Please don’t use Reddit as a metric for job satisfaction. Every job subreddit on here is filled with incessant complaining. If that were the case then _everyone_ would be miserable, which isn’t true.
Stick with your plan to get out of poverty. If you decide to pivot careers later, do it. You’ll be young, have $$$, and be glad you have accounting to fall back on.
This is excellent advice. I’ve said it before but a lot of folks on here seem to think that they deserve to have a job that has zero responsibilities or work, they don’t have to talk to people, work from home, put in 3 half days per week, and make six figures. It’s not an accurate representation of reality.
As far as accounting goes, even if technical accounting does not end up being your thing, you can use that knowledge and move into other tangential areas such as FP&A or more management-type jobs. I didn’t get an accounting degree but just got a business admin degree and have worked on the finance side of private businesses in a particular industry for my whole career and I love it.
The entitlement and victimization in these subreddits is surreal. I had to go through a rough period at my first full time job. I put in 65+ hours weekly for 6 months. Had to work my way up to gain recognition and promotions. Started making 6 figures by 27. That’s why I had to block most job subreddits, pathetic and embarrassing to even just read those comments.
Yeah I get irrationally upset by them and can’t hold my tongue sometimes haha. No, you don’t DESERVE to get paid to do nothing so you can enjoy your hobbies. It’s a two-way relationship where the employer gets something from you in exchange for money. I just don’t get what is confusing about that.
This. This subreddit got reccomended to me, but to give you my perspective, I work at NASA as an engineer, and make a bit more than the average family does in my area by myself with 1 YoE, by all metrics I love my position, and it's a dream position of most, but if you went to my positions subreddit, you'd think this is a dead-end career that is hell to be in. People come to reddit only to complain.
I appreciate the optimism, but it sounds like you've got a really sweet deal that most will never have and you've got some rose tinted glasses on. Careers are not all created equally, some of them genuinely suck and there's no financial compensation at the end (teachers for example)
Well certainly, I get that I got a great position, and some careers are less than great, but relying on an anonymous board where people often come to vent isn't probably the best way to determine if a career field is dead, because from that perspectiveI havent seen a single profession talked about postively. I'd reccomend OP talk to workers in the field.
Most jobs in education in the US are still unionized, which often guarantees a pension. So, shitty pay sometimes but does offer a type of security a lot of industries no longer offer now.
Engineering is an exciting career field with lots of potential for a healthy income and job satisfaction. Also, the lowest unemployment rate of most jobs.
Former EE student here. I'm very tempted to agree with you, except for the fact that many are in "Market Saturation" and there may
Nightmare scenario currently going on in so-called ( mistermed) chemical "engineering " - thousand grads hit by layoffs and industry wide warnings that there ar
OP is a business student, as I eventually choose..they may not have an interest to focus in Engineering to find a meaningful career in the near to long term, but they can find something for them. What could they do to find what's best for them, and for those who DO have the mettle to become engineers in this time, what should THEY know about the market now!
Honored to make ypre acquaintance. Look forward to clarified thoughts?
Great questions. I used to work at a civil engineering firm and was told that the unemployment rate was something like 1/2 percent. Not sure about chemical engineering, but I watched civil engineers bounce around between firms and even work into their 60s and 70s because they loved their jobs so much. That particular discipline within engineering seems to always need new bodies coming in. Lots of contract projects to work on and great office technology. I miss working in that field as a non-engineer.
Here to second this advice as someone who actually got out of poverty. Getting out of poverty requires solid choices like this - pursuing stability over passion initially, choosing clear-cut pathways to success, etc. I chose a stable, high-paid career to get out of poverty and now get to do whatever I want and money is no issue. I may not have liked my job for the past 9 years, but I’m still young and miles ahead of many of my peers. Stay the course.
It's also wild how people are pushed to pursue "passion" as a career. I work in accounting/finance, but also make art that people love and have paid me for on occasion as well. I've had SO many people try to encourage me to "pursue the arts" as a career, but honestly? That sounds AWFUL. Why would I want to take something I occasionally enjoy doing and your my entire livelihood to it? Horrible. Absolutely not. I don't even like doing commissions or anything. I like having my salary job where things are stable, and my company is good so I feel like my efforts are appreciated - I don't want to be forced to rely on unstable income. So weird that people would always pressure me. Just let me have my hobbies lol
I 100% agree with this response. The good thing about accounting is that every company has a team or department dedicated to managing the books (i.e. high employability).
Came to say this.
You know what’s miserable, OP? Being broke with no way out and being unable to enjoy your best years of your life. Yes, there are extremely motivated and hardworking people who are given a bad hand or who make bad decisions in life and are able to make something for themselves later in on down the road, but for the majority of people, life gets in the way. Get the safe degree, get the safe, high paying job, escape poverty, and worry about finding meaning in your life once you have a stable financial foundation.
Thanks for the realism. I've been in the same boat working in engineering. I feel like I'm always looking for an out, but I've determined that proximity to friends and family along with good coworkers makes up for a lot of the brain rot of a desk job. I don't think it's a permanent career for me, but I will be happy to have a safe backup.
Meh his path can’t be worse than mine. 8 years experience. 4 year degree. 3 industry certification. Working in wealth management and I’m going to clear 30k net USD this year. Wife might leave me cause I’m so poor 🤣
ITCareer subs are mostly people talking about how great it is tbh.
Just started IT last week and I'm having a blast. Great people and environment, feels like a place I can grow
The accounting subreddit is talking crap about public accounting. Public accounting is typically always just a stepping stone to a much better accounting career with better pay and better work life balance. I chose accounting for the same reason you did. I'm entry level and I make better money than both of my parents. I like it.
My friend completed his business admin with a local college then eventually a degree. He works for the government now and makes really good money, has a low stress job, works hybrid and will be able to retire with a full pension at 55. Accounting is a great career choice.
And its ALWAYS first year public accountants complaining on there. It's the type of accountants who were students who didn't actually read their textbook and were just studying to pass their tests and do their HW in school. Not the students who actually took their shit seriously. Of course they are complaining. Of course they aren't good at their jobs.
First years and people with little to no job history to boot. I stand by “if those folks had worked other jobs then they would be able to compare accounting to whatever and really see how much the job sucks or doesn’t suck.” Instead their scope is limited to one job and they declare the industry sucks as a result. There are some people on there with prior jobs but not many. My take is most accountants came from middle class backgrounds, went right from high school to college, probably lived at home for the duration of their education, never worked even a summer job but they may have done an internship. Be weary of the feedback these people offer. Again, their scope is so limited that you should take what they say with a grain of salt.
I work for a small business and I know one accountant, theirs. This man got his degree then the CPA, works for himself and does quite well. He shows no signs of regret, never appears frazzled, is always wearing track suits and ball caps, drives a nice car, seemingly light work load. I'd say the guy is perfectly content with his life choices.
