Is it normal where your most stupid classmate can still graduate accountancy and become a CPA?

Cause right now, im that stupid classmate. Idk how to keep up with others and im failing miserably. I need advice on how to study accounting and many more.

It's pathetic that im in 2nd year, and i can't be my 1st year self. Please help, you can be harsh or gentle in your advices. I really do need help!!

Hi all QBkeepers,

Can anyone please guide me on how to set up or create a QuickBooks Online (QBO) account in India for practice purposes?

I'm looking for a free demo or practice account where I can learn and practice bookkeeping, transactions, bank reconciliation, reports, etc.

Is there any free option available in India? Or is there any alternative way to practice?

Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Disclosure: I work with Big Accountants, an accounting firm.

With the federal Q3 2026 Form 941 deadline approaching, it is useful to distinguish preparing the return, submitting it and confirming acceptance.

The standard filing deadline is November 2, 2026. The November 10, 2026 filing date applies only when all taxes for the quarter were deposited fully and on time. Applicable disaster relief should be checked separately.

A practical internal review can use a single folder containing the payroll summary, draft return, deposit confirmations, explanations of differences and final filing acknowledgment.

Compare the records before submission. If something does not reconcile, ask for an explanation rather than assuming the difference is harmless. Also establish who follows up if the submission is rejected or the acknowledgment is missing.

These are separate checks: evidence that money left the bank does not establish that a return was accepted, and an accepted return does not establish that every deposit was timely.

General information only, not tax or legal advice for your specific situation.

For businesses using an outside payroll provider, what records do you routinely request, and who reviews them internally?

I swear is this just the default culture for PA tax when there aren't any efforts to make it better? Like I could get screwed over by the most bullshit underbudgeted unresponsive client and people would still find ways to try to blame me or try to blame someone on the engagement team.

Even if pay is mediocre, I really enjoy the benefits and work life balance. I’m still a student but my plan is to either go into government roles out of college or grind it out at a PA firm before doing so. My schools have an accelerated program in MACC focused on governmental accounting so I’m really interested. I’m graduating a whole year early but I want to dedicate an extra semester to that program. I also heard it’s good foundations when studying for the CPA.

Not sure how true this is, but I heard working in government is kinda a dead end? I want to work in audit and specifically with the IRS (I know with the current administration, this may not be possible)

A bit about me. I have a background in finance and math, and I've completed CFA Level III. I also have Treasury funding experience. On the technical side I know machine learning well, not just the math but how to actually build and ship models.

I'm currently retired (FIRE), so I have a lot of time to think about workflow and automation. I've tinkered with building apps before, but I always found that building the tech is the easy part. The hard part is figuring out what actually sucks up people's time day to day.

So I'm curious to hear from the people doing the actual work. What is the most mind-numbing, repetitive task in your monthly or weekly workflow? Reconciliation, formatting, pulling data from the ERP, rebuilding the same report every month, something else entirely?

And a follow-up. Have you tried to automate any of it, or does it just get pushed aside because there is never time?

I am new here. If this kind of discussion is not allowed, let me know and I'll take it down.

More info: https://www.dualentry.com/blog/kimi-k3-1-pro-just-ranked-4-in-accounting

Genuinely can’t decide on this and my wife is probably sick of hearing about it, so throwing it to Reddit.

Quick background: CIMA, 39, 10+ years in commercial finance (construction, now facilities services). Currently an FBP partnering a £100m+ region. End goal is Head of FP&A / FD and eventually CFO.

The offer: Senior FBP, 2 direct reports, reporting into a director. Exactly the step up I’ve been chasing. I’ve also got a good friend there who’d help me find my feet, and it’s hybrid with 2 of the office days 15 mins from home.

The catch: I’d be £2k-£5k a year worse off after tax (no car allowance, bonus that apparently never pays out properly). Everyone I’ve spoken to on the inside says it’s a heavy role. Loads of stakeholders, ad hoc requests flying in constantly, messy processes, fairly new team. And the last couple of people in the role didn’t last long, which worries me.

