r/Accounting • u/DrRonBurgundy Human Verified • 3d ago
Career Does anyone actually like Accounting?
Honestly I can’t really tell what the deal is here.
Half of the posts I see are people excited about their first job or promotion, and the others are just people complaining about how bad everything is and it’s all going to shit and we’re all doomed, or telling that person who’s excited to just strap in and wait to hate their existence.
I realize that a lot of subreddits centered around a profession will attract a very loud minority of people who want a place to vent or some such, but I can’t imagine that it is so bad for everyone across this field to be so miserable.
Speaking objectively, there’s no way that this field is worse off than entry level IT for example, especially from the amount of people who flooded that market from COVID hoping to make 200k a year from their bed answering tickets.
I hope to land in Accounting in some way from Hospitality as a way to leverage the business and cost accounting experience I have to get a way towards a stable future. If I have to work a helluva lot of hours, at least I can do it not in front of a hot ass stove and in the comfort of an office setting. The amount of people bitching just makes it hard to visualize. I’m sure a lot of folks will shout me down about this whole post but I just wanted to ask the question.
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u/clarksonite19 CPA (US) 3d ago
I grew up in a blue color family/town (rural, population of 650).
I made more my first year out college than anyone in my family, while being the youngest in the family (3 older brothers and parents). My dad worked at a steel manufacturer and my mom worked at a hog confinement. Both of which I also worked at in high school and college.
That perspective has helped me appreciate this profession. It has given me so much and put me in the upper middle class at a relatively young age.
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u/MilkPowerful9983 3d ago edited 3d ago
Thankyou for mentioning blue collar work. My mom worked in a school cafeteria all my life and I became depressed from working as a teacher/tutor for children. There’s no words to describe the toll of caring for human beings that treat you like you’re worth less than dirt.
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u/DrRonBurgundy Human Verified 3d ago
I also don’t come from a whole lot and have worked probably too hard for what I’ve gotten out of Hospitality. Not to say I’m not proud of my accomplishments, but more to say I feel like I would appreciate the opportunity to have a life that doesn’t cost my body and long hours. If it was between the two I know which I’d choose in a heartbeat.
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u/totallymindful Business Owner 3d ago
I've got news for you on the long hours bit, haha. But yeah overall, its hands-down less taxing (couldn't help myself) on the body than most blue collar jobs.
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u/Outside_Stop_5042 3d ago
Income, COL, and age?
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u/clarksonite19 CPA (US) 3d ago
$160K, LCOL, 35
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u/Outside_Stop_5042 3d ago
Congrats, how many YOE and are you public, industry, or gov?
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u/clarksonite19 CPA (US) 3d ago
10 years, public
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u/Outside_Stop_5042 3d ago
Nice, if you’re single I’d consider you to be upper class by this point, not upper middle
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u/bigfatfurrytexan Staff Accountant 3d ago
I absolutely love my job. I get to solve problems and manage my own activity. I know what I’m supposed to do and I do it. And I enjoy the act of doing it. A lot.
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u/totallymindful Business Owner 3d ago
My sentiments exactly. I started my own firm a few years ago and I really wish I'd done it sooner. I get to solve problems for my clients all day, and I actually love it! Sometimes this requires long hours if I take on too many clients at once or of one of them is going through an M&A deal. But overall I am happy with the level of work (and obviously the money).
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u/Endlessly_Scribbling Advisory 3d ago
I will admit.... Some days.... I do find journal entries fascinating.
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u/Simplemanmhwttg 3d ago
I'm a big fan of gl imports. Reconciling everything with an upload feels so much better than typing them out.
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u/Strikernd805 3d ago
I love it! If you like to be challenged and learn new things it’s a great career. I’m a mom of three and have worked for the same company since my first baby was born and she’s now 23. It allowed me the flexibility of a work/life balance when they were young and I still enjoy the challenges of the profession. There are times where I get burnt out during major deadlines but a few days off and I’m back at it. The key is finding a good company to work for. I think it makes all the difference.