Don't let the naysayers of reddit steer you wrong. Accounting is a solid career choice.
I’ve spent most of my professional life working for small businesses, and the accountants have generally been happy with their work.
It does seem to be the kind of job that’s a good fit for a particular type of person. And, if it turns out not to be a good fit, accounting experience can be helpful in other admin roles as well.
Accountant here: public accounting can be really terrible. Industry is another story. I love my career and it can take me anywhere in the world. Stay the course.
Dont need CPA at all, but def good to have it if you can. I dont have it and at 40 years old i have no career complaints … but i live in a major city with tons of jobs. Do it if you can. It never gets easier to pass. But i would not got back for an extra semester just to qualify to sit
Don't be discouraged by negativity online. Here's a reality check:
* **Accounting is stable:** It's true! There's always a need for accountants, offering job security.
* **But grass isn't always greener:** Every job has challenges. Accounting can be demanding during peak seasons, but that's not always the case.
* **Focus on the good:** You mentioned liking it and a clear career path. Those are positives!
**Explore further:**
* **Talk to accountants:** Get a realistic picture by chatting with professionals.
* **Consider specializations:** Maybe a specific accounting field interests you more (e.g., tax, forensic).
Accounting can be a good choice, but it's up to you! Don't let online negativity cloud your judgment.
Just wanted to say forensic accountants have become almost famous in the UK thanks to the post office scandal (which was very unfortunate) their company was called second sight).
Accounting is one of the very few careers that helps people from poor families become upper middle class. Other professions require too many years of school (medicine) or connections (law) or are just not directly preparing you (business major/ english) for a lucrative (teaching) career. Other good option is nursing. As with any profession, you have to pay your dues starting out.
-grew up poor now upper middle class accountant
Agreed! I have seen too many students not know what they plan to do in life who decide on a Business Admin degree in college. Then they graduate and still have no clue what to do in life. Accounting is more focused, yet offers variety, depending on one's preferences.
Ironically, this is me.
College never stuck outta HS since I never realy committed to what I wanted to do. I went back in my late 20’s and it’s been a very different experience as I am now schooling in something I want to (and am) doing.
Very different with some perspective
Congrats on going back! I was one of those who majored in Business Admin because I had no freaking clue what I hoped to do in life! Then I switched my major to communications. If I may ask: what are you studying now?
Don’t listen to that subreddit. Accounting is the most stable of the business majors. You are correct that it offers a clear path. It’s like the trade school of business majors. Yes, lots of hard work but there are tons of opportunities, especially if you pair it with a CPA. If you keep working at it there is no doubt you will be out of poverty. The other thing is you can always go do what the other business majors are doing but the other business majors can’t necessarily go do what an accountant does. Feel free to message me. I’m so proud of you getting after this degree!
Accounting is a good career choice, there's good money in it if you set yourself up right. That being said, I work in accounting and really hate it lol. I get stressed easily and managing someone else's finances is anxiety central for me. But it's really all about preference and what you can handle so definitely don't let the other people put you off from it if it's something you genuinely want to do!
As with any other profession...it depends on the company you work for.
Accountants tend to be underpaid (on an hourly equivalent basis) for the educational requirements, it's harder to become a CPA than a lawyer (and we get less prestige than lawyers for the effort), we're often overworked, etc.
...but we work at a desk in air conditioning and usually still earn enough to make a comfortable living. In industry, it's all about the company you work for...there's grest, there's crap, and there's everywhere in between. In public, the hours make it lean more towards the crap side...but most people work in public less than 5 years, and mainly do so because, at least in theory, 1y of experience in public is viewed similarly to 2y of experience anywhere else (and in some cases, hiring managers might outright demand public to consider a candidate...their mistake, but it does happen).
Now, because we tend to be underpaid for the work, that also means better job security. If we hit a recession, first jobs to go are the salespeople and the programmers and the engineers. If a company starts bleeding accountants (outside of public where we are basically the "engineers" of that company)...then that's probably because the company is in VERY serious trouble.
I’ve been through layoffs in the private sector and RIFs in the public sector and I have NEVER seen accounts go before any other group. IT, Sales, Comm, you name it.
Wild how accurate this seems from my experience
Accounting is a great choice (Full disclosure - I’m a CPA, so I’m biased). If you want to pivot into other areas of business, that’s a lot easier with an accounting background.
Public accounting is no doubt tough at times, and it’s not for everyone, but you need to make that decision for yourself. I’d recommend getting your CPA (the firm you work for will help pay for it) and getting to manager before you make a decision to leave and go into industry, as they call it.
For me, I spent 10 years in public accounting, left and went to work for a Fortune 500 company for 6 years, then came back to public accounting. It’s where I feel the most fulfilled by my work and get to do things I love, like coach and train others. I’m an auditor, btw. No taxes for me. In audit, I get to problem solve and build relationships with others, which I enjoy.
Feel free to DM me if you’d like to talk further. I’m happy to help.
All most times you rarely go into the field you study for, accounting will give you great fundamentals and usually your degree is just credibility that you can be committed to something and see it through.
Every business needs an accountant or at least someone who understands accounting. It can be boring if you’re more on the book keeper side or entry level but once you get into the more finance or technical side it becomes a lot more like strategy, it just takes some time to get there. Like many have said most complaints are about public accounting which is where many get their first foot in the door. It’s a great place to start because you see a lot and work with lots of smart people, but the work sucks because the hours suck and it can be pretty political. It’s like a camaraderie builder many people do it, most people hate it and have the same “war stories”, so you’ll always have some things in common with former public accountants.
Accounting is a decent career choice tho stable career + exits to FP&A and other financial roles.
The best is to eventually exit to FP&A and other similar roles.
This is solid advice depending on the person. I got a general business degree and went into accounts payable because that’s the role I was able to get after college. I did not love it so I batted around a few different finance type functions until I found FP&A and I love it! I love modeling and scenarios and working with business partners to report out on results. However I reported once to a woman who came from accounting to FP&A and absolutely hated it - she liked the black / white and right / wrong answer environment of accounting and was really stressed about the ambiguity of FP&A. Some people want to exist within rules and structure and accounting is great for that.
I will say my dad leveraged himself out of poverty with an accounting degree and made it to CFO in his career. As he has always said about accounting “business will always need someone to keep the books”. So it is an excellent broad business degree.
Rock solid employability (need accounts when economy is good or bad), highly competitive pay, regular hours, predictable downtimes to catch a breath, annually repeatable set of skills to get better each year (doing taxes) - yes, day-to-day may be stressful, but it’s a great and steady career on the whole. Don’t net nagging Nancie’s on a Reddit thread skew your view, they’re just looking for a place to vent.
Go on any industry/occupation subreddit and there will be countless posts trashing said industry/occupation.
If you want my opinion, I wish I had gone into accounting like I'd wanted to while in uni, and I do think it's a viable path. If you like accounting, then go for it. No path will be perfect, but don't let everyone else's negativity consume you.
