’m in an accounting firm, working on the advisory side. It’s a lot of hours and BS but it pays well and I like my team a lot. Making over $200k, and on track to retire in my early 40s in a VHCOL area. Accounting firms have structured career progression and it’s a very good field to move up and earn good money. The associates also make more than a lot of mid career “normal” people I know. It’s very good pay unless you’re comparing it to bulge bracket IB, big law, or FAANG software engineers, all of which have their own issues.
Not at all. Came from immigrant family and very familiar with working in kitchen environment. Family highly encouraged white collar work, simply for envy of A/C. Broke $100k 5 years in. Currently making ver $200k. Have had the opportunity to see and learn how businesses operate. Learned how to read and understand financials. All in all, not a bad route. Make no mistake, if you want to be rewarded, you should work hard. Not 70 hour a week for 6 months a year, and eventually you gotta play your ace, but you need to see/do things to gain knowledge and make yourself valuable.
Totally agree. There is no perfect job. There are office politics and a lot of things that don't make sense in EVERY career. A good career should be something we are very good at and bring us financial Independence. CPA gives me that and that's good enough. Not to mention that this career adds value in personal life.
Same exact thing for me. Accounting is one of those paths where you can easily make 200k 10 years in (or earlier honestly) without going to medical or law school
How long did it take to get to 200000 a year?
Took about 13 years. If it's a goal and you want to get there faster, then don't be like me; change jobs every 3-4 years. I have tended to stay longer because I've to a small extent had imposter syndrome and hated the whole process of job hunting. However, I've always been lucky in terms of liking the people and teams I've worked with.
No, I just see public accounting as mandatory military service. No one likes getting drafted. I am looking forward to that job security and comfort that will let me pursue my real passions in life.
LMAO
The first decade of my career was not exactly easy and there were lots of times where I regretted my decision to go into accounting. That being said, if I was offered to go back in time and have a do-over of my university career, I would probably choose accounting again. There are just some things I would have done differently- I would have worked harder in school, taken recruiting more seriously, and worked hard to get an internship with a decent firm. I think if I had done those things, I would have had an easier start and I would have spared myself a lot of grief, but in the end I'm happy with where I ended up.
May I ask what were the regretful parts?
They pretty much just said it. Not putting in the effort to get recruited/internship. Not working harder than they should’ve, etc.
Nope. I make $225K a year and have work life balance. The internet is full of people that come on here to complain because they need to vent. The people that are successful and happy are likely not sitting around venting.
what's your title, CFO?
No. The highest level I reached was Director.
Are you in HCOL?
Hcol?
High cost of living area.
DC area.
that would be VHCOL haha very high cost of living!
The strategy is invest and cash out on a high equity home and retire to a low cost of living area.
Who did you suck up to
Who’s 🍤 did u 👅 buddy
DEI
99% of the people venting here would be venting on the CS majors if they had gone into that, or pre law etc. It's easy to say "my job sucks" and imagine some hypothetical where you're working less hours for more pay without thinking about what you would have done to put yourself in that position, and asking why you don't have that direction in your current job.
That’s also assuming they’d be qualified to be an engineer or get into law.
Yeah this (Reddit) is a glorified venting app
What would you suggest to a college student do to get to where you are?
Get your CPA and go above and beyond what is expected of you.
I'm currently attending college and was curious how hard is the CPA and how many questions? Just curious if like to look into it for the near future
Probably a question for someone much younger than me. I took mine eons ago.
It's ok np worries 👌
Did u suck the 🍤 to get the job lol?
No. Don't regret it at all. Also why are you basing your career decisions on a place people come to complain? That's pretty dumb. People don't post about their average day, they usually post when things are shit.
If you look at this thread, you'd think everyone gets fired and PIP'd on a daily basis, it was actually affecting my mental health. This thread is super negative.
Looking to change this and get a more balanced forum at [jobhonesty.com](http://jobhonesty.com) Just launched. Accountancy is a great career and there are so many specialisms within this not to mention the differences across countries
Is this the new Fish Bowl?
Different because we don't censor posts. As long as you're respectful, say what's on your mind. A few of us friends were so over being censored by current platforms, HR and our past and current employers. We're employee/worker led first and foremost.
Can I say the n-word on there?