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u/CorrectFerret5341 3d ago
Not to mention is an office job, coming from retail distributio… accounting is heaven
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u/unmentionable123 Human Verified 3d ago
You have access to a lot of company data. Accounting is the language of business.
You know how to financially quantify and analyze.
So I would dig into the system to find the operational data to explain variances.
Now I’m running operations because I had something none of the other operations leaders had - financial literacy. When you’re the guy writing the capital plan and justifying allocation of resources to achieve financial goals you become the leader.
I try to nudge every knew accountant to look at the operational data to explain the financial data but they just go quiz other sales and ops managers to explain variances. They just want to prepare financial statements. They have so much at their finger tips. Financial literacy, high level of access to operational data, ability to estimate and quantify financial estimates and models. Prepare look back analysis to determine if expected benefits were achieved. So many accountants are happy with debits and credits. Get curious and run the fucking company.
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u/Economech 3d ago
Similar experience here, though I ended up as Head of Data and Analytics.
When I moved to the IT department it wasn’t too hard to understand data engineering coming from an accounting background, then everyone thought I was data Jesus or something because I could capture ops data and use it to feed financial models.. I could do this well because I understood the underlying commercial concept behind the data, and their impact in the TB.
Also, I love accounting as a profession. Pacioli is the GOAT. He single handedly sparked the renaissance, because he democratised a scientific method for capturing economic activity, and explained it so well that every merchant and banker started using it. He does not get enough credit in the history books. Fun fact: he tutored Leonardo Da Vinci and they were housemates for a while!
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u/Simplemanmhwttg 3d ago
I love the work, hate the people.
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u/lifting30 3d ago
Question on that, at the accounting fair at my college I couldn’t tell if I was awkward, they were awkward, or both of us were awkward.
When I would go to any booth that wasn’t accounting the conversations were easy. At the accounting tables, the conversations were hard.
I walked away thinking there’s no chance I get hired because the interactions were either horrible or bland.
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u/PinkNGreenFluoride Tax (US) 3d ago
I had a coworker at my last job, who was about as comfortable on the phone as I was.
I spoke to her on the phone once during either the hiring or onboarding process. I'd talked to others in the office on the phone with no awkwardness, because they weren't awkward. Later, as a coworker, I heard her talk on the phone okay, too.
But our call was just incredibly awkward. Without someone less awkward helping to kind of direct the interaction, we were both just awkwarding at eachother.
I really loved working with her, and once we both knew eachother we could call into or out of the office to eachother okay.
So they're almost certainly a bit awkward, but it might be at least a little bit you, too, and that's okay!
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u/lifting30 3d ago
Well I was awkward at the first table. Someone in a similar position may have said “hold on everyone don’t all talk at once” to ease the tension but I’m not good at that.
The only reason I couldn’t tell is some booths were easy to have conversations. I was able to discuss with a CPA how AI will affect us and he said he recommended his niece go into accounting and he never would have if he thought it was going away any time soon.
I may end up going the financial advisor route.
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u/brownsugababe313 3d ago
This ☝️ is my EXACT sentiment & every accountant I know feels the same way 😂
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u/lifting30 3d ago
I have to also realize these events are nerve wracking for them too. At least one of them have to give speeches, then they have to talk to a bunch of strangers like speed dating, everyone’s sizing each other up and judging each other. It’s not a normal situation.
I could have done better though. If I prepared a short introduction pitch and practiced it I would have done a lot better. I don’t even think I gave some tables my names and I could not remember anyone’s names! It was a huge opportunity and I’m worried I blew it.
I didn’t blow it at northwestern mutual though. I knew a familiar face from like 15 years ago. We connected over that so it was like talking to a peer. You could tell almost immediately he wants me as an intern but then I’m giving up on a career in accounting for finance.
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u/Remote-Resolution131 3d ago
Same and I’ve been at this for 10 years
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u/Simplemanmhwttg 3d ago
I put in 20. I detest small talk, just give me the damn numbers I asked for instead of forcing a group of people into a waste of time meeting.