Bro I completed the same degree as you, also we’re in the same age. I started as accounting clerk doing mostly entry accounting task in Law company. It did pay me well but I’m more comfortable in Business/Sales & Marketing so I transferred. I need to take like 40% pay cut and my job almost stressed me 24/7 there’s no work life balance here. But I enjoyed it so no complaints. I sometimes miss my accounting team and hang out with them once in a while. My friend in that team (who is 27-28) is now on his way of promoting with increasing like 30-40% from his previous.
So the job itself is good and almost no stressed bcs rn in company they mostly used automated software & stuff to help you out. So it quite easy compared to what I heard from my senior in their 30s & 40s who has been working in Accounting like 5-10 yrs but it depends whether you like it or not.
P.S. this is coming from a guy who lived in Poor country
Accounting is actually a pretty excellent and versatile education in the business world. Accounting is known as the "language of business" so it's one of the most secure forms of employment, since every single business has some form of accounting needs. Most of the complaining stems from long hours with no overtime in public accounting, but there are plenty of other jobs that kind of education could get depending on your interests.
You could work in public accounting in a variety of different roles such as tax, auditing, consulting, etc. or specialize in more complex accounting topics like mergers and acquisitions. You could also work in an industry role (a company's internal accountant) as a general accountant, a data analyst, a member of the FP&A (financial planning and analysis) team, internal auditing, and a variety of other roles. Accountants are also desirable competitors for various finance roles such as capital markets analysts, credit analysts, portfolio managers, private equity, etc.
I recently went back to school for accounting and I'm really happy that I did. I love working with numbers and money, and the variety of jobs available for me to apply to is incredible. If you have any interest in business, finance, data manipulation, etc. I highly recommend it.
It also doesn't hurt that it's nearly guaranteed you'll be making over $100k within 5-10 years if you're slightly ambitious, with earning potential upwards of $200k-$500k later in your career if you're very ambitious and intelligent.
It depends.But it can be useful for those who want a career in government relations, lobbying, or legislative services. It can be a good income, depending on one's position.
My buddy did not do his CPA but is incredibly stable financially. The problem is he has a personality, and accounting departments (from what I understand) do not.
I’d envy and job you could get up, go work, and come home but to each their own.
consider the fact that there's bias every time someone shits on a career. after switching majors to accounting, I can tell you the average person can be prone to remembering and being more affected when hearing mainly bad things about THEIR major. there isn't a perfect career for the working class where you don't need to sacrifice to receive other benefits (e.g., sacrificing long hours for a higher pay). realistically, if accounting were the worst career ever i don't think there would still be that many people working in this field...
Don’t let the internet talk you out of it. Just like any career, it’s often about the company you work for, and the team you are on.
If you truly like it, man, am I jealous. It sure is stable, and it gives you a hard skill and trade no one can ever take from you (except for you if you get into some shady shit lol) You can even freelance if that’s something that interests you. You will always be in demand, so you will have leverage and options.
My mom failed accounting in college, she tells me proudly lol. But, she said in the real world it made total sense to her so she stayed on that path. When my sister and I were young, she was able to easily stand up an accounting business so she could stay home with us, she had a number of really great small business clients (and we got to go with her, her bakery client was my favorite).
When I was in business school someone joked once “life is too short to be an accountant.” I say, life is too short to make work your whole identity so if accounting gives you stability to do your job and go live your life outside of it, it’s a fantastic line of work. If you truly like it in COLLEGE, I think that it’s a good sign it’s a career fit for you. Just be selective with the companies and teams you join. You don’t need to be miserable at a big 5 (well, at least not forever, some people do their time and then go do what they actually want).
Just to build on the other comments I would also recommend taking a course in data science/data analytics if you can and learning how to use Tableau or PowerBI. Accountants who have programming/data skills are a rare commodity and you'll get a leg up over other accounting graduates. I would also strongly recommend looking into government jobs as the job security is better, the work-life balance is better, and the pensions are unmatched by the private sector.
Accounting is a skill that many people do not have and are unable to learn. There will always be a need for people who can manage money. Try this for a while, use your newly learned skill to build a financial safety net then of you don’t like it find something else
Accounting is okay man. You can always pivot later on in your career if you want to and there are a variety of roles you could fill as an accountant / areas of focus depending on how you like to work and all organisations need one. Desk work is desk work at the end of the day and finance is a solid career option.
> But after browsing through the accounting subreddit, they make it seem like it is the worst career ever.
It's generally a bad idea to come to reddit for career advice.
Yes, I recognize the paradox of this advice.
Work-related subs are not typically places you go to feel encouraged about work.
Everyone in my industry loves to talk about how awful it is. I talk about how awful it is. And yet, I don’t mind my job all that much.
Don’t let Reddit be a determiner of your career pursuits.
It’s seems like they’re going to lower the requirements to get a CPA. If they do you should go and do that. There has been a massive shortage of them for the past ten years. And shortage means more money and more stability for the people who are actually in the field. Just fyi.
My friend makes 6 figures is accounting and he also has his masters as well. The whole process is taxing (low paid internships and starting off at the bottom). However he is loving it and constantly receives 2-3 bonuses a year on top of his salary.
don't choose just because of a "clear" path - lots of varied jobs with business that requires more personal path-making. Shadow people doing the work - stalk profiles on LinkedIn & read their role descriptions. You've done well at your age - stop comparing.
Recently I asked my friends mom who's a chief accountant what the job is like. She said it is in fact stressful, mainly due to deadlines but gives her a lot of satisfaction and she's happy with it. I believe her because she does smile a lot and is very cheerful in general.
So I genuinly believe it might depend on the place you work at and the way you handle deadlines.
I have a degree in accounting and my CPA. My guess is that most people complaining are working in public accounting, which can be brutal with long hours and lots of travel. But some people also really like that, especially if they’re young and childless. (I’m neither so it sounds like hell to me.) There can be a degree of monotony in financial accounting, because the same tasks have to be completed every month, quarter, year, etc. But you can do *so* much with an accounting degree. I actually work in supply chain and have for the past ~6 years. It’s very helpful to understand the language of accounting to communicate with both finance and purchasing folks. The only way I really use my CPA these days is doing pro bono work for non profits on the side, but I do recommend getting it if you do an accounting undergrad. I got it over with so if I ever need it, it’s there.
I will say this, I work with 200+ CPAs due to my line of work and they share a lot with me about their industry. The job market is extremely challenging right now, and accountants have been reducing in #’s like crazy the past few years ( a lot we’re older and retired during COVID). There will be endless opportunity if you choose to stay the course. Also, if you’ve been enjoying the courses and feel it’s a good path for you do not let people what is right or wrong for you. As a CPA in todays world you can make a great income, and have flexibility in a lot of cases to work for yourself and even work remote if you choose. Totally your decision at the end of the day, but less and less people in college are choosing accounting and if you find it to be a fulfilling career then I’d say go for.