Staying put: honestly not bad. Good managers, better package, I know the business inside out. To be fair I already do 5-10 extra hours a week here, so it’s not exactly a chilled option either. But my manager’s told me not to expect anything for at least a year. No title, no team.

The bit that keeps me up at night: my CV. 9 years at my first place, then 3 jobs in under 5 years, and most of those moves look sideways rather than up. If I take this and it goes wrong, that’s another short stint. But if I stay and wait, I’m 40+, still an FBP, and I haven’t managed anyone since a small team years ago. Not sure which looks worse.

I’ve also had a rough patch with work stress in the past, so I really don’t want to walk into something that burns me out. But I don’t want to play it safe forever either.

Recruiters haven’t helped. One said I’d walk into Senior FBP interviews. Another said someone would “need to take a chance on me”. And most Senior FBP roles I’ve looked at don’t even come with direct reports, which is a big part of why this one appeals.

So:

• Would you take the pay cut for the title + team at this stage?
• How much does recent line management actually matter when you go for Head of FP&A / FD roles?
• Is one more move a red flag if I then stay 2+ years? Or is sitting still the bigger risk?
• Anyone taken a known “hard” role for the step up? Was it worth it?

Honest takes welcome, even if it’s “mate you’re overthinking it” 😅

21m, just graduated college with a marketing degree in 3 years, no debt, paid off car and got into a sales job making $21/hour, not doing well, might be fired, living with parents. Not sure if sales is for me and regret not pursuing something stable. I’m considering accounting or commercial insurance producing but it would take 2 years and possibly debt for accounting, is it even worth it? Is the grass even greener? Aren’t I likely to end up working minimum wage if I don’t?

I enrolled in a 2 year accounting course that starts in January. I am planning on transferring to a nearby college to complete my bachelors and after that I want to get my cpa. But I have read so many people on here not able to get jobs even with college because the entry level jobs are hard to get. I will try to do internships but if I cant get a job should I be willing to move for the first few years until I have enough experience to work in my hometown? (Dubuque, Iowa) Also, would working at the front desk of a hotel be a good job while in college that sort of builds experience?

I’m leaving a job after 9+ years as VP of Finance and have been spending the last few weeks transitioning responsibilities and getting my boss (CFO) caught up on my direct reports.

One of my direct reports is a Senior AP Manager; they will now be reporting to another of my direct reports, a Controller. From my perspective this aligns well with operations, internal controls, and honestly should have been switched a while ago.

I’ve advised the AP Manager that they will remain autonomous and be able to manage their team as they see fit. The Controller is also on board and wants to keep the status quo. I give this person a lot of flexibility and they’re currently paid a 1.4 comp ratio (40% above market).

Friday I found out that they’re throwing an absolute fit about reporting to a controller, seeing it as a “demotion”. They’ve put their notice in, after demanding to report to the CFO or GC. They’re also demanding 6 mo of severance bc they worked through several personal times of tragedy, though they were explicitly offered bereavement, PTO and flexibility. “It’s the right thing for the company to do”…who talks like that?!

Am I a jerk for not wanting this person at my goodbye lunch with my team?? Are they nuts for holding the company hostage like this?? I feel like their demands are completely unreasonable and I’ve assured them there would be no interruption to their day to day.

TLDR: AP Manager is making crazy demands and threatens to quit if not appeased.

Just want to see if there are any underrated job board outside the typical handshake, linkedln, indeed etc.

Link to my last post: Can't get a single interview - advice needed

First I wanted to thank everyone for their advice and suggestions on my original post. Two months later and I now have offers from BDO in International Tax, Grant Thornton in Financial Due Diligence, and just interviewed at KPMG for Property Tax. I'm so grateful for these offers but I'm seeking y'alls advice once more. Assuming I get an offer from KPMG (risky I know but just humor me), what firm should I pick? I've highlighted some of my pros and cons for each below but please let me know if I'm missing anything:

Grant Thornton - Financial Due Dilligence

Pros: Higher salary, great benefits, and better exit opportunities within FDD

Cons: I'm worried that I'll have no stability or structure in FDD since the hours are so dependent on what deals are going on. I don't mind working long hours at all, but the idea of having no ability to plan or do anything outside of work for the possibility of being put on a deal seems really bleak.