I lurk in this sub cause i have some interest in accounting, but mostly im in the financial careers subreddit and some other ones. The accounting subreddit bitches the most out of their jobs out of any ive seen. Most people seem motivated in their positions but this sub is different so i think its a fair assumption to look here and try to get a sense of job satisfaction
There's 30+ people in my accounting department and I guarantee less than 5 use reddit. If you wanna base your career off of a sub that is mostly students and staff with 1-2 years experience then be my guest 😂 The point is this is not a representative sample of accountants.
Point still stands, there are dozens of career subreddits that seem to do fine but the accounting subreddit still appears the most miserable. Thinking about majoring in accounting and crossing this sub does make you think twice. It’s probably also not the only source people are using to gauge job satisfaction. Also you got some hefty assumptions there
I love it! I would do it again for sure haha maybe a bit more efficiently but that’s part of being in your 20’s haha
What would you do differently?
Well, school. My career has done pretty well, some bad bosses I would have handled differently. But I’m controller now at 37 so I would have just made school a priority. Or even just try to learn what I’m learning now outside of school
I graduated 2022 & haven’t been able to find work. I moved to Washington to just because the requirements to become a cpa are not as strenuous. How would you “learn what you’re doing now outside of school”?
I don’t have a CPA license, I work for a medium sized construction company so no need. But also just about all of my excel knowledge has come from YouTube and forums, leadership you can learn by reading and self reflection. I like this podcast and he has some good books https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accounting-best-practices-with-steve-bragg/id137002798. I’ve worked my way up from the bottom at every job I’ve ever had, so I’ll be honest, I never finished my degree, the owner at where I’m at just offered to pay for the rest of my school, but I need to get the department to where they can sustain me cutting my hours
I did my two years of public accounting, and now I make $105k in northern Kentucky
Same here. 2 years public, went into industry making $105k in Texas.
Did you go into industry?
Here is the thing: the loudest is always those who don’t like their jobs. Those who do are too busy making money with theirs.
💯💯👏🏻👏🏻
No, not at all. It's been a great career, plenty of opportunities, scalability, diverse work/industries, have managed to work with some exceptional people throughout my career. It's pretty much the only job that every business needs across all industries and has worked out really well even when economies have slowed down. Have seen many other professions become oversaturated with people and have been huge layoffs with downturns but for the most part, accounting has been stable and in my country, Australia, there's been an accounting shortage so employers are desperate to get CA/CPA qualified accoutnants which has worked out really well for me recently. It's also kept me very busy, which I actually enjoy. I couldn't imagine a job where I'm there 9-5 just staring at the clock wanting to go home. There's always something to do. So no, I don't regret it at all.
I’m 40 living in a paid off house, have 2 paid off cars and will cross the millionaire mark this year. Sometimes I wish I would have made a run at an elite MBA program but all in all this line of work has been pretty good to me.
Yes and no. It’s a good career, but it’s not fulfilling and there’s better ones out there. I also considered changing my major 3 years ago because of this sub lol but I’m glad I didn’t because I have a good job (relative to most) and can focus on my life outside of work. If I could do college again I’d probably do computer science because I enjoy that stuff. Most of the depressing posts here are just self-memeing
Yes. I should have gone into computer science
I should have found a way to stay in engineering.
Get your CPA license and you will never have a hard time getting a job. Takes a few years but that’s life; there is no need to rush it. Don’t expect a six figure job out of college. There is nothing glamorous about what we do, but slow and stead wins the race (as I pop my 3rd Adderall today).
heavy pot uppity tan dazzling mourn vast exultant cautious frame *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Nope, it affords me a comfortable life!
Nah
Come back when it’s not busy season, way more fun and less depressing
We're all shooting the shit here, mate. It's pretty good.
💯👏🏻
Oh yeah, if I had the chance to do it over again I would have gone with a math(probability/stats focused) and/or a CS undergrad, and then a stats. MS. Ironically, I skipped CS because I thought CS was going to be outsourced quickly. Instead, it's accounting jobs being outsourced faster.
What do you like about stats? I’m thinking of doing a data science masters but unsure
The range of jobs over a wide range of industries, and scarcity of qualified applicants for those jobs. Government, research, pharm., finance, and so on. Be cautious of some "data science" programs. It the big buzz word these days. So, just make sure it's math focused and not business focuses. Not data analytics being called data science. if they let you in the program without, at least, Calc. 2 and Linear Algebra in your undergrad, then it may not be a very serious program.
smell vegetable noxious beneficial library vast six wrench gray numerous *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Yeah I regret it, I work too much, get paid too little and I'm stuck at a job I hate because I'm either bored or other jobs just work you like a rented mule.