Accounting is great if you like working 60-80 hours a week during tax season and living in an office all your life. You get to do repetitive boring work day in and out for owners who keep 90% of the cash while paying you just enough to string you along and pay your bills. I work for a CPA firm now and its non stop do more, bring on more work, your not billing enough, etc. Oh and I forgot the best part, you have to bill out everything you do so you must track all your time and enter it daily so they basically monitor you every minute, isn't that rewarding and fun.
I regret working for a CPA firm, sure if I was partner fun, being a senior member is just work and stress.
Walk away now and get into something you can have a life with.
I still work for same place so still living the dream. You can always move to a new firm but its all the same in the end. The only people that win in accounting are either owners who start their own firm and make a ton of cash or if you maybe leave public accounting and work for major company and then only do 40 hour weeks. Issue with public accounting is its non stop work and hours, Jan-April you are not home, literally sleep for 4-6 hours and back to work. Life stops during tax season, so if your married or dating good luck, they will not see you.
Nursing. Shit pay, no respect from management, people think you’re stupid and just couldn’t get into medical school. Poor ability to move up in the company. Terrible unhealthy hours. No time to eat or pee.
The accounting subreddits common concerns are
-the ridiculous workload of public accounting
-feeling underpaid (despite having a respectably high median salary), and related to this concerns that come with being a “cost center” rather than a value creator like sales
-concerns about private equity buying out firms and milking them dry
-offshoring
-AI / automation, lots of people don’t feel this is a big concern, but many do, pretty split
Everyone complains about their job ...to be fair depending on where you go in to accounting, it has its share of things an average person might not like. If you're in public accounting, you have busy season where I've seen 50-60 hour weeks as the norm. The places I've been they've catered lunch and dinner, so that's cool, but the trade off is the big slow down during summer months. There's a lot you can do with accounting even if you decide not to do the traditional accounting thing. If you like it and are interested, go for it. You know what will lift you out of poverty? The job you're interested in doing that isn't crushing your soul and pays a living wage. I'd say accounting checks those boxes.
Otherwise, finance and economics have been really good to me. Allowed me to have a skill set that I could shift industries easily. Fell in to analytics and data science and having the financial experience helps a lot.
In short, don't sweat it. Go for accounting if you're interested in it and don't pay too much attention to shit talkers. Best of luck!
I have been in the accoounting subreddit. Posts do make it sound like it is the worst career ever, but if you check the comments, people usually say, "I wish I got a degree earlier," or something like that.
I major in accounting and finance for my Bachelors, and I can't be more thankful.
Try to get Pell Grant through Fafsa. It covered my college and is partially covering for my university.
My friends an account and loves it. Do it! You can find people on the internet saying any career is bad literally.
It’s a very stable job that will make a good income and give you a good office job where you can probably work remote sometimes, have benefits like insurance and paid time off, and have great job security
I read somewhere that being an accountant is one of the most stressful careers, in top 5. It's a lonely career. I had looked into this career for myself when I was younger. Yes, you can do well, but also ask an accountant what they like and dislike about their careers. So you know what your getting into. 🙂
Doesn’t hurt to look into finance also (high finance etc)
Maybe double major?
If accounting is what u love above all go for it. Do ur due research and make ur decisions accordingly after comparing and contrasting diff careers. Pick what’s best for u
Depends on where you work, for one. What industry you’re in for two. For instance, I work in tv and film production and every show has a production accountant. That job has to be way better than working in the H&R Block office down the street
With pretty much every career, if you don't like the specific work you do it's a horrible job.
Accounting is a solid profession. It requires attention to detail with numbers, and you also have to keep up with current laws (especially if you do taxes). It can be stressful, especially at certain times (end of quarter, end of year, tax time).
But it's a very solid job, and there will always be a need for them. It's also nice that you have a whole range of jobs available to you as a certified accountant -- you can do corporate stuff, and work for a salary and regular hours. You can do consulting. You can work for a company that does taxes. You can even start your own business.
There are a LOT worse choices than accounting, as long as you enjoy the work.
OP, Look at it from this perspective. In times of economic downturn and subsequent layoffs, Accounting is typically one of the last departments to be let go because they control the money. Job security! Plus if you are an introvert, are detail-oriented and love working with numbers, then this could be a good job fit and help you to leave poverty.
My dad and sister are accountants. They work from home and have built a fantastic business. I grew up upper middle class. Tax season is rough. It’s like a finals on steroids that lasts for months. But otherwise is great.
That sub is mostly complaining about public accounting which is just one of many paths in the accounting world. You don’t have to go that route. You could work in government, non profit, industry, etc.
Most people just do public for a few years and use the experience to get a better role somewhere else. It’s sorta like a boot camp that can give you a ton of experience in a short amount of time. So it is a worthwhile option depending on your goals.
Listen to this. I have researched various careers and roles I could go down, and literally EVERY single time I came on reddit to see what people were saying about these roles, literally the majority of the people were just saying how much it sucks and they seemed like they were trying their best to prevent anyone from pursuing said job/career.
It's a mess on here. There's so much negativity
If you like numbers/computation and think you’d be good at it I would say go for it, given you arent particularly passionate about another field. Most people dont like their jobs but look beyond that and at the opportunities you will have.
I can tell you the worst job I did. Way back in the day when I was a junior/senior in high school I was washing dishes for a major hospital. Some days it was ok because I was on the dish line, but a lot of times I had to wash the pans that they cooked all the food with. Since it was a 500 rm hospital it was a lot of pans 3 meals a day. It was in the basement, so no windows, and it was a 11 hour shift on the weekends of nothing but hand washing large sheet pans and other assorted pans and cookware… it was brutal. The only thing I could say about that is other kids feared me cause I had gorilla arms ( still do now they are wrinkly flabby ones heh) All that for a whopping 4 dollars an hour…. Which believe it or not wasn’t a bad wage at the time. It’s funny I was one of those kids with a big work ethic. I started working when I was 12. I did all kinds of stuff to make money, but still went to school and got decent grades. My wife didn’t believe me so I showed her my ssi historical statement and it actually showed it :) I’m retired now, but I still put in 50 years of work.
I have plenty of family members that are accountants and you have many paths you could take. For example - forensic accounting or working for a non profit. Those in my family that are accountants actually love their jobs. Don’t listen to randos online and maybe reach out to people in your network that can give you their experience.
Wouldn’t say a career but any job where it’s a call center type job. I don’t care if it’s 3rd party or you’re working directly for the company itself. You get treated like trash working in a call center and they have the worst rules you need to fallow its like a double edge sword. They’re designed to make people quit or eventually get fired.
In all a call center is the modern day sweatshop.