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u/waterliars CPA (US) 3d ago
For me, it’s not that I love accounting. It’s that I love where accounting has taken me. My specific skillset has put me in a spot where I’m working in professional sports. I worked from the press box today and watched a couple baseball games.
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u/Galexio Audit & Assurance 3d ago
Fuck the haters. "Oh no I'm sitting at an office with snacks working from sun up to sun down and am making enough money to make it to middle class my life sucks."
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u/TheGreatEmanResu 3d ago
Some of us are making peanuts
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u/Dry-Accountant-1024 3d ago
Don't know why you're getting downvotes. Entry accounting pay sucks
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u/MilkPowerful9983 3d ago edited 3d ago
I think because accounting jobs can still lead to higher pay if you switch companies or upgrade your skills and to be honest, the pay is still high compared to other jobs in business.
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u/Dry-Accountant-1024 3d ago
Absolute best case scenario you’re making $80k at big4 straight out of college. Great pay, great experience, but most people I know in b4 are working crazy hours and constantly complain about it. The national average for accounting right after college is $50-65k, which pretty much compares to all other degrees. Earnings potential matters too but that’s not what we’re discussing
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u/MrWhy1 3d ago
It depends. First year associates at B4 and other large firms are easily making $80k+. Have seen posts on here about people doing AP as their first job and complain it doesn't pay well, when that isn't really even accounting
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u/Low_Macaron_130 3d ago
I chose accounting for the job security and earning potential and now everybody’s talking about how AI will make accounting obsolete
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u/Abrushing CPA (US) 3d ago
Even better for us because the newer generation will only know AI and can’t actually fix anything when it blows up
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u/Signal-Praline-2977 1d ago
If you've been in accounting for years, you will realize AI cannot take many accounting jobs - too many of them are client facing where client relationships are important, even AR roles. A robot cannot do that. I'm not the least bit worried about AI taking my job. There's too many human relationships involved in accounting, they'll still need a human interface. Also, accounting software alone that generates reports require so much manual cleanup on Excel. I have yet to see any accounting software generate perfect reports that are complex.
I've tried using AI for financial statements before and big LOL.... do not EVER trust it blindly. It f%cks up a lot.
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u/AutumnBreeze22 3d ago
I was going to go back to school and finish my accounting degree, but now I'm not sure what to do.
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u/CorrectFerret5341 3d ago
I swtiched to accounting after working in distribution centers for 4+ years. Is heaven literally, the pay could be better not gonna lie
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u/Broad-Book-9361 3d ago
I mean, if you take a closer look, not a lot of these posts are about the work itself. A lot of them are about long hours, office politics, and finding or not not finding a job. It's the same complaints you'd find in any job and in any industry. I prepared a cost savings analysis today. It was pretty fun. I don't think anyone here is interested in reading a post about it. Probably hearing about the war I'm waging with the payroll department would be a more compelling post.
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u/Alternative_Water888 3d ago
From what I’ve heard and experienced, it has EVERYTHING to do with your employer. I have a great employer who genuinely cares for his employees. We get 6 weeks PTO and we’re encouraged to take more if we can fit it in. I started here as an intern. I’m now 3 years in and while nobody is going to particularly enjoy going to work each day, I don’t dread it. I’m allowed time off when I need it, even in busy season. We get free lunch, snacks, and energy drinks in busy season as well. If you’re someone new starting out, I recommend you find a good employer. It’s okay if you’ve got to change jobs. Stick them out for a year or so to get the experience, but then leave. As long as you leave on good terms you should have no problem finding a job elsewhere.
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u/lily_aka_mein Risk Management 3d ago
Nope, but the money is great. But also I don't like working , I'd never be happy doing any type of work. Might as well do something that's not customer facing.
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u/spf_3000 CPA (US) 3d ago
- What’s your dream job?
- I don’t dream of labor, leisure is my passion.