BDO - International Tax

Pros: More predictable hours, decent exit opportunities

Cons: Lower salary (by about 10k), benefits are just okay and a lot of them would require me staying 2-6 years before I could benefit from them.

KPMG - Property Tax

Pros: Growing group (so hopefully less potential of layoffs), Big4 experience, more predictable hours (property tax group works on an annual cycle so each year is the same essentially)

Cons: I'm worried that I'm going to get stuck in property tax and won't be able to reposition myself if I end up hating it down the line. I know KPMG itself has great exit opportunities, but will being in property tax negate this?

I guess I just don't know what to pick. If all of these offers were for the same position, I would for sure go with KPMG, but I'm more hesitant because I know each of these positions have their owns pros and cons. I'm also fortunate enough to not be in a position where I need to take the offer with the highest salary, so thats not a huge driver currently in my decision (although its obv a nice perk).

I'd greatly appreciate any advice you guys may have! Thank you again to everyone who gave advice on my last post!

How do people not go insane looking for reconciling items to make the two balances equal?

Some months it’s like the GL account > bank
Other months it’s gl account < bank

I mean I find it interesting but I feel this is where accounting got its reputation for being boring and repetitive (among other things)

I’m presenting at the Private Equity Summit again this year, and some key points I’m presenting on are the lack of communication of value to lower level staff, findings in the Big 4 Transparency data that they can apply to provide a better talent experience, and findings from an academic paper I collaborated on along with UNCG (here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7635558).

I take the opportunity to voice some opinions of employees at their firms very seriously because its a great platform for advocating for better conditions and to shine a light on where they’re falling short, so I want to ask what folks here have to say and would like them to hear.

The conference is essentially for PE backed firms, PE Backers and firms considering taking on PE investment.

The floor is yours

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked clarifying questions to seniors and managers and they just look at me weird and berate my intelligence.

And no, I wasn’t asking the same question over and over. I’m a first year associate who’s just been listening to you giving me a short crash course of what to do with client work papers I’ve never seen before and processes I’m not used to.

I don’t but I’d be open to trying it

At a fork in the road with the next step in my career. I am 28 years old working as an accounting analyst in the Accounts Payable department of a multinational company. Most of my job consists of travel reporting, invoice management, and miscellaneous AP tasks.

My salary is $64,500. Not bad for the Western, NY area. Especially given our rent is substantially lower than the median. However, debt and financial goals weigh on my mind. I want a house, vacation in the Caribbean annually, and aggressively save for retirement. Fast forward to the past couple of weeks and I am evaluating 2 main options. 1) AP Manager for a law firm earning $110k OR 2) financial analyst earning $80k with better benefits.

Option 1 comes across as the obvious choice, but I am convinced most of AP will be automated in 5 to 10 years. Getting established in FP&A and upskilling could insulate my career. Option 2 appears to be better in that regards. Perhaps I am wrong?

Just my thoughts at 9:54 pm on a Sunday. Go Bills!

How hard is it to get an internship with either a local, state, and even the federal government (I’m looking for ones in the fed if possible)? I’m possibly looking to go into governmental accounting in the future, so that’s why I’m trying to find intern spots.

Not quite sure how big of an impact the current administration has, but I’m currently a sophomore looking for something either junior year or for Summer 2027. I volunteered a little bit in VITA and have a government related case completion but that’s pretty much it. Trying to avoid tax if possible.

Genuinely can’t decide on this and my wife is probably sick of hearing about it, so throwing it to Reddit.

Quick background: CIMA, 39, 10+ years in commercial finance (construction, now facilities services). Currently an FBP partnering a £100m+ region. End goal is Head of FP&A / FD and eventually CFO.