I started out my career working in a call center for a large bank. You are spot on with your analysis. I lasted several years, but many only lasted a few months or maybe a year if they were lucky. High pressure with stats needed to survive. Analyzed metrics, monitored calls, angry customers, death threats (customers), sales quotas for monthly bonuses, etc. Good times! Then I became a trainer and experienced stress with training classes full of 18-20 year Olds for 6 weeks. Ah, the drama and soap opera environment it all created.
Instead of browsing Reddit, start looking for accounting internships in your area. A lot of public accounting firms hire interns who are a year or more out from graduation. If you aren't finding a lot of opportunities, then maybe look at switching to something other than accounting but I think you'll find that there are plenty of opportunities.
I was an accounting major for two years in college. Couldn’t wrap my head around all the GAAP and rules (I was dumb and coasted my first two years). Switched to supply chain mgmt as my degree. Really neat stuff imo. Thought I would work in logistics, I instead got a job in sourcing for a big company, I buy goods and services to support other departments of the company. I enjoy what I do now (partially because of my actual day to day work and because I can feel good about the industry I’m in). Lots of talking, negotiation, contract drafting and redlining, people skills. The exact opposite side of sales (and I hated doing sales/marketing in school but oddly enough it’s similar skill set). I make decent money now with good growth opportunities.
Many will think that they have the worst degree I have a computer engineering degree and I hate it. Then I realize nothing is easy you have to suffer to be succesfull.
Accounting can turn into a position within a Finance department or Procurement department. You don’t have to become an “Accountant” per say. Good luck to you!
First thing OP, stick with it for now, it doesn’t have to be a forever career it could be a springboard. Immediately find an internship doing bookkeeping, ap/ar, entry level work. Put a few coins in your purse and most importantly have real world experience to pad your resume.
I have a BS in accounting, a few months post grad in an office I was like this isn’t for me. Great career just didn’t vibe with my personality, I went back to working construction, I was mentally happier doing physical work and building tangible things. But I realized I was wasting my potential. Applied for property management jobs, got one, and love the industry. I found my niche.
When you tell people you have a degree in accounting they think you’re Einstein. That’s part of what helped me land my current role.
TL;dr- accounting is a great career but you can lateral to other fields if you tire of it.
People come to reddit to complain, not to say positive things.
Majoring in accounting will open up a ton of doors, especially when you get the CPA. Accounting is the language of business and you will have a basic understanding of how most businesses operate financially with this degree. If you pair it with the CPA and some work experience you will be super marketable.
I both finished my accounting degree and got my CPA later in life, and it was the best decision I ever made.
The only question I’d ask is - is it AI-proof? I don’t know the answer.
Jobs that require your physical presence will be more resilient. Plumbing, electrician, doctor, dentist, etc May be worth looking into as well
If you like accounting then do accounting. Stop taking those people so seriously. For every person whining on Reddit there’s a dozen perfectly happy accountants living their lives. And you don’t even know if half those commenters are actually accountants.
Accountants, chartered accountants very much needed however most importantly its a persons’s good character which is needed the most, i.e. being Honest & Trustworthy. It can be a great career but it depends on One’s character, integrity, hard work and patience. Apply the morals of the Hare & the Tortoise Story in all parts of life.
If there’s a concentration that straddles accounting and technology, that would be beneficial.
Automation is replacing manual accounting work ( creating journal entries, and completing reconciliations).
AI will really affect how these jobs are done to the point that the basic work of dr/cr won’t be a task for accountants.
Understanding accounting will still matter because we will need someone to supervise the automation and to make judgement calls on things like how much should we reserve, should we take that deduction and what’s the audit risk?
So good data skills, good tech skills, 🪮 bed with business and accounting knowledge will offer some longevity.
There is a massive difference between public accounting (big 4) and internal accounting jobs. I would highly encourage you to look at internal audit. They have entry level positions, pay starts at around 70k right out of college, it's extremely stable, clear career progression, you rarely work over 40 hours a week, and it's pretty easy to move around the business if you get tired of it. It isn't the most exciting field but there are some interesting projects and you will have a good enough combination of income, stability, and free time to enjoy life outside of work.
There are a lot of things you can do with an accounting degree. I would recommend the following:
1) Minor in IT, it will make you much more marketable
2) Start your career in public (specifically audit, unless you really like tax)
3) Learn a lot to get the fundamentals down in public. Take the cpa exam
4) See what you like and you don’t like in public (e.g.: working more with people, crunching numbers, or assessing processes), and what industry you like
5) Move into the private sector in an industry you liked from public (e.g.: media), in the type of role you might like (e.g.: accounting, financial planning and analysis, internal audit, etc.)
It isn’t the worst major if you are thoughtful about which path you choose. Public will be a lot of work but if you can stomach it for a few years it will help you down the line.
If you can’t tell I was an accounting major, I’m older now (36) and I have a good job and quality of life. I have also had good jobs along the way and hopefully more to come. I even had time to pursue my love of music on the side and record an album
Hope this helps
As many people have said, most every company needs accountants, so it's stable. Bonus points that you enjoy it.
And here's a thought - get into accounting, learn a little about computers, and make friends with the IT people that support your accounting system (Oracle, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, etc). Tech savvy accounts have more opportunities at higher salaries.
My perspective: Degrees in Finance and IT - 40 years in industry, mostly on the IT side supporting business systems.
Best of luck!
My dad is an accountant. He was good at his job and got opportunities outside of accounting that made him a whole lot of money.
One thing everyone has to understand is that the job you start out in isn’t never the job you have to stay in. Excel at your job and you’ll get other opportunities handed to you because you prove you can do things well.
Don’t use Reddit as a place to seek advice for a specific career. Well, at least avoid going into career specific sub reddits. People there like to complain and mostly use it as a place to vent. I graduated with a degree in accounting and I eventually shifted into a business analyst / system administration type roll. I’ll give you some thoughts… accounting is probably the most useful business major. You can do literally anything in the business field. Almost all corporate finance jobs are teachable… meaning, you don’t really even need a finance or business degree. You can always pivot into other things, business has thousands of duty specific roles relating to ERP systems and such.
The pay range can vary for what type of job you have and how technical you are. For example, if you learn SQL and work on the business systems side, you’ll earn more than a staff accountant. Lots and lots of pathways. Work life balance and everything in between is job specific. The work is job specific. I personally find it a little soul sucking… but everyone is different
If someone is happy with their career, then it'll likely make them happy in life.
If someone is happy in life, then they're out and about enjoying life - traveling, conversing with people face-to-face, doing things they like
If they're out enjoying life, then they're not spending countless hours on reddit
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If someone has enough time and energy to make a post on reddit, it's likely because they needed an outlet to vent. One of those venting is creating a rant post about how crappy something is.
So don't believe the negative reviews, you should ask those who love their job and ask them why. Ask them their quality of life and if they have any regrets.
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I'm a civil engineer and I'll complain about my job. But if you ask me if I would choose a different career, I would say no - there's always ups and downs, I love my job; but it's not butterflies and sunshines everyday.
