Accountants: Do you like your job?

Originally Posted by Viktri

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What is a general ledger type accountant? Do you mean bookkeeper? Masters of Accounting seems kind of useless to me.
It depends on the state's requirement to sit for the exam. In NY it was useless. I sat with my undergrad and as stated before the 150 rule (registered to sit, not pass the exam) wont be in effect until Aug 2009 unless that changed since I moved on.

I don't particularly like my job, but I don't exactly hate it either. The subject matter is generally fine and I get to learn new things every day. However, some of the work is very tedious and extremely boring. My dislike for the job generally stems from the people I work with, who are all much older than me, which means that we generally don't have much to talk about. There are a few younger people around which is nice, but I'm hardly on jobs with them.

If you do decide to go into accounting, I wouldn't expect it to be too exciting. I always enjoyed finance more, but I went into accounting instead for the job security. It definitely worked as I did not have any difficulty finding a job and as some of my finance friends are getting axed, I'm getting a raise. If you are Canada, now is a good time to be an accountant as the impending transition to IFRS will require a lot of man power.

Originally Posted by Clown Shoes

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When you get into MBAs or an MS dont do accounting if you want to go private.

If your undergrand is not in accounting, then going to grad school for accounting is your only option if you want to be at an accounting firm and sit for CPA, and it's a very good option, so is tax.

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

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If you are Canada, now is a good time to be an accountant as the impending transition to IFRS will require a lot of man power.

+1 lots of work to be done and fees be earned.

Starting next month I will no longer be an accountant (technically no longer an auditor). It is a bitter sweet moment. Sweet in getting into a career I like, bitter in it not coming sooner!

Originally Posted by micbain

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+1 lots of work to be done and fees be earned. Starting next month I will no longer be an accountant (technically no longer an auditor). It is a bitter sweet moment. Sweet in getting into a career I like, bitter in it not coming sooner!

You're working solely on IFRS conversion? That's still part of the auditing group..

Originally Posted by Raoul Duke

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I don't particularly like my job, but I don't exactly hate it either. The subject matter is generally fine and I get to learn new things every day. However, some of the work is very tedious and extremely boring. My dislike for the job generally stems from the people I work with, who are all much older than me, which means that we generally don't have much to talk about. There are a few younger people around which is nice, but I'm hardly on jobs with them. If you do decide to go into accounting, I wouldn't expect it to be too exciting. I always enjoyed finance more, but I went into accounting instead for the job security. It definitely worked as I did not have any difficulty finding a job and as some of my finance friends are getting axed, I'm getting a raise. If you are Canada, now is a good time to be an accountant as the impending transition to IFRS will require a lot of man power.
another Vancouver articling student right here.. I'll second what Raoul said. Accounting is a good middle of the road job. Not too tough, not too hard to get in (relatively speaking), but of course the compensation isn't really anything to brag about either. Lots of kids going for accounting now, though. You're going to be just another face in the crowd -- one of the typical directionless kids looking for shelter from the harsh real world in the form of a safe, semi-prestigious career. Finance is a lot more interesting. But it's tough to break into those top jobs. And it's true what one of hte other posters said: an undergrad degree in Finance is useless. If you have the skills, go into math, stats or compsci instead. More and more, the big finance shops are gravitating towards quant guys.

Originally Posted by warmpi

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You're working solely on IFRS conversion? That's still part of the auditing group..



Nope, sorry for the confusion, those should be read as seperate statements. No IFRS, no auditing, no accounting...no stress

Originally Posted by warmpi

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but of course the compensation isn't really anything to brag about either.

True, but it ain't that bad either all things considering. Average salary for a CA in BC is like $170k or something....not bad considering none of us are HBS grads....and especially good for local programs like DAP and BCIT.

Originally Posted by suited

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If your undergrand is not in accounting, then going to grad school for accounting is your only option if you want to be at an accounting firm and sit for CPA, and it's a very good option, so is tax.
Well, I thought that was understood based from my posts. Ive been addressing going from public to private in NY which would require one to have a Bachelors in Accounting. Going straight to private isn't a good idea in my opinion. More money initially but less in the long run save for a few cases. 2.5 years + of Audit engagement experience is invaluable

Originally Posted by micbain

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Nope, sorry for the confusion, those should be read as seperate statements. No IFRS, no auditing, no accounting...no stress

Mind if I ask what you do? I'm assuming tax?
I'm looking for an exit out of audit too.

Originally Posted by micbain

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True, but it ain't that bad either all things considering. Average salary for a CA in BC is like $170k or something....not bad considering none of us are HBS grads....and especially good for local programs like DAP and BCIT.

Ya for sure it's nothing to laugh at. But I don't believe that average salary. At the very least, that ain't the median salary. Most CAs will never see that kind of coin.

Originally Posted by randallr

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My dad is one, hated it and now is in the world of finance. That's my major, it doesn't seem all that appealing to me but it is an extremely versatile major.

Pretty much same here. I don't care for all the classes, but I think once I'm out and actually applying what I've learned, I'll enjoy it. Again, there's a lot of things you can do with an accounting degree - especially if you get a professional designation.

Originally Posted by warmpi

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Ya for sure it's nothing to laugh at. But I don't believe that average salary. At the very least, that ain't the median salary. Most CAs will never see that kind of coin.
There are salary reports issued by the CICA up to 2007. It shows a heavy skew in the median/mean salary of the CAs is mostly due to owner's earnings (partners) and work experience (most CAs in BC - 79% - earned their CAs before 2002 - the majority of CA's in BC are mid-30's or beyond). when you only look at non-owner salaries, the picture is much less rosy.

Originally Posted by warmpi

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Most CAs will never see that kind of coin.

I intend to

No I despise my job. Working as an accountant at this National firm is really hard work. You would expect 80+ hours a week just to be on your bosses radar for promotion. Promotions come very slow and there really is no way to move up besides going into business for yourself. If you're a public accountant things are a bit easier because you get to set your own hours and charge a hefty fee for doing audits and preparing tax plans. With all this said, I don't know what its like to be an account. I'm not really an accountant, I"ve never taken any accounting courses and I think acccountants are all gay.

Originally Posted by Bruce9241

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No I despise my job. Working as an accountant at this National firm is really hard work. You would expect 80+ hours a week just to be on your bosses radar for promotion. Promotions come very slow and there really is no way to move up besides going into business for yourself. If you're a public accountant things are a bit easier because you get to set your own hours and charge a hefty fee for doing audits and preparing tax plans. With all this said, I don't know what its like to be an account. I'm not really an accountant, I"ve never taken any accounting courses and I think acccountants are all gay.



Your last few sentences contradict your first few...

Originally Posted by Bruce9241

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No I despise my job. Working as an accountant at this National firm is really hard work. You would expect 80+ hours a week just to be on your bosses radar for promotion. Promotions come very slow and there really is no way to move up besides going into business for yourself. If you're a public accountant things are a bit easier because you get to set your own hours and charge a hefty fee for doing audits and preparing tax plans. With all this said, I don't know what its like to be an account. I'm not really an accountant, I"ve never taken any accounting courses and I think acccountants are all gay.

What was the point of this?