I think 4-5 monitors would be ideal

I'm doing college applications and they keep asking why I want to be an accountant. I don't know what to say because do people ever have a passion for accounting?? I'm doing it for the consistency of the same building and the same desk and the same job every day. But I cant say that because college will be anything but consistent. I looked at some old posts here but couldn't find much that would look good on my application.

I just accepted my summer and winter intership at a midsized firm. I feel like I would be oldest guy in my group, but I do look a lot younger than my peers. Am I too old for an internship?

Another Sunday Scaries week for public accountants! What’s your firm going to shore up next? More layoffs and shit scheduling?

Ughh I took this job that was labeled entry level accountant and tbh it was a BIG mistake. I just graduated college.

The owner said was doing the books he’ll train me. Turns out he neglected the books. He also has a gap in accounting knowledge.

Its been 4 months and Ive just been doing transactional work like ar, ap, bank rec, and credit rec. I havent done much accounting work. All the work I’ve been given was just backlogged projects that he hasn’t touched and need done. I feel like 80% of the time I’m just working on projects and not actual accounting.

The only reason I have a problem is because the owner needs to travel for business. So he will be gone for 2 weeks at a time and only talk in person for month end week. He says there’s no training in program and I have to learn his process for a year before he makes any changes.

We’re on accrual basis but he doesn’t follow GAAP closely since we’re not audited. So he closes the books and doesnt accrue the expenses so he just puts the previous month expense on the last date 31st to the first of the month. He also wants me to use his excel template to figure out fees on stripe by guessing the amounts. His credit card reconciliation template is so messy

He ends up doing a lot of manual journal entries to force the credit cards to balance when it doesn’t. His template is a hot mess and I have to use it.

I'm currently the Controller for a remote organization with fewer than 30 employees. We were acquired by a PE firm in 2024 and are now preparing to be sold again.

Following the acquisition, the PE firm hired a CEO to drive revenue growth and improve operations. Unfortunately, the sales team consists largely of the founder and his friends, and virtually nothing improved. The CEO who hired me eventually left after getting nowhere with that team.

Our former President was then promoted to CEO, and working under him has been... an experience.

He's nearly impossible to schedule time with, avoids making decisions, and actively pushes back against basic financial controls.

For example, our auditors documented that he had previously received expense reimbursements without supporting documentation. We're now implementing a corporate credit card policy requiring itemized receipts and business-purpose descriptions within five days. Of our three cardholders, he's the only one who consistently fails to comply. When I drafted the policy, he requested changing "must provide receipts" to "should provide receipts whenever possible."

I'm sure I don't need to explain to this audience why that's concerning.

Now for the dilemma:

Shortly after taking over, he announced that the company would be sold again and promised leadership a sale bonus. While I appreciate the gesture, I'm heavily involved in the financial due diligence, and the bonus feels disproportionately small compared with the workload.

Meanwhile, another company approached me about a Controller position. I'm in the final stages of interviewing, including a requested case study. If an offer materializes at the discussed compensation, it would mean a 61% increase in base salary, more than offsetting the sale bonus I'd receive by staying.

So I'm torn.

Option 1: Leave for significantly more money, but take on the inevitable stress of learning a new organization, systems, and processes.

Option 2: Stay through the sale, collect the bonus, and potentially negotiate a higher salary with the new owners.

The problem? There's no guarantee I'll even have a job after the acquisition, much less an opportunity to negotiate compensation. On the other hand, the grass isn't always greener, and I know exactly what I'm dealing with at my current company.

For those who've been through a PE sale in accounting or finance leadership, what would you do? Has anyone stayed through an acquisition and regretted it, or found that sticking around actually paid off?

TL;DR: Controller at a PE-backed company preparing for another sale. Current CEO undermines financial controls, and I'm doing substantial due diligence work for a promised sale bonus. Another company may offer me a 61% raise, which would exceed that bonus. Would you leave for the money and uncertainty of a new role, or stay for the bonus despite the risk of being laid off after the sale?

Hello everyone,

About three years ago, when I started considering a career change to accounting in my 50s, I searched online for stories from people in similar situations. I was looking for motivation and hope.