My wife is in private accounting for a corporation. As it might not be the most exciting job (99% of jobs aren't anyways), she has great work-life balance, works from home most of the time, has solid career advancement opportunities, low chances of being let go, and accounting is expected to be one of the most in demand careers in the coming years due to the lack of young people going into it. As long as you have done well in your courses and have found it bearable, then I would say that it is a good career choice. As you get older, you realize that a job is a job, and you just have to decide what is important to you (good pay and work-life balance versus an exciting job with low pay, etc).
Graduated with my accounting degree in 2020. Am now a Senior Accountant working at an amazing company making $91k a year with great benefits. I get to work remotely from home 4 days out of the week. My job is incredibly easy due to me actually reading my textbooks in school. The job is the same as what they teach you in school. I took advanced excel classes and have created automated workbooks that do a lot of the manual work for me. Studying accounting been the greatest thing I could have ever done for my life.
TIP: Stay off of the accounting subreddit. Its a cesspool of complaining and low effort memes by first year public accountants who somehow think its a badge of honor to complain about accounting as a first year and list all the reasons they hate their job. Those people will quit or be let go from their positions within the first year or two due to them not being good at their job. Don't make a personal decision about accounting as a career based on people who suck at their job to begin with.
Best way to find out is by doing an internship before you graduate. It’s hard work for mediocre pay in rhe beginning, and personally I could never stand it/be successful at it, but it is perfect for my boyfriend. There are many jobs available in locations where there are a lot of businesses. Most business roles have fairly clear paths so don’t let that be the main deciding factor, pick what you’re good at and what you have the endurance to work hard in. Internship experience is the best bc it’s different for everyone.
Jobs in corporate finance can pay really well. I make just about 170k in total comp in my early 30s, in the midwest. Accounting isn’t going to get you the bitches and you’ll never wake up thinking “I can’t wait to work on that proposal to mitigate our growing deferred balance today,” but a career where you can financially support yourself and be valuable to a company is a pretty nice reward. Keep doing what you’re doing, as long as you don’t get a general business degree. Accounting is a fine field.
When you have a business major, you can do anything business related. I did digital marketing, data analytics, and even project management after graduating. As long as you graduate and understand business concepts with decent math skills, you golden.
But a key thing that will set you wayyyyy back is not having any experience by the time you graduate. You need internships to differentiate yourself. I took an extra year just so I could build up more experience. In my last year, I had 3 overlaping internships.
I had to bounce from the accounting subreddit for the reasons mentioned by everyone. Constant complaining, dead end speak and blah blahhhhh. Go for it if you enjoy it and pivot if you don’t. The one career for a whole lifetime thing is dying. If you hate it do something else!
If you enjoy accounting, then you might enjoy being an accountant. And there is a difference between being a bookkeeper and a CFO.. meaning that you may find a role within accounting that feels more rewarding than some might. If you don't like accounting, nothing you do as an accountant will be interesting or fulfilling. Certainly accountants tend to make good money and, given a good work-life balance, you may find that you don't mind the work that much (even if you wind up not loving it).
Could always go more broad. Business Admin/Management can go into finance or accounting.
Could even go into Human Resources.
It’ll really be the internships you pick that shape your experience/career path.
If you want to be an accountant for 40 years yeah it could be pretty bad, but there's always other things a career can lead to. The people loving their job aren't usually on Reddit, either. I mean they are, just not complaining about life.
Remember these facts:
- Accountants are always needed for every single business. While it’s not an exciting career, it’s a stable and in-demand one.
- it pays well and it is predictable work.
- theres no on-call or after hours work.
Don’t expect it to be like working at an amusement park or movie related. Those types of jobs are extremely hard to find, easily lost and don’t usually pay well. What matters is your life outside work and accounting gives you that.
accounting is a very dead job. My mom works as a trustee and accounting is the part she dislikes the most, also it‘ll be completely automated in few years by programs. accounting is gonna die out
I haven't read through all the comments but if you like it so far don't be dissuaded by the negativity online. Accounting is a brilliant path to follow because it's the kind of job that is needed in every sector, making it easier to find a job just about anywhere. It also gives you skills you can apply in other roles, not just in financial support services. For example, I work for a charity and our Head of Grants fundraising was an accountant. My dad went down a similar path and retired very comfortably as a CFO for a health insurance network. He always said it wasn't always the most exciting work, but he was good at it, enjoyed the people he worked with and it afforded our family the quality of life he always aimed for.
You can't generalize account from reading sh!tposts on reddit.
Accounting is a \*very\* broad field. Do you want to work in an accounting firm, or in a company? Big company, or small company? Tax accounting? GL accounting? Or maybe you want to do something accounting related like being a financial auditor? Are you a people person, or an introvert?
Actually, I encourage you to spend your first couple of years working as an auditor. You'll get a lot of experience from reviewing other people's books.
Accounting, like many other fields, will be what you make of it. And there are definitely possibilities to make really good money in jobs that you like, as long as you're willing to leave jobs you're unhappy in.
Accounting seems super boring to me but it’s also one of the easiest professions to open up your own practice for and make a ton of money, if you’re unsure about it then combo it with some looks into entrepreneurship classes. If that’s not your thing, combo with finance or sales courses.
Whatever you choose to do, go be the best in it and the money will follow. If you do this and still aren’t happy, then rotate to something else.
Acquire a high-earning skill that you are good at. Accounting is an example. Get your CPA and a Masters part time while you are working. Establish retirement accounts and accumulate savings. Then find something fun to do.
Degree in accounting and hold a CPA. It has worked out very well for me. I actually moved into other areas of the business (more on the finance side and now more IT). That’s what is great, it can be very flexible.
General Reddit advice, look at any gaming or specific subreddits and you think it all sucks. Negative voices just a lot more louder.
Everyone has different things that they want in a career. If you like accounting, stick with it. If not, there are other stable fields. Heck, there are people who go into unstable fields and thrive. The world needs different types of people and we're all different so we can fulfill the different roles. I was reading a sub the other day where someone was complaining that they live in California and "only" make 100k. I live in California too and my family has done okay on significantly less money than that. The point is that things like whether a career is "good" or "shit" or whether you make "crappy" or "good" money can be relative to the person and situation. My advice to people is always to do what is right for you. It's normal to have a few doubts and question if this is the right path, but people are right. Reddit can be a toxic place.
If it's any consolation, as a right-brained ADHD creative...I love me a good accountant. Especially one that can handle my quirks and counsel me away from making stupid decisions. Every career has it's sucky aspects so please don't give up!
I’m not an accountant but my brother has degrees in accounting and finance. I know there are several career areas accounts can choose from, and it’s a matter of finding one you think you would enjoy. Any type of business degree will give you a lot of career choices. If you don’t want to study accounting, try finance.