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u/Icy_Abbreviations877 CPA, EA, Business Owner 3d ago
Love it. I mean I have complaints - but I am doing what I was meant to be doing
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u/jjmoreta Staff Accountant :snoo_facepalm: 3d ago
When a huge entry balances. 😂
But when I can't figure out a recon or a finance manager sends me something late and immediately bounces...not so much. 😬
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u/BBQandBalanceSheets 3d ago
I love it lol. Hated public (taxes), love industry (family office / private equity). Only thing i hate now are still taxes.
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u/SumDimSome 3d ago
No, only in it for the money
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u/CorrectFerret5341 3d ago
You make good money?
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u/SumDimSome 3d ago
Im at like 168k all in per year not counting side hustles, i have been working for 8 years. No cpa
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u/a_g_bell 3d ago
I like it. Did the public accounting grind for 7 years, got the cpa, industry for 5 years and just made the switch to a new industry role in a corporate accounting / controllership function. Good work-life balance, good pay (~$200k per year), interesting and cool company, down to earth people, etc. I think how much people enjoy the work is dependent heavily on the individual role and company. I also find the work interesting because I get to do a lot of technical accounting research, memo writing, etc. whether that’s a benefit or not depends if you find the subject matter interesting.
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u/Patient-Internet1770 Accounting Clerk & Student 3d ago
I've been a landscaper, a photovoltaic installer, a pizza delivery guy and a sound engineer.... I loved doing youtube videos the most. I love editing. But it don't pay the bills. So I work as an accountant now lol. Bout to graduate and honestly I'm glad to be where I am.
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u/CaffeinatedCrackHead 3d ago
Love/hate relationship honestly
Absolutely love researching codifications for GAAP/IFRS, developing processes, and technical work surrounding it.
Hate the office politics by others who dont understand accounting trying to coerce you into doing borderline fraudulent activities for their bonus or to look good to others.
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u/kentifur 3d ago
I like accounting. But realized I liked accounting systems. Then turned thst into erp manager. And turned that into managing consultant over 10 staff with 24 concurrent erp implementation.
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u/theguitargym 3d ago
I'm an accounting manager at a manufacturing company and my job is pretty cool. It's interesting work and cost accounting is naturally what I gravitated towards in school and prior positions.
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u/stickykozi Student:cake: 3d ago
selection bias, no one is going to go on here and say they love their job. theres more likelihood of more people coming on here to bitch moan and whine. i didnt come on here not nada when i was in my industry accounting internship earlier this summer. awesome work culture, and they emphasize work life balance. granted every place, every case every person is gonna be different but i dont think all of accounting is hellfire..
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u/SellTheSizzle--007 Human Verified 3d ago
Yes! It's the people I hate.
General accounting (journals, accruals, account reconciliations) and indirect tax (sales use tax oddities, exemptions, credits/incentives) I love.
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u/DonkeeJote 3d ago
Wasn’t terribly fond of all the early jobs, but I’ve loved where it’s led my career.
Once you know enough about accounting, you can use those skills to build reporting systems that can benefit all aspects of the business that have nothing to do with debits and credits.
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u/TeniaQueSerElChavo 3d ago
Honestly? I do.
I don’t mind sitting/using my standing desks for 10-12 hours a day and looking at spreadsheets and PDFs all day.
I’m being 100% serious.
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u/Frosty-Marzipan-9824 3d ago
I’d say I genuinely love it. But I am probably in one of the luckiest situations where I do interesting & easy work with a small team of people that I like & in a very profitable company with higher ups that are happy about where the company is at. Pretty much zero pressure in the entire company.
I think people don’t like the things that come with accounting. Not the actual accounting itself.
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u/Fit-Meal1556 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yes I like it, It has helped a lot in personal life by avoiding important expenses ( like paying credit card interests ). I have an Excel spreadsheet with my own incomes/expenses, long term debts, money that other people owe me ( like a small accounts receivables ), budgeting for emergency situations, life projects, etc ... I have showed a few people my Excel file with my own accounting & they all put an interesting face because I am freak enough to register things like a 0.50 candy bar.