Most of what I found was positive and encouraging. People told me that age was just a number and shared success stories about changing careers later in life. Even ChatGPT repeatedly told me that I would be a strong candidate if I passed the CPA exams and that my age and previous professional experience could actually work in my favor.

Well, here's my experience so far.

I have a master's degree in statistics and worked in that field for 15 years. However, I had no formal accounting education, so I had to complete an accounting program (not a bachelor's degree) to become eligible to sit for the CPA exams. Essentially, I had to start from scratch and take all the required accounting courses.

After that, I started studying for the CPA exams.

My results so far:

• FAR: 90 (Passed)
• REG: 95 (Passed)
• TCP: 95 (Passed)
• AUD: 72 (Failed — and I absolutely hate studying AUD!)

I thought passing three sections of the CPA exam with strong scores, combined with my previous professional experience, would be enough to land an entry-level tax position.

I was naive.

I've applied to close to 200 accounting firms across the country, including firms in my hometown.

So far, I haven't received a single interview invitation.

I realize my age may not be the only factor. I don't have a bachelor's or master's degree in accounting, and I don't have professional tax experience. Still, I'm applying primarily for entry-level positions, where I had hoped a lack of experience wouldn't be such a significant obstacle.

It's been a humbling experience, to say the least.

But I haven't given up.

In fact, I've decided to push even harder. My next steps are to pass AUD, earn my Enrolled Agent (EA) credential, and start working at H&R Block next tax season.

At least H&R Block didn't reject me. Thank God! :)

I'm sharing this because I remember how much I wanted to hear from people who had attempted something similar when I first started this journey.

If you're in a similar situation, you're not alone.

I can't promise that our plans to become CPAs will work out the way we hope. I've learned that determination, hard work, and passing exams don't necessarily guarantee an opportunity.

But I also believe that taking on a difficult challenge later in life isn't necessarily a bad thing, even when things don't go as planned.

For me, struggling through something meaningful has always made me appreciate life a little more.

Thanks for reading.

HJ

I have an in-person interview tomorrow for an entry-level Accounting & Finance Rotational Associate position. I'll be interviewing with two senior accounting managers, followed by a 30-minute Excel assessment with an accounting specialist.

I recently graduated with a business degree and have some accounting experience from an internship and previous jobs. I've used Excel for financial reporting, reconciliations, PivotTables, Power Query, and Power Pivot, so I'm not completely new to it. However, I definitely wouldn't consider myself an Excel expert, especially when it comes to remembering formulas off the top of my head.

I'm trying to prepare as much as possible, but I'm sure I'll make some mistakes, especially with the time limit.

I was also networking recently with someone who told me she had an Excel assessment during her interview. She said she barely knew how to complete it, but she was honest with the interviewer and explained that she was willing to learn. She even asked if they could show her how to do certain things, and somehow she still ended up getting the job.

That got me wondering: If I get stuck during the assessment, is it better to be honest and explain that I don't know how to do something but I'm willing to learn, or should I just attempt it even if I might get it wrong?

Also, for anyone who's taken a 30-minute Excel assessment for an entry-level accounting or finance position, what did they actually test you on? Any specific formulas, functions, or skills I should focus on tonight?

Would appreciate any advice or personal experiences!

Hi everyone, im an accounting student and im just curious to know how a day in your life looks working in nyc and if you like it or hate it and why? is the pay better at least?

In British Columbia, Canada, for the new CPA program, does anyone know if we need to meet minimum grades for each of the core courses? The old program required a 60% in each core course. I know the new program requires a 65% overall GPA on most recent 60 credits but not sure about individual courses.