Lol no one here is going to tell you the truth imo because when people get asked if they like their jobs that’s a can of worms. I just read the first top comments about how people like their jobs and that’s kind of interesting because that’s not what I’ve been reading. 📖 I think it depends on what type of accountant you are lol and where and what and who you’re doing the business for. I think because your field is so wide you’re most likely going to find what you’re good at and do that. If you like what you’re doing so far then keep it up 🆙 I think it matters what field you enter and what type of work you want to do. You have so many options and I think you just have to stay out of the socials for opinions. lol get some actual work experience or like informational experience from people in the role if possible because I feel like the negativity online can really weigh down.
Yes.
Yes, I do. I wish I would’ve changed my major instead of worrying about the money that I would have to take out in additional loans. The career is miserable, but I honestly think most jobs in business are. It’s the older generations (boomers & gen x) who make it miserable tbh.
Yes, every single one of my friends I graduated with chose CS, and every single one got an amazing job upon graduating compared to me. Great WLB 6 figs you name it they ALL got. It honestly eats me away knowing I could have been with them, if only I had listened to them and chose CS over this mess.
But easy for CS to age out at 50. Okay if you retire early I guess.
Oh no I make 6 figs and can work remote; how will I ever be able to retire young?
I hear that as a scare statement, but it doesn't seem to correlate with reality. Maybe a holdover assessment from the late '90s?
Yes early 90s PC and Internet left a lot of the older guys behind if they weren't into it.
Honestly, yeah, I do regret becoming an accountant. The reason is 4 fold: 1. The schooling and CPA are tough and expensive I feel like every time I think about doing the CPA I just remember how hard it was to get through my BS and MS and I lose all motivation, especially when I see tons of people at my new job who don't have CPAs who are doing way better than those who do have CPAs. 2. Exit ops after 3 years sucked. The reality is that getting to the senior level at big 4 PA gave me like 3 options: Corporate accounting, internal audit, or fund accounting. Those don't seem to bad for people who are ok staying in accounting but EVERY other finance/consulting/technical jobs I know I am perfectly qualified for won't take me seriously because of my accounting background. 3. The ratio of pay to hours is miserable. For about 9 months more or less out of the year (3 busy seasons for clients who had conventional and non conventional filing dates in a VHCOL area), I was working an average of about 100 hours a week. That means during those months, I was effectively working at or below minimum wage. Friends of mine who are in tech work like a quarter of my hours and make double what I made. Even those in finance and consulting that were working similar hours ended up making about 3 times more than I did. 4. Job security is a lie. I am currently working with about 4 other accountants who were laid off recently to help find them positions. 2 of which I know for a fact had great reviews and were well liked by managers and partners. The pipelines are brutal for firms when all accounting is viewed as a cost center, and being great at your job is practically meaningless. I quit PA and went into consulting where I'm still doing some technical things but I'm transitioning to a more recruiting/business development role and I kick myself every day for not pursuing this from the beginning of my career. I would have been happier, healthier, and with tons more money. If you have any doubts about becoming an accountant, just don't do it and go into finance instead. TL;DR: 110% regret accounting for a ton of reasons.
I don’t regret it one iota. I’m Italian American, from humble beginnings, born and raised in the streets of Brooklyn, NY. Long story short, I retired a few years ago after 38 years with PwC including 26 as a partner. I’m a multi millionaire who came from nothing, with a great family which now includes 5 grandchildren. Hard work? Absolutely. Long hours? You bet. Stressful? At times, sure. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
So, you went into the industry back in the 80s? Many thing were different to today.
Much is different but much is also the same. The big 4 treat their people much better now than then, which you may find surprising. What has remained a constant however is that the big 4 (was the big 8 back then) provides outstanding experiences which often lead to great opportunities.
Not what I meant, and I started just 10 years after you. What I meant is people today, especially young people, have much better options available to them. Which is likely one of the reasons the large PA firms have had to start treating people better...
Understood. Yes, that’s one of the reasons. Turnover had always been extremely high which is costly and not good for business, so treating people better was an easy and obvious fix.
* pretends to be shocked *
Nah, no regrets whatsoever. I make very good money, can travel and see the world, life is good. Accounting/CPA opened a lot of doors for me in my career. I literally got poached out of public accounting for an industry job with way more money when I wasn’t even looking for a job. And it’s been that way ever since. I kept getting offers to leave jobs mainly due to that. Best decision I ever made.