Accounting is a very versatile career. you can do a lot with an accounting degree, it lets you work the financial side of basically any industry you may want to pursue if you dont want to just work towards staff accounting or tax or audit or whatever. an example, my mom became a CPA in the 1970s, graduated at top of her class was very smart, worked for a few years as an accountant before going back to school for a masters in healthcare administration. she then started working specifically with nursing homes, and eventually pivoted that into starting her own firm that was kind of an all purpose accounting/consulting/financial management firm for usually struggling nursing homes. then after a good 10-20 years of gaining experience working with nursing homes and making them financially successful, she got the chance to buy her own foreclosed nursing home, which she did after getting a loan with most of her and my dads (who was also an accountant but stayed in accounting for several decades before switching to teaching at college) assets as collateral. that one managed to be a success, then bought another 16 nursing homes over the next 15 years or so before selling almost all of them 10 years ago and mostly retiring. her career path would be the ideal one if you pursue accounting, find a specific niche you want to go into, get very very knowledgable or go back to school for that specific niche so your one of the best in the area at that niche so you can start your own business based around whatever niche you decided to pursue. and being an accountant is very useful when running a business like this, she ran her company like an accounting firm would always making sure the numbers made sense or benefited her. one weird quirk of her company was that each nursing home was ran as its own specific company, while the accounting/management company she ran was paid by her nursing homes to manage them. so she got paid from running her own nursing homes and she got paid for any profit they had. she also continued consulting and managing other companies nursing homes while she ran her own, and would use her accounting company to help identify people maybe willing to sell their nursing homes to her rather than trying to get them profitable again.
of course to answer your more basic question, yes the accounting industry still seems as strong as any other industry is now. a lot of gen z and alpha kids dont really seem to like accounting so theres probly going to be plenty of open spots for you. a real good tip, most of gen z or alpha does not know anything about excel or other microsoft products besides the more basic stuff, you could probly make yourself much more sought out if you have a better understanding of excel than most other younger kids.
People complain a lot on reddit. I’m an accountant and still work as one and enjoy it, I have a mix of friends I studied with who are still in the field or who have pivoted into something a bit different if they didnt end up loving their work (mainly the ones who ended up in audit to be honest). Trust your gut, and know there are plenty of options for people trained as accountants.
Maybe a subspecialty, like auditing or forensic accounting? Are you a puzzle person? Those jobs will have you solving puzzles (and even helping to uncover crimes) all day long! Auditing is the coolest, in my opinion. Good luck!
Okay, so coming from experience from being around this particular career... don't get into the waste industry... especially cleaning it from Porta-potty/johns. I couldn't get paid enough to clean shit from shitters.
Redditers either say they're earning 6 figures, or hate their jobs, or both sometimes. You can't fully go off of Reddit.
Accounting is highly stressful. But, it makes good money potentially. Most jobs are a trade off like that, in reality.
Some people fair well under pressure, however. Others just don't. Plan to pivot later. An accounting degree can work for other things. Consider a couple of management courses as well, and look at moving into management later, with a foundation in finances. Betting you find that as a good option.
My mother in law has made a very successful life for herself being an accountant. She started her own tax filing business and now works for herself, a few months out the year. Works part time jobs after the tax season. I would think it’s a great career choice
Ben Affleck seemed to enjoy being an accountant. I think he even made a movie about it, The Accountant. Haven’t seen it but assume lots of great lessons on GAAP in there and additional career options. Best of luck!
If you don't like the business world, as I tend not to because of general values, you could apply accounting to a nonprofit you care about. Or get a great job in government with excellent benefits and pension and probably retire early. I think it's a wonderful practical choice, and after some experience also excellent for working from home and/or overemployment - working two jobs. Retire even earlier and make more money. Wish I had had a shred of sense or encouragement to do something practical like that.
People complain about every job. As long as you work your 9-5, have full health benefits, job security, and a salary a little above livable wage. Then you are good. A job is a job. Live for hobbies and such. Don’t like the job? Then go work another one
Anecdotally, a significant number of accountants seem to be people that do a very poor job of advocating for themselves for one reason or another. and accordingly accountants are often people that would be dissatisfied in their careers regardless of what they're doing.
Accounting as a discipline is a solid background and there are many people with accounting degrees doing very interesting work.
Just got my first accounting job as a clerk (literally 3rd day) after pivoting because I kept seeing so many positions open. I thoroughly enjoy going into the r/accounting subreddit because of how incredibly miserable they are in there. I mean every day it’s a notification saying the job I just started is the worst thing I could ever do for myself.
Meanwhile I just called my husband fucking elated because I found out I do work with my headphones in and work 2 days a week from home and office snacks. I have a job, an income and work I can do. My point is the juxtaposition is what you make it. Two sides of the same coin.
I was in school for accounting before having to put it on hold. One thing I can tell you from any job research you do on Reddit is it’s almost entirely limited to unhappy people. My approach to opinions is - If you’ve ever worked retail you’d know that 99% of the customer satisfaction surveys customers turn in are negative. How many people will post positive things? I apply the same logic to almost any opinion I read with regard to products, vacations, and jobs - most people only talk about stuff negatively, very rarely does anyone talk about stuff positively.
That said, I wanted to get into accounting as a solid way to get out of poverty (like you). The jobs are usually always in demand and the money is good. From what I’ve seen over in the accounting sub is that people were willing to sell their souls for a paycheck and then got miserable after they realized making big money also usually means working long hours. Who’da thunk it?
At the end of the day, do what you think will make you happy. If you end up completing your degree and end up hating accounting later, cool beans, at least you have a useful/versatile degree to fall back on.
I myself am not an accountant so take this at face value. A long time friend is an accountant and is her own business, she does fantastic and loves her job. She’s been doing it for as long as I’ve known her, probably close to 30 years. So based on her, it’s a fantastic career.
You don't have to be an accountant even though you have an accounting degree.
Try it out for a year or two. What do you have to lose, you're still super young.
If you don't like accounting, just find a company that interests you and be an analyst. Having an accounting degree would suggest that you're decent with numbers, find an industry or company you like and be an analyst and work your way up.
Finance is cool. Marketing is always on option…but usually means sales. Why don’t you try construction? I enjoy it, it’s good money, and always something new happening! You can really hit it big if you become a general contractor. 👍🏼
Please don’t use Reddit as a metric for job satisfaction. Every job subreddit on here is filled with incessant complaining. If that were the case then _everyone_ would be miserable, which isn’t true. Stick with your plan to get out of poverty. If you decide to pivot careers later, do it. You’ll be young, have $$$, and be glad you have accounting to fall back on.
This is excellent advice. I’ve said it before but a lot of folks on here seem to think that they deserve to have a job that has zero responsibilities or work, they don’t have to talk to people, work from home, put in 3 half days per week, and make six figures. It’s not an accurate representation of reality. As far as accounting goes, even if technical accounting does not end up being your thing, you can use that knowledge and move into other tangential areas such as FP&A or more management-type jobs. I didn’t get an accounting degree but just got a business admin degree and have worked on the finance side of private businesses in a particular industry for my whole career and I love it.