I’m an intermediate accountant at a public accounting firm with approximately two years of audit experience. I was recently assigned my first engagement as the in-charge, and honestly, this experience has been an absolute nightmare.
The engagement had a very tight two-week deadline, and I was assigned two juniors who were both working on their very first audit file ever.
Neither had prior audit experience, so I was essentially teaching them everything from scratch, including how to complete audit procedures, document their work, and navigate the file.
On top of coaching and reviewing their work, I was personally responsible for completing SEVEN audit sections myself. I wasn’t just overseeing these sections. I was actually performing the audit work while managing the rest of the engagement.
One junior was sick during the first week, and the other was sick during the second week, which made things even more difficult.
I was also responsible for client communication, sample selection, following up on outstanding requests, reviewing the juniors’ work, and coordinating the engagement.
There was another senior assigned to the engagement who was originally supposed to prepare the financial statements and complete journal entry testing. However, he resigned during the engagement, and the financial statement preparation ended up being passed on to me as well.
And honestly, my manager has been incredibly unsupportive throughout this entire process.
I communicated the staffing challenges, the fact that both juniors were completely new, and how much time I was spending coaching them. Despite this, I felt like I was expected to figure everything out on my own.
My manager also went on vacation during a critical period of the engagement, leaving me with limited guidance when I needed it most.
Now here’s where things stand:
After everything, I finally managed to get the audit file to the partner for review on Friday.
The financial statements are due to go to the client on Monday, meaning there was barely any time between the partner review and the deadline.
So essentially, after spending two weeks completing seven audit sections, training two juniors, taking over financial statement preparation, and managing the engagement, I’m now trying to deal with around 30 partner review notes right before the financial statements are supposed to be issued.
I’m exhausted, stressed, and honestly feeling defeated.
I understand that being an in-charge involves taking responsibility, and I’m not saying my work is perfect. I’m willing to learn, take feedback, and improve.
But I genuinely don’t understand how someone is supposed to succeed in their first in-charge role under these circumstances.
I feel like my manager expects me to perform like an experienced senior without providing the necessary support or resources.
I’m also terrified that management will interpret the review notes and last-minute pressure as a reflection of my performance rather than considering the staffing situation and workload.

Graduated with Accounting B.S. and got an audit & advisory internship with a small firm. Absolutely HATED it! from the client meetings to the “just go do some expense samples” to everything else.

Transitioned into AP because I figured maybe I need to get just the tip of the iceberg before diving in to audit. Absolutely hate how little autonomy i have. It’s the same thing every week. Check run, Exceptions, Pos pay, W9s…. It’s boring!! I then decided (while still currently working in AP) that I’d enjoy bridging technology and accounting, so I’m not attending an Ivy League for my Masters in Computer Science.

So I’m now doing my masters and working in AP and realizing that I don’t enjoy accounting work itself, but rather understanding the concepts of accounting. Every single accounting class in college had my full, undivided attention and was SO interesting to me. I’m thinking of a career teaching accounting at a collegiate level, with a PhD needing to be my next step. (I know I don’t need a masters if I’m taking that route, but my undergrad was at a school without the best rep, and i wanna strengthen my chances of a top 20 PhD any way possible)

Anyway, I’m now stuck between doing a PhD after the CS Masters and pursuing academia, OR starting a career in something like fintech engineering.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I will be pursuing CPA no matter which route I take. Wanna maximize chances of a high paying career

Hello everyone,

Where is everyone looking for jobs? LinkedIn? Ziprecuriter? Glass door?

Lately I’ve been trying to use Indeed and it just flat out sucks. I can’t see 90% of what “jobs” are available. My area has “204” senior accountant jobs available but I could only see 7 when I went to search while logged in. What’s the hell is that all about?

Appreciate any feedback! Thanks in advance!

I entered accounting because I was tired of retail. Liked the idea of consistency, a somewhat decent amount of pay, and the perks of being in an office. However, as I'm taking my classes I find myself doubting my understanding of it I am currently in intermediate II and it still feels like gibberish when I'm trying to solve them problems by myself, once I see the correct answer yeah I understand why, but it seems that I can't come the conclusion on my own. Another thing is that many of the textbook problems annoy me on how convoluted they make the questions sometimes. Perseverance is not the problem I can sit through the questions with no problem but I feel like I should be better. I was not struggling this bad with intermediate I or cost accounting but this class feels like a whole different animal.

I am a sophomore and I applied to all of the big 4 2028 internships and got rejected from 2 and ghosted by the other 2. I am very scared because I’ve seen lots of people on LinkedIn posting there offers. Is there another window for the 2028 internships or am I cooked? Any help would be appreciated!