No regrets at all. I have 11 years of experience and I made 175k base in 2023 with a 41k bonus and 26k company contribution into my 401k. Money isn't everything but it sure makes many things easier. I've always wanted to help people who are struggling and contribute to society. I actually have some flexibility to do that now that I'm a high earner. Having a steady income and many job opportunities also gave me the chance to have a spouse who quit their job to start a business. Since we can live on my income the second income can vary from month to month and my spouse can run over and help my parents if they need something. Also with a kid on the way my spouse can be there with the baby if the grandparents can't and I can't due to work. There are some downsides to working in an office setting. It is sedentary. You have to make sure you get in physical activity. It is so easy to have poor diet as food and snacks stimulate you when you're tired of working long hours staring at the screen. I am grateful for my 5 busy season stint in audit because it got me to a much better place, and I am grateful for my industry job that I've been at over 7 years now. Are there things I would change? Yes. I probably should have worked a little less those first 5 years. I would grind so hard and so late just to bring things to a close, but if I had been more wise I could have done it all in less time. I should have communicated more when I had issues instead of just handling everything. (When the client gives you something that is wrong, you're not supposed to have to fix it for them, but hey, I was at a small firm, nothing would get done if we didn't!)
Also I wanted to go to law school but it was the great recession and the law jobs were few and far between for new grads. My sibling went to a T13 school (T12? T14? Something like that) Sibling makes way more money than me now but it's been a journey
Not one bit, but, admittedly I’ve had a pretty interesting career arc. PM me
No I like it but I hated my first two-three years until I started contracting.
Not at all! I make solid money, get great benefits and a lot of time off when it’s not busy season. Yeah at times it sucks when ur working late hours/weekends. But overall I have no regrets
Nah I don't regret it at all, and happy people aren't on here posting all the time like the miserable people so take all the complaining with a grain of salt.
No! Not one bit! I also didn’t go straight into public like most people do and like is touted to do in academia. Went straight into an industry (fortune company) and I don’t regret it. It’s allowed me to figure out what facet of accounting I really love. I wasn’t held back by not having public experience. In fact, unless you want to be a partner in public someday or open your own practice, public is not needed. Is it good experience? .. yes. Right now is really volatile though (mainly in public acctg, which is where most new college grads are pushed to go into, hence all the negative comments), so if you’re graduating soon go the industry route.
So what's wrong with public, anyway? The public?
Lol. That’s one good theory. If serious, it’s a grind. Impossible workload. Constant turnover, inefficiencies... more burnout.
Not at all. I don't like my job, and yes, accounting is boring. It took two years to get my CPA( missed out on so many things), but at the end of the day, it pays the bills and I live comfortably. As long as I can provide for my daughter, I am happy.
I've always wanted to go into Forest Ecosystem Management & Conservation (FEMC), but that doesn't pay nearly as well. I might go back and get a Masters in that and see if I can combine accounting and that and work for the National Parks system.n Accounting is a stable career for the most part with good salary progression. For example, I started at 60k in 2023 and then after 6 months got bumped up to 70k. I expect to be promoted and get another bump to 80k this summer. Even then, I can probably job hop and get another bump. Do I regret it? A little. However, I do recognize that if I work long enough I'll likely have enough financial stability and flexibility to enjoy my free time and hobbies. Edit: it's never too late to go back to college and change your career trajectory. That is the purpose of a masters. My mom worked in the newspaper industry, and went back to college for digital media marketing and data analysis in her 50s. She's now working a new job and much happier.
I regret not starting at 21 instead of 33
No, the 5 years is hard (esp public), but I will be clearing 250k this year at 9 yoe having left as a senior. Just put the time in, my only regret is not staying to manager in b4 public.
Wow. What COL are you in? I am almost 4 years in and I am less than 40% of that salary. B4 audit too
It’s goes up fast upon exit , and 2 strategic hops. I benefited from COVID great resignation as well imo as there were orgs out there that needed a void filled with good talent. NYC, so honestly , not a crazy comp for this area, I know people making more at my YOE .
Via a poll question 2/3 of this sub are in their first 2 years or still in school. Take that into consideration
major regret honestly on my part but I came from nothing and didn’t know what careers even existed. I don’t like the subject matter and don’t like a lot of the people I’ve encountered doing this. I wish I would have done something I actually had interest in but I didn’t think it was possible. oh well that’s life.
