How does one work 50+ hours a week?

I think the better question is, how do you work less than 50 hours per week and support the lifestyle you would like to support?

Originally Posted by Xericx

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After working that hard early on, I'm at a point where I don't work much. I spend most of the day screwing around on the net. Work hard early, it does pay off later.

Ditto. My usual day now is a couple of meetings (can be intense, can be important ****), 2-3 times a week a business lunch that could carry import, and other than that, I read reports, make suggestions/corrections, answer questions/give guidance, and MBWA, and surf the Netwebz. The real stress is that the buck stops here. At the monthy Board meetings, there's only one guy in the hot seat, and it's me.

Originally Posted by longskate88

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We were all in college once, right? How did you go from the partying, sleeping in late, spending all day laying by the pool, to working all day, every day?

If college had been like that for me, I could see where having to work might have been a shock. Luckily I was seasoned by years of having to pay my own way.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Ditto. My usual day now is a couple of meetings (can be intense, can be important ****), 2-3 times a week a business lunch that could carry import, and other than that, I read reports, make suggestions/corrections, answer questions/give guidance, and MBWA, and surf the Netwebz. The real stress is that the buck stops here. At the monthy Board meetings, there's only one guy in the hot seat, and it's me.



If college had been like that for me, I could see where having to work might have been a shock. Luckily I was seasoned by years of having to pay my own way.

What has your career path been like?

Originally Posted by longskate88

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So I visited a CPA firm yesterday, and now I'm completely disillusioned with the whole accounting field, and just jobs in general. I'm in college and am having a hard time grasping the fact that I'll soon be working that much. How do people keep from going nuts?

We were all in college once, right? How did you go from the partying, sleeping in late, spending all day laying by the pool, to working all day, every day?

Are there any jobs in the accounting field that still allow some semblance of a home life? Does a private accountant work fewer hours than a CPA?

Bear in mind I didn't do any actual WORK at the CPA firm yesterday, so maybe the work is super-interesting and exciting and I'll love being there 10 hours a day

LOL

If you work in audit - especially in a major city, you'll end up working long hours. That's the business. You can get an accounting job and work 37.5 hours a week but good luck getting paid more than $45-$50k a year with little to no career advancement (hello accounts receivable?).

Get used to the hours and think of it as paying your dues. Working a few years big four audit, you can move into a controller position at one of your clients (which is boring but easy and usually a 9-5 kind of gig) and make pretty good money ($100k).

Any professional services firm, whether it be finance, law or accounting/audit will require you to work 50-80 hours a week. Consider yourself lucky at 50 hours a week

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Ditto. My usual day now is a couple of meetings (can be intense, can be important ****), 2-3 times a week a business lunch that could carry import, and other than that, I read reports, make suggestions/corrections, answer questions/give guidance, and MBWA, and surf the Netwebz. The real stress is that the buck stops here. At the monthy Board meetings, there's only one guy in the hot seat, and it's me.



If college had been like that for me, I could see where having to work might have been a shock. Luckily I was seasoned by years of having to pay my own way.

+1 No monthly board meetings here, just con calls, some docs to massage occassionally and dropping the good word now and again. But since the nuggets of wisdom I've accumulated with age have become so immensely valuable, mostly I just sit around and scratch myself.

Stop being a *****. I can't say I know anyone who has achieved success without working 60+ hours a week on a regular basis.

MAn **** all these people. It sounds like you don't care that much about all the extra ego items in life, so don't go for them. Figure out how much money you really need and then figure out a job that will provide you with that income and that you like. Or better yet figure out what you really like to do in life and **** the money. I'm sure all these jokers will scream and yell about misplaced idealism but its your life. Accounting is likely not going to be a mellow work week and I would suggest you aim for something else.
There are plenty of interesting and rewarding jobs that provide you with a decent living.

It really is a matter of your definition of success. Most people on this board define success as making a lot of money. If you idea of success is spending a lot of time with your wife and kids, doing interesting or (socially) productive work, or just chasing some dream than I would say you can be totally successful with out some soul numbing office job or insane work week.