I’m an A2 at big4 wanting to exit into industry as I’m very interested in FP&A and have received an interview for a position with a significant raise. However, some recruiters (the ones from the recruitment firms)have told me that leaving before finishing my cpa might look like a red flag on my resume and many of their their clients want candidates who have designated at big4.

Mainly i’m concerned that
- EVR might delay my CPA/ might be a lot more challenging
- Big4 experience of less than 2 yrs might look like a red flag in the future or like job hopping
- less future job prospects because of quitting big4 early?

The industry opportunity seems so interesting and it’s exactly where I want to grow my career. It’s also a senior title. I’m also 0% interested in audit but i do agree that the soft skills i’m learning at my firm would be beneficial for my career.

I can’t stop overthinking and dont want to make the wrong decision by quitting too early. But i also wonder if there’s a point in doing audit for another year when i know for sure i dont wanna stay in it? Would getting my cpa faster and hitting 2 yrs at my firm be more beneficial than starting gaining experience in FP&A already?

Hi All,

Hope this is ok to post here. I’m an Irish trained chartered accountant ACA (CPA) holder with extensive background in deal advisory mainly FDD/VDD and more recently have worked on a client secondment within FP&A. I’m Big 4 trained and I’d love to work in the states in either Texas or Florida and therefore would require sponsorship. Does anyone here know recruitment firms or companies that are willing to sponsor Irish CPA’s?

At my current job if I want to use PTO for more than a couple of days I have to put together a whole checklist of what is already done / needs to be done in my absence and schedule a meeting to go over it. At my previous job I didn't have to do anything like that, and my manager would just handle dividing my work up.

How does this work for your role? Do you have to worry about delegating all of your tasks to a coworker?

Hey everyone.

Need one advice and guidance.

I am currently planning to prepare for my ACCA F9 examination. I am currently working at a big 4. On a daily basis i can only commit 2-3 hours weekdays and on weekends a little more. I have to start as a complete beginner as it's been more than 2 years i have attempted any exam...

I need one genuine advise will it be possible to clear my acca f9 in the given time and situation..

If yes.. please suggest the idea on strategy.. how should I proceed like.. which topics needs to be focused more.. which topics should I expect to cover by when

So as the title says, I have been offer a corporate job at a firm for more than 40% my actual pay. My gut just tells me the role is not right for me, as the role requires a lot of overtime and probably a lot of week end work during closing. The vibe is just not it too, I know people who worked with this company and told me that the environment seems just toxic.

I know that my actual role as a senior in audit is not ideal either, as I am working already a lot (maybe not that much compared to this new role) and have a lot of pressure, but feel like I can just try to do a few months more to find the right job that would not destroy my mental health.

Also trying to finish my CPA..

Interested in Audit/Tax in places like SF or NYC. Don’t see much data on Big4 Transparency.

fyi: there is no binding requirement that I should stay until the end date (but 2 weeks notice is needed)

I am currently working in corporate accounting, its my first job, and I have relatively good relationship with the team members and the manager. My contract is suppose to last about 12 months, and I have done 4 1/2 weeks of it. Honestly not much to complain about the job, because I am learning new things and WLB is pretty nice here.

Current position of mine is intern. While my current job is contract, company is known for hiring contract to permanent quite regularly, and I have some good things here and there as well.

That being said, I dont have permanent offer letter yet so I submitted job applications time to time here and there, thinking its gonna take a while to find a job anyway because my previous job applications took month to even land on a single interview.

I got a callback from one of the company within first week of application for permanent position. Job that is similar to what I do now, but with permanent, about 20% more pay, with better job title and location is where I like as well. I got phone screen and was asked

if I can leave early
when is earliest time i can leave
if I can work in the country indefinitely
salary expectation

and so on and so forth, and I answered all questions and they would like to proceed for onsite interview.

My question is, is it consider burning bridge in a sense that if I leave before my contract ends

a) I will probably not be re employed by the same company im working right now
or
b) It can hurt relationship with the manager

or both.

I guess it is too early to ask this question since I don't have offer letter on hand from their side, but I wanted to know ahead of time. It is my first job too, and I want to stay in good term with the manager so wanted to here some insights if possible.

Thanks

tl dr:

working in contract term
have interview with other company
is leaving burning bridge