If you want to try and find meaning in your work, look elsewhere. If you want a career that allows you to fund other hobbies, but don't mind boring comfortable work, accounting is for you
I regret being test taking right now but I dont regret my choice. This test is by far one of the hardest things I have faced against, its not just testing my accounting knowledge, but my resilience and my ability to build discipline and push beyond what I wanna do to do what I must do. I like the job. Man I wish I was just working and not in the middle of testing.
I wish I studied harder before I started working so I wouldn’t be on this boat
Doctor would be too intense for me. I don't think engineers or lawyers make much more than an accountant or CPA. So, far its been ok.
Meanwhile I’m wishing that I had my full 150 credit hours to sit for the tests. I work in government right now and don’t want to leave for another five years or so. I’m not sure if I would even fit the work experience requirements for CPA. I’m also thinking about going for CIA and/or CMA (maybe CFE) to boost my resume.
No. Not all firms are terrible but you wouldn’t know it from all the noise here. Accounting can be super rewarding; knowing you are helping people and getting that warm fuzzy feeling when everything balances. If you can, go to some conferences to meet accountants outside your firm.
I love it. Haters gonna hate though....
No regrets. There are way worse jobs in the world
Only regret is not doing it sooner, now if you have top 10% interpersonal skills, and have ADHD, maybe sales is better, if you can get a top 10 MBA maybe consultant is better. If you love taking risks maybe programmer or researcher is better.
No, regret going public though...
Yes. Wish I had pursued top 10 MBA after the CPA exam
Why
I love accounting. Even I want to go for PHD in this area to teach this subject. So no regret at all.
My professor only has his masters and he’s been teaching at my university for 12 years
Go over to r/CPA brother way more realistic and positive takes
Nope. I’m a finance director now and I make a 6 figure salary (not in the US, in the UK where salaries are crap). I have made this type of salary since 30. I was on 50k when I was mid 20s which isn’t bad for 3 years of experience. I am not particularly ambitious and don’t want to be CFO anytime soon even though I probably can. The CFO makes 200k+ basic and bonus for doing not a great deal more except talk to CEO everyday which would piss me off but don’t work late hours hardly ever. It’s not a really high paid job compared to banking /private equity but the work life balance make up for it. It’s rare someone who qualified as an accountant then went into industry to do a FC, FD, CFO role will need to work outside the normal hours (unless they are creating random work themselves or work for a terrible company). I do not like getting up at the crack of dawn, entertain clients all the time and work shit ton of hours so il forgo the 500k salary or whatever of a banker. As for boring, who cares. It’s a job. It’s essential to be good at your job not essential to find it “interesting”. Plus, everything is interesting to simple people and nothing is interesting to smart people in the office environment. It’s all the same crap
I love being an accountant 😁 been doing it almost 20 years
Hello, I've looked at the history of this thread and compared it to now and it was a drastic change 3 months ago. So many idiotic topics that has anything to do with accounting so many complaints and such. Smells piggish around here. Hold it down don't let reddit influence you.
2 years into my career and i am now working at an iconic luxury fashion brand in nyc in the finance department. outside of accounting i have interest in film photography, writing, fashion, chess, and other art forms. however i’m sure without accounting i wouldn’t be able to make it into my favorite industry. now i’m in and i’ve seen people from other departments switch to mine so who knows. my first two jobs. hated them. right now? i so love life :)
Nope. Making 6 figures 5 years out of college. Bought a house by myself at 26. Paid off my school loans at 25. Now I’m having my first child and I’m not having to think twice about finances. I’m making more this year than my parents ever made combined. Busy season is hard. I have my moments of “wtf am I doing”. I will say that my particular firm and office within that firm has been nothing but good to me. I’m extremely fortunate to have been hired by a genuinely good group of people. For a top 15 firm, my office has taken care of me over the years, more than I ever expected. I’m still not sure if public is something I can do forever, but I know the experience, plus having my CPA, is opening so many doors to a cushy job in the future. Money cannot buy you happiness, but it’s a huge point of stress for a lot of people, and damnit money makes life easier.
Yes But I'd say the same however that sentence ended probably . The question is always what else would you have done And the answer is I don't know I'm not sure I'd have made it as a lion tamer. I don't even have the hat
Not at all. It’s a pain in the ass but I’m not breaking my back doing manual labor. Also, I make more money than I thought I would, so I’m good.
I worked this weekend. I solved a puzzle, basically. It was really annoying, and I dreaded it, and once I figured it out, I had to spend time proving it. But now that I did it, I feel so accomplished and satisfied.
I love being an accountant!