Originally Posted by NorCal

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MAn **** all these people. It sounds like you don't care that much about all the extra ego items in life, so don't go for them. Figure out how much money you really need and then figure out a job that will provide you with that income and that you like. Or better yet figure out what you really like to do in life and **** the money. I'm sure all these jokers will scream and yell about misplaced idealism but its your life. Accounting is likely not going to be a mellow work week and I would suggest you aim for something else.
There are plenty of interesting and rewarding jobs that provide you with a decent living.


I say join a union then! Its the only way you can make a decent living these days without having to work hard or have a brain.

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

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What has your career path been like?

If you want to start from graduation of undergrad, it was:

1) Graduate (with plans laid for first graduate degree)
2) Right into a job that paid good middle class wages, hourly job.
3) A year later, get into grad school and at the same time, get first salaried position.
4) Two years of finding out salary = legalized slavery for those low on the totem pole and cramming time in to graduate on time.
5) Work another year for not so well paid government job, but one that nicely pads my resume.
6) MBA
7) Five years finding out legalized slavery at the bottom of the salary totem pole was nothing. The real hell is for those in the middle.
8) Started to see daylight.
9) Semi-regular schedule, unstructured days, high on tension meter due to responsibility, low on "the grind" meter.

Originally Posted by micbain

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I say join a union then! Its the only way you can make a decent living these days without having to work hard or have a brain.
**** that ignorant B.S.

Unions: The Folks That Brought You The Weekend.

War Unions!!

Originally Posted by NorCal

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**** that ignorant B.S.

Unions: The Folks That Brought You The Weekend.

War Unions!!

Unions: How Kia penetrated the US car market.

Originally Posted by micbain

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If you work in audit - especially in a major city, you'll end up working long hours. That's the business. You can get an accounting job and work 37.5 hours a week but good luck getting paid more than $45-$50k a year with little to no career advancement (hello accounts receivable?). Get used to the hours and think of it as paying your dues. Working a few years big four audit, you can move into a controller position at one of your clients (which is boring but easy and usually a 9-5 kind of gig) and make pretty good money ($100k). Any professional services firm, whether it be finance, law or accounting/audit will require you to work 50-80 hours a week. Consider yourself lucky at 50 hours a week

Thanks. Honestly, $60K would probably do me just fine, provided It gave me the 40 hour week. I could always do taxes on the side for a little extra $ in my free time. My ex's dad did that, and worked up the 100K Controller job. Everyone says to work for the biggest firm you can out of college, and work hard, work the 60 hour weeks knowing it will get better. Guess that's what I'll do for the experience and resume, then see if I can find a decent accounting job with fewer hours and decent money.

seriously did you go through all that college just to realize you don't wanna be an accountant?

Originally Posted by NorCal

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MAn **** all these people. It sounds like you don't care that much about all the extra ego items in life, so don't go for them. Figure out how much money you really need and then figure out a job that will provide you with that income and that you like. Or better yet figure out what you really like to do in life and **** the money. I'm sure all these jokers will scream and yell about misplaced idealism but its your life. Accounting is likely not going to be a mellow work week and I would suggest you aim for something else. There are plenty of interesting and rewarding jobs that provide you with a decent living. It really is a matter of your definition of success. Most people on this board define success as making a lot of money. If you idea of success is spending a lot of time with your wife and kids, doing interesting or (socially) productive work, or just chasing some dream than I would say you can be totally successful with out some soul numbing office job or insane work week.
In for the list of interesting and rewarding jobs I enjoy clothes, watches, and furniture..cars and big houses hold no interest for me. I think my 3 vices can be obtained on less than a CEO's salary. Who knows though, I may end up liking the CPA work, stranger things have happened.

Originally Posted by Crane's

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Excuse me? 50 hours a week would be a cake walk. I work 60 to 90 hours a week 7 days a week. Have been for years. Basically it's called I want to get somewhere and will do what it takes to get there.

Oh and yes I went to college full time, worked a full time job and partied like an animal.....

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

Thats sums it up right there, if you actually want to get somewhere with your life then you will work your tail off, if you dont and you want a bunch of free time then go work at McDonalds and live pay check to pay check.