Accountants: Do you like your job? - Page 14

Oh I'm coming after you

Damn you're a bitter and depressing person, I feel bad for you. You bitch and moan about controllers and their more relaxed lifestyle and taking it easier at work. Generally speaking the guy's that make the big bucks aren't the ones concerned about "taking it easier at work" they are the one's busting their ass. Your never gonna get what you want if you hope to "take it easy at work" and make the big bucks, most often they are mutually exclusive.

Bring it yo!

Hey guys, after forwarding my resume to someone in my network I've been contacted and told that I will be receiving a call from a PWC recruiter this week. I am looking for an internship/externship position.

Does anyone have any advice or insight they could give me to assure that things go smoothly?


Thanks in advance
john

Bit of a bump, but I feel I have something to contribute to this thread. I graduated with my accounting degree having done a tax season internship my junior with a Sole practitioner CPA near Atlanta. I, like everyone else, wanted to go big 4, but several factors steered me away. Two big ones: -My friends were interning with much larger firms than my own and were absolutely miserable, even with the courting and pleasantries that a lot of these firms heaped on them. Not knocking the big firms, but these people didn't really learn much. My friend working for a big local in atlanta spent his entire internship auditing accounts receivable and cash accounts for a client. He was ready to switch majors by the end of it. I, on the other hand, worked that same semester with aforementioned sole practitioner. I kept the books on the regular for several clients, did almost every type of tax return, got a little client interaction, and I had an office with a desk and everything. I felt like I learned a ton in 4 months. -Additionally, my Dad was also a CPA who moved into industry around age 30. He worked for PriceWaterhouse (before it was PwC) for a couple years out of college before moving on to a smaller firm, and finally buying his own practice at age 26-27ish (had worked there awhile). He sold it 5 or so years later after being offer an executive level position at a big national paper company. He STRONGLY advised me against going for a big firm if I really wanted to be an accountant. He personally licked envelopes and did very basic accounting work for a year and 1/2 (and he had stellar grades) before moving to a firm with about 15 partners, where he was much happier. So, I took this advice and I now work for a 3 person firm (One CPA, one other staff guy my age, and me.). I initially worked as a property accountant for a capital fund for about 3 months after graduating but it was a startup and it went belly up quite quickly (Owner was much much too leveraged etc etc). I didn't want to start in private but it seemed dumb to turn down the job, and it all looked very promising. In any case I learned a ton in those three months (no prior accounting system for these properties, had a very experienced CPA as our CFO and boss, so it was intense...I had to learn fast). I got a great reference from my boss there and it got me a job in public, where I felt I really belonged. My job now is not exactly ridiculously exciting day to day, but I really like it a lot. The environment is very cool and I feel like I'm setting myself up for a great future, whether I stick with my current place or move on to bigger things (which you can do quite easily). The chance to help small business owners figure out their finances and make money just makes me feel like I'm doing what accountants are meant to do. You have to remember that, as a CPA, you essentially speak a language that few members of the public do, so you're invaluable to a business owner as you speak that language as well as theirs. You can put that to much better use and probably be much happier in your job at a smaller firm ultimately. If I were a business owner hiring an accountant, I'd rather see "Johnathan Doe & Associates CPAs" than PwC on a resume. It tells me this guy got his hands dirty and really put to use what he's learned. He's probably dealt with clients and if he's dressed well, then he's probably a slam dunk right off the bat. CLIFF NOTES: Big4 firms are great and they look good on your resume, but I think one can become a better accountant in a more individualized environment, and that will always be better for your career.

Been studying for the FAR portion of the CPA and just wanted to say that leases and bonds unit has been kicking my ass allllll week

You're kind of contradicting yourself, dude. In any case, if you're looking for employment with a company that has more than a handful of employees, Big4 might be a safer bet.

Don't get me wrong, responsibility and small business experience can be valuable, but it gets complicated.

How is he contradicting himself?

He said

1) In general Big4 looks better on his resume
2) If he were hiring, he would pick the guy who got his hands dirty at a smaller firm

You are assuming that the Big4 looks better to him, which is false. It does look better on resume to non-accountants and some accountants (depending on your experience).

Right, thats what I'm saying.

The good news in general is that you have almost unlimited options when you have an accounting background. If you're smart about it, you can go from small firm to big firm and back again all day long. Its all in how you present yourself. The beauty of accounting is that the rules are the same pretty much everywhere in the U.S. One firm's methods will not differ dramatically (aside from office culture, the way certain things are handled etc) from another's.

Good luck, in any case, to all the up and coming kids like myself in this thread.

I transferred to GSU for Fall 2010 to complete my undergrad accounting degree. Have anyone here graduated from this school?

Never quite understood accountants. Always thought it was a dying industry.

You are substantially correct, the position of "accountant" is generally de-skilled clerk position, when people in this thread refer to accountants they mean CPAs.


n00b, leases and bonds are or chumps, pensions were popular on the simulations last year.

I have been working in Transaction Services in big 4 for the summer and so far I love it. I'm working with very bright people doing very engaging work. Much more exciting and better paid than audit.

I'm glad you having a great time. =D Keep us update

good to know you've made it, dude