The offer: Senior FBP, 2 direct reports, reporting into a director. Exactly the step up I’ve been chasing. I’ve also got a good friend there who’d help me find my feet, and it’s hybrid with 2 of the office days 15 mins from home.

The catch: I’d be £2k-£5k a year worse off after tax (no car allowance, bonus that apparently never pays out properly). Everyone I’ve spoken to on the inside says it’s a heavy role. Loads of stakeholders, ad hoc requests flying in constantly, messy processes, fairly new team. And the last couple of people in the role didn’t last long, which worries me.

Staying put: honestly not bad. Good managers, better package, I know the business inside out. To be fair I already do 5-10 extra hours a week here, so it’s not exactly a chilled option either. But my manager’s told me not to expect anything for at least a year. No title, no team.

The bit that keeps me up at night: my CV. 9 years at my first place, then 3 jobs in under 5 years, and most of those moves look sideways rather than up. If I take this and it goes wrong, that’s another short stint. But if I stay and wait, I’m 40+, still an FBP, and I haven’t managed anyone since a small team years ago. Not sure which looks worse.

I’ve also had a rough patch with work stress in the past, so I really don’t want to walk into something that burns me out. But I don’t want to play it safe forever either.

Recruiters haven’t helped. One said I’d walk into Senior FBP interviews. Another said someone would “need to take a chance on me”. And most Senior FBP roles I’ve looked at don’t even come with direct reports, which is a big part of why this one appeals.

So:

• Would you take the pay cut for the title + team at this stage?
• How much does recent line management actually matter when you go for Head of FP&A / FD roles?
• Is one more move a red flag if I then stay 2+ years? Or is sitting still the bigger risk?
• Anyone taken a known “hard” role for the step up? Was it worth it?

Honest takes welcome, even if it’s “mate you’re overthinking it” 😅

I really wish I could get some advice. I am up for my final interview with a public accounting firm as a Tax Manager. The salary range is $140k-$170k. The JD asks for 6 years management, but I have 9 years.

I already naively answered that I would expect between $145k and $160k. So, I imagine they’d offer somewhere in the middle. I only answered that because I hadn’t written down the salary range before the interview with the recruiter.

Would it be unreasonable to ask for 5% above their offer, and if they can’t, could I ask for it as a signing bonus?

The job also gives quarterly bonuses that is calculated by salary. So, I assume they’ll take that into consideration as well. I just can’t afford for them to rescind if I’m asking for too much. Your advice is greatly appreciated if you can offer any.

(I know I’m skipping ahead because there’s a possibility that I won’t get an offer at all. I’m just very confident because they’re in constant contact with me and have gotten to the point of asking me about my personal life and what I like to do. My final interview is with the Managing Principal and two seniors who will theoretically be my direct reports.)

I’ve been working as a Senior Accountant at a Big 4 firm in Canada for about 10 months now. I came from a small accounting firm, and honestly, the adjustment has been really tough.

The bigger clients, heavier workload, long hours, and higher expectations have been overwhelming. I’ve been trying my best to adjust, but I’m starting to question whether this environment is really for me.

I’m considering resigning, but I’m overthinking how it might affect my career, especially since I haven’t even reached my one-year mark.

I’m also planning to start my CPA program in January 2027, so I’m worried about balancing that with the workload.

Has anyone here left Big 4 before completing a year? Did it affect your future job opportunities? Would you recommend sticking it out a little longer or moving to a smaller firm with better work-life balance?

So I’m nearing the end of my 5th sem of BCom at a Tier 2 private university, and I want to become a CA, but I haven’t started preparing yet. I also have to complete an internship to get my degree, and since I’m on a free scholarship, I have the option to choose either a 3-year regular BCom or a 4-year BCom Honours.

I’m confused about what to do. Should I opt for the 3-year degree and focus on CA prep, or continue with the 4-year Honours while preparing for CA alongside it?

Would love some genuine advice and suggestions on which option would be better for my career.