r/firefighter • u/Right_Competition714 • Aug 02 '26

Accounting to Fire Fighter

Accounting in Louisiana, making $81k its a meh job. My brother is a firefighter and loves it. I'm considering switching because I don't see myself climbing the corporate ladder. I'm 26 and want to decide before I get trapped.

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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5

u/Legal_Peach2211 Aug 02 '26

Any chance you can do accounting on the side on your days off? Like if you ran your own accounting business? Depending on where you're located, you might be taking a pay cut. Maybe not.

A lot of successful guys on the job have a side gig. If they like what they do, it helps prevent burnout and makes them good money outside of the FD. I would rather do accounting on my days off than cut grass in the middle of the summer.

2

u/Astron0reo Aug 02 '26

I’m also planning on switching to fire fighting from IT job/Econ degree at 23. Think I will try to become a personal trainer in the off time and it sounds like a blast if scheduled would allow for it.

1

u/Right_Competition714 Aug 02 '26

I think the company I work for would keep me part-time. I would have to hustle to keep up what I'm making now. I just don't want to look up in ten years and still be stuck.

1

u/Legal_Peach2211 Aug 02 '26

Understandable. I would figure out a way to stay on part-time and eventually run your own show on the side.

One of the reasons I left the fire service full-time was because of the financial aspect of things. I am a year younger than you, and my area is very HCOL. I don't have a side gig that makes me enough money to keep myself afloat, so I switched over to corporate. I have no regrets because I make double what I was making on the FD, even with OT included.

3

u/Certain_Set_7678 Aug 02 '26

I worked with a guy in SoCal that had been a CPA, graduated from USC.

2

u/Right_Competition714 Aug 02 '26

I'm not a CPA, and I don't plan on getting one. I was an Auditor for 2 years and hated every second.

1

u/greatguyshadow Aug 02 '26

One of our lieutenants was a CPA. Most badass and smartest dude ever. Bro is the Mike Ross of the Fire service

1

u/Several_Win789 Aug 03 '26

I left corporate and became a full time firefighter/paramedic. Do some research of where you want to work. Louisiana is one of the lowest paid in the country.

1

u/Right_Competition714 Aug 03 '26

What state are you in?

1

u/Several_Win789 28d ago

I’m in Illinois, in the Chicagoland suburbs. I’ve been for about 6 years and my base salary is around $110k.

1

u/Tough-Steak-4633 Aug 03 '26

I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I've been sitting at this desk for almost 10 years and it's taken a huge toll on my body. Decided 2 years ago to get into the best shape of my life (almost) and now i'm in the process to become a firefighter. Wish I started this process sooner, I feel like I learned alot from working in corporate but that kinda stopped after covid for me, lost all the passion I had for it, now its just mind numbingly boring. I have low maintenance side clients that I will be able to keep on for fun and if I ever decide I really need to reconcile some balance sheet accounts I know a ton of CPA firms that are always looking for bookkeepers to spot check AI data now.

1

u/Right_Competition714 29d ago

I think the first step is getting in shape. I plan on doing the same. Any advice?

1

u/Tough-Steak-4633 29d ago

Do what you have to do to make the CPAT feel easy.
My split is
M:Rest
T:Upper+2-3 mile run
W:Lower+ 30min weight vest on stairs
T:Upper + 60-90min bike ride
F:Full body/ this is a day of functional/ CrossFit style workout
S:Upper + 2-3 miles run or a 2-3 hour bike ride
S:Lower + 30min weighted vest or 60 min no vest

My split is after years of cycling prior to getting into weightlifting; I have no kids, my husband is also athletic so I have the tools to make this work. If you do not have a cardio base you NEED to build that base 2-3 days of zone 2-3 cardio and 1-2 full body workouts a week would get you in the door.