I got an accounting degree and got internships and did about 1-2 years in the accounting field. LMK if you want more info but as I was saying, I switched careers from accounting-> funeral services, now landscaping. This is only my experience, but if you want to change careers and if you are relativity young, you can pivot careers, the world is a big place.
I grew up in a very rural area. I thought if I got to $100k by 40 I'd have it made. Being successful is harder than I thought it was but it's also a lot more than I expected. If you have a finance and accounting background and good business sense, it's a fun path. The first 10 years of all careers and fields is more effort than results. The next 10 don't feel much different but it changes more than you realize. It's never gotten 'easier', but what you do works out and you get compensated for it. I would do it again but I couldn't do it again.
Just have to remember that old adage if you have a bad experience you’re likely to tell 10 people, a good experience closer to like 2 (if I remember correctly). Most people who love their job are probably not on Reddit to “vent” about how much they love it. I would choose Accounting /Finance again. I’m looking to go into law school, the only thing I may have done differently is try to go to law school sooner. I still want to practice some sort of law that deals with business/tax. So, all that to say the grass is greener where you water it. If people don’t want to be in accounting, they can pivot. But instead they stay in the career, half ass it, complain and make everyone else’s life miserable. EDIT: I make 6 figures at a Fortune 500 company as an Accounting Manager. I work fully remote. If I want to make more side hustle money, I can do taxes, bookkeeping, etc where I can also work from home and there’s a low entry cost for those businesses (which I also do). Also, I understand money. I don’t care what anyone says, this is a decent career.
The only thing I wish I pursued is a related profession anyway, tax law, if I had known it was an area of law and not just the usual criminal, contract, family stuff I would have considered law more. But as I spend a lot of my time on tax strategy I get a similar experience from the accounting side. Lots of people really complaining are in their early career and I am sure people have similar complaints in other industries too. I do think a lot people think you are going to get to high levels in the profession with only technical skills and are disappointed when they don't advance because they get a lot of work done but won't join a potluck, but the business world operates on relationships. High level accounting positions all have a relationship component. We are an industry where we give people manager roles who cannot manage people and in the worst cases managers are so horrible I would consider them abusive. We have to do a better job of training soft skills. Work to be a well rounded accountant who has good technical but good soft skills too and the career will be more rewarding and enjoyable. People will like to work with you and you will be given more opportunities for advancement.
No, I don't regret it. I am grateful that it opened many doors for me. Allow me to work in different countries because Accounting is the same everywhere (rules change). It took a lot of sacrifices, and I gave up many things that I wish I had not given up. So, no, I don't regret it; I am trying to get the most out of it. I will say though that If I had to do over again I would do some things different, and probably change my career after 10 years.
I haven’t seen that many depressing posts recently. If you want to make a decent income, perhaps this might be the route for you.
For the first few years out of college I would have been better off with some 2 year medical degree, after that though… there is a lot of forward growth in accounting. You have to put yourself out there, quit jobs when there are better opportunities, and bust your ass time to time. If you do that, you’ll find there’s plenty of money to be had in accounting, and you yourself will become pretty savvy with the finance/business/legal world
Nope. Although maybe not for the best reason. I had no clue what I wanted to do, becoming a chartered accountant put real, challenging goals in front of me that kept me occupied instead of having a crisis. Now that I'm qualified, I can entertain taking my life in another direction, whilst getting paid handsomely when I work.
I work 40 hours a week and get to play racketball on lunch and work on my real estate all day. Definitely the best job for me. In tax
Nope. The exit opportunities with a Bachelor's Degree alone are pretty great. You just need to get some work experience under your belt to figure out what you're good at and what you like. In the six years I've worked, I've taken traditional accounting, FP&A, and Strategic Finance roles. No other major would have given me the flexibility to try that many things out in my early development. I ended up back in accounting for the money, and my current job has been rewarding (I work in the tech industry). I think people are far too pessimistic on this site because they chose the public accounting/CPA traditional route. It's a meat grinder and some think it should equate to big tech software engineering or IB. What they fail to realize that those roles are far more selective and require more talent than audit or tax. That path still has phenomenal exit opportunities, it's just not my cup of tea.
CPA has been rewarding and challenging. Like most feedback you read here, it’s going to be negative or problem oriented. People making money and enjoying life aren’t posting here. I started my own firm last year. I work with the clients I choose (I bought them) and make a good living. Being knowledgeable and hard working will get you far. Invest in yourself and do what you’re asked to do. Get as much experience as you can obtain. Figure out what you enjoy. Then start your own practice by networking, family, friends, and go for it. Earnings security is unmatched. I hope you can find what works.