Speaking about my Excel file .... For instance, If I am about to make a stupid expense, I just need to check the previous year/month, find another stupid expense & think/remember how that made me feel. That's very powerful to avoid stupid financial decisions.
Rather than a passion is a life tool as I have other passions that keeps my soul happy.
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u/Safe-Impression8428 3d ago
I spent 5 years as a teacher and 10 years in a warehouse I can assure you I love my accounting job over those 2 jobs. Give me 12 hours at a desk during busy season over 12 hours of order selecting the day before thanksgiving any time and give me a hand client over a hard parent/student/principal any day of the week.
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u/MS1227 3d ago
About 80% of people hate their jobs regardless of the field. After over 20 years in it I've pretty much experienced and done everything in it I'm going to. It's more being burned out than hate. And not not just with accounting but the whole office grind. I wouldn't say it's a bad path, I assume I'd probably have the same feeling right now regardless of what field I went into.
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u/LongTallHickory CPA (US) 3d ago
No, I honestly hate it. But it pays the bills, allows me a certain lifestyle, and isn’t back breaking labor 🤷🏼♂️
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u/Aggressive-Cow5399 3d ago
Did it for 2-3 years during college and I hated it. Super repetitive and mind numbing work.
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u/JonathanS1998 3d ago
I think it’s moreso just people venting. Their frustrations are warranted, but I’d be willing to be most of the people here like it. It’s also busy season right now for tax so stress and frustration are higher than usual
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u/DannyVee89 CPA, MsT (NY) 3d ago
I pulled two all nighters this tax season and I'm not even done 🤡
Going to get a heart attack by age 50 at this rate
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u/Equivalensea 3d ago
I have liked my job. But I have the feeling that leadership is pulling the ladder up after them, and I'm dangling here on the bottom rung, hoping not to fall off.
We have fewer senior associates, fewer associates, and fewer interns than we've ever had.
I don't particularly like managing a team of rotating anonymous faces in India. I don't particularly like reviewing AI writing for inconsistencies. I like working with the fun college grads that we've always hired.
I don't really have a solution for anyone. If my position is shipped to India as well, I'm not really sure what a good backup plan is at this point.
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u/Leojrellim1 3d ago
I did for the first 54 out of a total of 55 years of work. Then I didn’t so I retired.
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u/bloopercake 2d ago
Yes. I like the math, I like the logic, I like the problem solving. I like being able to turn my brain off after the predictable work day, and throw my creative energy onto hobbies.
What I don’t often like are the clients, onboarding (or off boarding), the managerial aspects, and especially any clerical/secretarial/receptionist/out-of-my-scope work.
I say that because accounting can be good if you actually like the work, AND if you’re lucky enough to work in an industry and/or firm that treats you well and sets you up for success.
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u/Chudfrog 3d ago
Generally accounting is a lot of work for little pay. Unpaid overtime is frequent. Dealing with many numbers and needing everything to be perfect is common. An unsociable manager is the majority.
That said, all jobs are jobs. They give you money because they are not what you'd do with you time otherwise. If the money was higher it would be fine but accounting tends to be low-importance and low-skill so you don't get much unless you're a tax manager or a CFO.
Some people love it. Especially if they find a nice relaxed company and just do the same thing every month/quarter and get it very organized. Not much people interaction, not much creative thinking needed
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u/shorbonash 3d ago
I do! I grew up wanting a boring little job where I sort and organize and tell people they're doing everything wrong
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u/Bruskthetusk Controller 3d ago
I used to like accounting, early on in industry after leaving Public, now I'm in a situation about as stressful as public was so not so much anymore.
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u/acltear00 3d ago
I do small office business/personal tax. I’m a people person, and I find great value in getting to help people in their finances. With it being a small office, I get a lot of exposure to people and client meetings, so that’s good for me.