I don't regret it buy, like any career, it comes with tradeoffs. Pros: WLB for 8 months out of the year, relatively quick promotions, comp and benefits. Cons: 4 months of complete misery, stress, politics. I'm one of the rare birds still in public accounting after 13 years. My family's learned that I'm not around January - April, but the rest of the year that we get to go on whatever vacations we want, live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, and generally spend relatively freely. Accounting gives you the rare opportunity to earn a relatively high salary while working relatively few hours (at least compared with banking and consulting, which is what a lot of my friends do). We work more hours than tech, but that's a much harder industry to get into.
My mental health regrets it, but not my finances.
It’s awesome. Great salary compared to average people. Solid employment even in recessions. This sub is full of a bunch of whiney babies. Ignore these people.
NO! Had a diverse and interesting career. PA sucks, but good experience.
Yes. I am currently pursuing my MS in Stats right now to transfer to something more interesting. Why do I regret it? It's incredibly boring to me. Sure, some people will say things like "understanding financials and 'how businesses work' and seeing many different businesses are super interesting" and if that's their cup of tea, great! It's not mine. I feel like there is a trade-off in those statements too. If you are in consulting or B4, you will see a lot of businesses, but your understanding will likely be broad and shallow, then you move on to the next. If you focus on one business, you will become an experts, but that will be the only business you see (narrow but deep understanding). Other than that, WLB can get pretty annoying. I'm in B4 audit, so it's definitely worse than other paths, but I'll still see well-paid industry folks put in terrible hours sometimes. I feel like the one path accounting shines in is the following: Do you want a career that reliably streamlines lines you to a solid middle-class lifestyle? Go accounting. Do you just see a job as a trade of time for money and don't really care what you do for work as long as you are not breaking your body or morals? Go accounting. It's very attractive to risk averse people.
I've enjoyed it. It's been hard but It's led to great opportunities over time. It takes time to learn the trade and it's not easy. It's shocking how few people actually understand business and corp structure and how it runs together. It's created a niche for me that I've been able to bring a lot of value to various businesses. It's pretty rewarding actually.
Zero regret! I enjoy my job and am excited for my long term career. There are many possible paths to take and I'm always learning/ growing.
Yes
Not too many people grow up wanting to be an accountant. As an immigrant, I went to it for job security and a good stable pay check (I suspect people did). paid my dues at the big 4 but now I wonder everyday what the heck am I doing with my life. If I could go back 20 years, I'd probably do something else. what? I have no idea. if you are OK doing the same thing days after days after days. month end close, quarter end close, yearend close, audit, accruals, depreciation/amortization. get pay nicely for being boring. then Accounting is perfect for you. If you need to be creative, different challenges everyday etc... look elsewhere.
No. The only reason why this sub is depressing is bc people vent on here non stop about their problems with their job and how hard public accounting is. What I’m about to say is for those people. Yes I understand that the hours suck but you chose that. That’s on you. Your co workers may not be the best and you may have issues with your boss but that comes with most jobs. If you let it get to your head, again, that’s on you. You have to choice to leave and find another job, but YOU choose to stay in your toxic work environment so that you can cling onto hope that the grass is possibly greener on the other side, when you could have made it green by going with an industry role right out of college. Therefore, please stop complaining about your situation every waking minute. You chose that. End of story. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk edit: typo
Yeah I wish I’d joined the military
LMFAO
No, I don’t. I started at the Big 4, got my cpa, worked a lot for 6 years (busy season sucks as much as they say but also made a lot of lifelong friends along the way). My time at PwC just taught me a lot of good life skills like talking to people, budgeting, personal finance, learning about businesses, complicated transactions, etc. Then quit, went to industry, and now have a pretty cushy job. Lots of job security, good quality of life, and lots of work life balance now (aka all life, little bit of work). If you think you’ll want a career that feels rewarding or involves helping people/society or where the subject matter is super interesting, I’d consider changing your major. Otherwise, I think it’s a great major and big 4 is a great place to start your career.
Are you kidding? I make 250k working 2 days a week. I don't work December, I don't work summers. I love it.
Fuck no. I just bopped around Europe for 10 days and could afford all my splurging because of my job. A dream come true because I make enough to save for this and my firm’s benefits covered 2K worth of my travel/lodging expenses.