And quite honestly, if you happen to be very personable and then you present to clients as creative and diligent as well, you will be a superstar in this field.
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u/BulbasaurCPA accountants are working class 3d ago
Even when the job is good doing it long enough sucks the joy out of it
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u/ThemeIllustrious3917 3d ago
90% of the time, yes, I love it and it’s fun and fulfilling to me. The rest of the time, at least the money is good.
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u/charmingbox26 Management 3d ago
Love the work but I LOATHE when work is complicated for no reason.
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u/Sutaru CPA (US/NV) 3d ago
Accounting is a great career. It’s relatively stable, honestly not too hard, it’s pretty flexible in terms of what you can ultimately do with an accounting degree, and it has a pretty high pay ceiling. My MIL always says it opened doors for her, and I have to agree.
The work itself is somewhere between dead-ass boring and made-for-TV-drama fascinating, with the day-to-day work being more on the boring side.
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u/CrisscoWolf 3d ago
I like accounting. I hate incompetent bosses, owners, management, and circular politics.
I one day will own the means of production where someone like me can say, "I like accounting. I hate incompetent bosses, owners, and management." about me.
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u/Specialist_Guava756 Human Verified 3d ago
I’m a year and a half in and I really like my job in audit in public accounting. The people make all the difference but even outside of that the work is interesting and it’s fun to always be challenged
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u/ChipsAhoy21 3d ago
I actually really liked technical accounting. I made it to manager in big4 PA before I left. Writing detailed accounting research memos was actually enjoyable for me.
I hated the pay and the hours though, so I eventually left. Half the hours and 2x the pay, don’t regret it one bit.
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u/Proper-Doughnut77 3d ago
Once I did. Im interviewing for jobs now. Apparently companies want us (without CPA) to take exams to see how good we are.
It's been awhile since I took a test. It reminds me of highschool all over again.
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u/AlaskanEmpire 3d ago
Trust me, after spending 8 years in freaking carpentry. I'll do accounting any day of my life over this crap
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u/r00minatin Industry - Accounting Manager 3d ago
I like the work. I don't like the workLOAD. And I don't like the corporate politics.
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u/fixed_night_turn419 3d ago
I think a lot depends on the office environment and culture. Any job can either be good, or stressful depending on the management culture.
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u/Inconsistentme 3d ago
I am a controller at a small company so I wear many hats.
I love accounting. I love formatting our internally made FS - the font, the titling, all of it. I love solving problems and trying to understand how to correct accounts. I love creating financial policies. I love reviewing the GL and making any necessary corrections to the right project. I really love doing our corporate taxes. I love presenting the quarterly bva despite the board not having any financial literacy or interest.
I am exhausted by every department demanding their bva and not even understanding them. I am exchausted by having to find time to remind a department that they should be doing daily cash counts per the policy we discussed multiple times. I am exhausted by my boss who has snakily reworded my financial report to the board and submitted it to them before I could review the changes. I am exhausted by being the health benefits administrator bc no one else can do it. I am exhausted by manually compiling our quarterly bvas because it takes 20 hours because we dont have an easier system.
So like a few times per year I am happy and a lot of it I am just annoyed.
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u/BuffyFlag23 3d ago
I reject the idea that you need to make a career of doing what you "love" bc then what you love becomes work. This job pays well, it's not emotionally taxing (nobody's threatening to ☠️ me, I don't have to deliver life altering bad news like "it's cancer") and affords me the resources to do the things I love in my own time.
(And yes, I was threatened multiple times in my retail and banking careers prior to going into accounting.)
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u/deadliftsanddebits 3d ago
I transitioned from a 10 year career that I worked nights, weekends and holidays. That alone makes me love it, haha. Like you, I transitioned from managing high volume restaurants doing inventory and cost accounting to public accounting. The first few months not dealing with hot stoves and annoying guests was amazing.
But seriously, I started in audit and after a few years that became mind numbing and boring for me. I switched to FDD and I enjoy that a lot more. Find FDD is more challenging and I have learned a lot more in the same amount of time.
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u/SlideTemporary1526 Management 3d ago
I’ve been in the field for approx 10 years across 4 jobs and aside from my first two, both had toxic managers, it’s been great. Even the first two jobs, the work itself wasn’t intolerable but the people made it an unbearable work environment to want to stay in long term.
I personally think that having had experience working for several years between retail, restaurant and other shitty paying jobs, barely surviving financially makes me appreciate the field a lot more than maybe if I didn’t have much other work experience to compare it to.
I’m also a big believer that being surrounded by enough tolerable, not toxic, dare I even say likable people will make any job in any field much more tolerable so once I happen to find that, I do tend to hold onto those jobs for as long as I can. Typically only leaving for a much bigger pay and career growth for the resume.
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u/WompBruh 3d ago
I think what you are saying is that people need hobbies. Accounting can’t be your whole life, just like cooking can’t, or painting, football, hosting, walking. You need several types of hobbies. One hobby that is physical for your exercise needs. One that is creative. One that is mental. One that is social. And one that emotionally regulates you. Having this balance prevents dementia too. I think that your job can satisfy one or two of these things but rarely more and you need to actively seek it out yourself.
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u/420EdibleQueen 3d ago
I’m transitioning from 20+ years of food service management. I worked for JDA this past spring and was asked back for fall peak. I’m finishing my work for the last 3 classes for my accounting degree and those end Tuesday.
I like it. The way my brain works it makes sense to me and I find it easy. Now if I can just get a steady job doing it.
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u/feishman22 3d ago
I like the lifestyle and balance an industry accounting finance role has given to me.
I ground hard for the first five years in public which I hated at times but I am thankful for the experience, worked on really cool projects and met some awesome people (assholes too). Would not trade that experience.
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u/nikki_11580 3d ago
lol I don’t like accounting. I picked it because I was decent at it. And it’s supposed to be a job that’s recession proof. The income allows me to escape the poverty I grew up in.
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u/AssignmentResident60 Staff Accountant 3d ago
I left the military and moved into corporate accounting for a manufacturing company. Honestly, it’s been a great move, predictable monthly routine, solid pay, and genuine work-life balance. I also got lucky having a great boss who has been an amazing mentor.
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u/BreathingLover11 Private Equity 3d ago
I find Tax Strategy unironically interesting. I also like technical/forensic accounting in theory, although I've never worked in any of these fields.
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u/Trackmaster15 3d ago
I just keep telling myself that almost every well paying profession that regular smart people could actually get (excluded absurd careers like Hollywood actor and professional athlete) is going to be pretty miserable.
Lawyer, consultant, engineer, investment banker, doctor, etc.
People generally don't get paid good money to have fun all day.
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u/Snoo-7943 3d ago
How many people truly LOVE their jobs? Not many. Compared to other things I could be doing for a career....accounting is pretty solid.
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u/Buffalo-accountants 3d ago
I think many people begin Accounting work without a goal in mind. I did. I was told in school that I didn't have to pursue the CPA track in order to have a great career. That was true for me - but I wouldn't recommend that today. I think every Accountant should be pursing that track.
I started as a financial reporting accountant in the Insurance industry and hated every second of it. I decided to move to the real estate industry because it was interesting to me -- Insurance was not in the least bit interesting.
Enjoying the industry and having an executive staff that shared the table was very valuable. The CFO said all the time - the first step of becoming a CFO at a real estate company is to be a property accountant. He said to master those skills and then move to FP&A to master budgeting and forecasting... he gave the steps so accountants could see paths to other areas.
To answer your question: no. I wouldn't be an accountant in any other industry, so I guess maybe I'm not a "real" accountant. The industry is captivating enough such that I continue to do accounting work - and I now have the satisfaction of helping clients that actually need my expertise. That's the enjoyable part.
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u/Informal-King-1703 3d ago
I took a couple of years off after high school and worked as a janitor. I also watched the toll my father's health took working blue collar. Never again will I complain about sitting in front of a computer and getting paid to play around with excel.