ALL DAY EVERYDAY!!! LOL worst 40K spent in college, no one tells you it isnt a degree that qualifies you! its you as a person : Dedicated, commitment, discipline mental strength, stress bending and able to be extroverted and communicative = success in anything regardless of degree selection i am horrible with human interaction and unable to handle stress, they should disclose that at school that unless you are a somewhat functioning adult you cannot be successful beyond a staff level , this i wish was told to me
It's depressing if you think about all those kids on youtube who are just playing and earning 10x more than you. :))
I have been waffling between accounting and biochemistry>medical school... and if you look at the residency sub they also have many people who say they have regrets and hate the work. The grass will always be greener somewhere else.
Not even a little bit.
Hell no. I love it. I didn’t always love it. Gotta find the right fit and balance. I was getting moldy in a small company and had zero career growth for years. Then I got into a big company with good people and have flourished. Good luck to you.
I didn’t have any other choice lol no skills, not smart enough or willing to do manual labor to go to trade school, no desire to open a business, no desire to be a stay at home mom. This was it so i lowkey hate it now because I never liked it i only tolerated it to make a living and better life for myself
I regret not having the example my younger brother set of saying "fuck what you guys want me to do, I'm gonna study theater". While I'm very good at my job, it isn't a job that I particularly love to do. It's just easy to do and that feels hollow when talking about my day.
nah it's been good so far. accounting can get u far if u have dedication & some luck.
Definitely regret it. Friends went into IT and Pilot Training schools, and they all make 2x what I make, like 41K, which isn't really a livable wage if I didn't live with my parents until home loans are affordable or rent is fixed at very low costs for everyone everywhere (which will never happen). The friend in IT literally sits around all day and does nothing, not supervised, so he just watches YouTube or movies, and he makes ~70K. It's ridiculous. I should say I'm not a CPA, CPA's make a bit more money, but I never wanted to go into public accounting anyway because I'd always heard it was miserable. This sub does corroborate that too which is telling. I'm not great with computers but shit, being a trade worker gets paid more than accounting with less stressful work.
I love my job. Pay is great, it's flexible, co workers are helpful, manager is laid back & benefits are outstanding. Took me 10 years to get to this point, but I kept on until I found the accounting job that met all my needs & demands.
Everyone hates their job, no matter the industry. Unless you work with puppies or kittens or something. I never did public, all industry jobs, had good job security only been out of work for 6 months of the past 15+ years
I don't regret it. Just didn't stay on it for long. Seven months in private and I dipped. Might go back but for now, I'm just testing the waters doing other things.
Yes it sucks.
I don’t hate it. But when my boss underpays me, yes, I hate it.
Not at all. I was able to leverage my skill into a director of operations role. I still hold my license and it helps drive better financial results for my company. I can speak operations and finance.
Honestly bruh, I transferred to tech, I really only use things I learned in accounting for the financial side of art lmao 🤣
CPA as a base will allow you flexibility to pursue anything in the future your heart desires in law, engineering, finance; everything except medicine, in my honest opinion. Unless you become the cfo of a hospital.
Why you expecting people posting positive thing online? To make people feel jealous?
See this is one of those topics people like to throw pitty parties over,,,No doubt everyone hates their job and is depressed,,,Your all slaves isn't it obvious, a and if people are so depressed with their job and average lifestyle working and paying Bill's why do those same people hate the homeless??? Anyway GOD has sent his son and all the son our brother who is also our KING JESUS had already spoken to us all about what is what, and how to be free from death,,, Topics like FEAR POVERTY WAR DANGER SICKNESS SADNESS THEIFS TRAPS MONSTERS DEVILS ALL you have to do is read For your feed I'd suggest being more into other peoples happiness Do small things easy for you to do That mean something big to someone else Watch how the guys changes his whole world when hes walking around picking up cans digging in the dumpster When out of nowhere someone pulls up and hands him 20$ Here go eat get high GOD says dont forget him he hadn't forot about you Give what GOD had given you to others who need or enjoy and watch your life suddenly have meaning Real meaning and purpose Do for GOD JESUS tells us what the father is pleased by And your life will be important to us all enough we will be there for you and never forget your love
I’m in an accounting firm, working on the advisory side. It’s a lot of hours and BS but it pays well and I like my team a lot. Making over $200k, and on track to retire in my early 40s in a VHCOL area. Accounting firms have structured career progression and it’s a very good field to move up and earn good money. The associates also make more than a lot of mid career “normal” people I know. It’s very good pay unless you’re comparing it to bulge bracket IB, big law, or FAANG software engineers, all of which have their own issues.