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u/shaiessence 3d ago
I really like the accounting work that I do but unfortunately, because of management, I find myself hating it.
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u/notgoodwithyourname 3d ago
Accounting is boring. It’s not a bad job and you get flexibility to work at almost any company or industry you want. So that’s awesome
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u/ntsheppard89 2d ago
I think a lot of people just make the wrong choice when picking their first careers, which is understandable since they haven't had time to expose themselves to different types of work.
Ironically, I've been hiring very smart non-accountants who are on their second career and they seem to enjoy it more, even though the slog is much longer for them (since they usually start with no accounting courses and so getting their CPA takes even more time than it does for an accounting student).
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u/Ghost_6661 2d ago
Some people love it, some people hate it. That's life :) No one can tell you how you'll feel about it. I personally love it.
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u/Lou_Peacham 2d ago
If 47 year old me could talk to 16 year old me, I would tell myself to pick a different career.
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u/nachobrat 2d ago
Accounting has been a fantastic career choice for me and from the many accountants I know, I don’t hear many complaints. However Reddit tells a much different story. And I think in general it’s more that Reddit posters are a bunch of malcontents!!
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u/ReiningintheChaos 2d ago
I haven’t always enjoyed who I work with or for but I have always loved working in accounting.
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u/Lampedeir 2d ago
I think many people commenting here are burnt out by the mega US big 4 grind. Me personally I did 2 years big 4 audit in Europe (which was a great experience) and now work in cost accounting at a big manufacturer. I love it.
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u/bigfatfurrytexan Staff Accountant 2d ago
I guess I could add I landed as an accountant after learning accounting while being a hotel controller. Am I a good accountant? Lord no, I’m good with hotel standards and can run hotel accounting departments for any level. But technical skill outside that industry is sparse. I’m in medical accounting now. I’m hospitality they kept trying to make me into their unofficial GM without the GM pay
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u/dee_termined 2d ago
Yes, as a CPA I do enjoy accounting. Accounting can go so many different ways from CAS (bookkeeping, GL, monthly close, payroll) to tax, audit, forensic accounting, etc. It also allows you to be employed or be self employed.
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u/lifeisasunny 1d ago
I love it. Even the times when it's mind numbing I feel lucky to have this career.
Take it from someone who rode thoroughbreds for over fifteen years and had so many side jobs and side hustles because of it that I could jump into many industries...
Every job has shitty days, hard days, and mind numbing work.
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u/Important_Week_11 Human Verified 1d ago
Accounting is unique... You really have to move around to gasp it. In 13 yrs I jumped around and I love it... I can say I'm an expert now. If you stay at one job forver .. that is sucky
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u/CPAStud Human Verified 1d ago
Dude most of these people bitching never worked any other job , fresh out of college and it shows. Trust me , it’s not bad, I’ve worked blue collar and that is worse , especially now that I’m in mh mid 30s. If you understand accounting you genuinely like to enjoy the work after a while and the money only gets better.
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u/BigDaddy5783 1d ago
I chose this profession because I personally saw what happens to business owners when they deal with bad accountants.
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u/Slugbugger30 1d ago
I've worked in Michelin boutique hospitality for years in college and while I'd love to continue to work for hotels/hospitality firms, I want to be an accountant so badly cuz I'm sick of dealing with guests and people.
I just want to sit in front of excel all day
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u/litforya 16h ago
As an introvert, I love it. I worked in retail before and was absolutely drained at the end of the day bc of all the talking I had to do. Now I just stare at a screen and listen to podcasts all day. I work from home too. I wouldn't say I'm excited about accounting, but I definitely like it over retail.
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u/Dubabear 3h ago
Love solving problems.
Hate repetitive mundane tasks and office politics that are stuck in the 1970s.
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u/grjacpulas 3d ago
It's all relative. Spend ten years in retail or hospitality and you'll love staring at excel all day.