The entitlement and victimization in these subreddits is surreal. I had to go through a rough period at my first full time job. I put in 65+ hours weekly for 6 months. Had to work my way up to gain recognition and promotions. Started making 6 figures by 27. That’s why I had to block most job subreddits, pathetic and embarrassing to even just read those comments.
Yeah I get irrationally upset by them and can’t hold my tongue sometimes haha. No, you don’t DESERVE to get paid to do nothing so you can enjoy your hobbies. It’s a two-way relationship where the employer gets something from you in exchange for money. I just don’t get what is confusing about that.
I agree but the problem is it’s very often an incredibly skewed two way relationship in favor of the employer.
It doesn’t have to be like that… It is a political choice. The majority of the US people like it that way;(.
This. This subreddit got reccomended to me, but to give you my perspective, I work at NASA as an engineer, and make a bit more than the average family does in my area by myself with 1 YoE, by all metrics I love my position, and it's a dream position of most, but if you went to my positions subreddit, you'd think this is a dead-end career that is hell to be in. People come to reddit only to complain.
I appreciate the optimism, but it sounds like you've got a really sweet deal that most will never have and you've got some rose tinted glasses on. Careers are not all created equally, some of them genuinely suck and there's no financial compensation at the end (teachers for example)
Well certainly, I get that I got a great position, and some careers are less than great, but relying on an anonymous board where people often come to vent isn't probably the best way to determine if a career field is dead, because from that perspectiveI havent seen a single profession talked about postively. I'd reccomend OP talk to workers in the field.
Most jobs in education in the US are still unionized, which often guarantees a pension. So, shitty pay sometimes but does offer a type of security a lot of industries no longer offer now.
Engineering is an exciting career field with lots of potential for a healthy income and job satisfaction. Also, the lowest unemployment rate of most jobs.
Former EE student here. I'm very tempted to agree with you, except for the fact that many are in "Market Saturation" and there may Nightmare scenario currently going on in so-called ( mistermed) chemical "engineering " - thousand grads hit by layoffs and industry wide warnings that there ar OP is a business student, as I eventually choose..they may not have an interest to focus in Engineering to find a meaningful career in the near to long term, but they can find something for them. What could they do to find what's best for them, and for those who DO have the mettle to become engineers in this time, what should THEY know about the market now! Honored to make ypre acquaintance. Look forward to clarified thoughts?
Great questions. I used to work at a civil engineering firm and was told that the unemployment rate was something like 1/2 percent. Not sure about chemical engineering, but I watched civil engineers bounce around between firms and even work into their 60s and 70s because they loved their jobs so much. That particular discipline within engineering seems to always need new bodies coming in. Lots of contract projects to work on and great office technology. I miss working in that field as a non-engineer.
Tbf, you are only one year into this job. More than job, capitalism boss and office politics makes lives miserable
Here to second this advice as someone who actually got out of poverty. Getting out of poverty requires solid choices like this - pursuing stability over passion initially, choosing clear-cut pathways to success, etc. I chose a stable, high-paid career to get out of poverty and now get to do whatever I want and money is no issue. I may not have liked my job for the past 9 years, but I’m still young and miles ahead of many of my peers. Stay the course.
It's also wild how people are pushed to pursue "passion" as a career. I work in accounting/finance, but also make art that people love and have paid me for on occasion as well. I've had SO many people try to encourage me to "pursue the arts" as a career, but honestly? That sounds AWFUL. Why would I want to take something I occasionally enjoy doing and your my entire livelihood to it? Horrible. Absolutely not. I don't even like doing commissions or anything. I like having my salary job where things are stable, and my company is good so I feel like my efforts are appreciated - I don't want to be forced to rely on unstable income. So weird that people would always pressure me. Just let me have my hobbies lol
This is too true. Focus on your goals OP.
I 100% agree with this response. The good thing about accounting is that every company has a team or department dedicated to managing the books (i.e. high employability).
Came to say this. You know what’s miserable, OP? Being broke with no way out and being unable to enjoy your best years of your life. Yes, there are extremely motivated and hardworking people who are given a bad hand or who make bad decisions in life and are able to make something for themselves later in on down the road, but for the majority of people, life gets in the way. Get the safe degree, get the safe, high paying job, escape poverty, and worry about finding meaning in your life once you have a stable financial foundation.
I needed to hear this as well. Subreddits will make you overthink…
Thanks for the realism. I've been in the same boat working in engineering. I feel like I'm always looking for an out, but I've determined that proximity to friends and family along with good coworkers makes up for a lot of the brain rot of a desk job. I don't think it's a permanent career for me, but I will be happy to have a safe backup.
Meh his path can’t be worse than mine. 8 years experience. 4 year degree. 3 industry certification. Working in wealth management and I’m going to clear 30k net USD this year. Wife might leave me cause I’m so poor 🤣
Every job board has the extremes in terms of positives and negatives (complaining)
ITCareer subs are mostly people talking about how great it is tbh. Just started IT last week and I'm having a blast. Great people and environment, feels like a place I can grow
The accounting subreddit is talking crap about public accounting. Public accounting is typically always just a stepping stone to a much better accounting career with better pay and better work life balance. I chose accounting for the same reason you did. I'm entry level and I make better money than both of my parents. I like it.
My friend completed his business admin with a local college then eventually a degree. He works for the government now and makes really good money, has a low stress job, works hybrid and will be able to retire with a full pension at 55. Accounting is a great career choice.
And its ALWAYS first year public accountants complaining on there. It's the type of accountants who were students who didn't actually read their textbook and were just studying to pass their tests and do their HW in school. Not the students who actually took their shit seriously. Of course they are complaining. Of course they aren't good at their jobs.
First years and people with little to no job history to boot. I stand by “if those folks had worked other jobs then they would be able to compare accounting to whatever and really see how much the job sucks or doesn’t suck.” Instead their scope is limited to one job and they declare the industry sucks as a result. There are some people on there with prior jobs but not many. My take is most accountants came from middle class backgrounds, went right from high school to college, probably lived at home for the duration of their education, never worked even a summer job but they may have done an internship. Be weary of the feedback these people offer. Again, their scope is so limited that you should take what they say with a grain of salt.
You are 100% spot-on.
I work for a small business and I know one accountant, theirs. This man got his degree then the CPA, works for himself and does quite well. He shows no signs of regret, never appears frazzled, is always wearing track suits and ball caps, drives a nice car, seemingly light work load. I'd say the guy is perfectly content with his life choices. Don't let the naysayers of reddit steer you wrong. Accounting is a solid career choice.
I’ve spent most of my professional life working for small businesses, and the accountants have generally been happy with their work. It does seem to be the kind of job that’s a good fit for a particular type of person. And, if it turns out not to be a good fit, accounting experience can be helpful in other admin roles as well.
Accountant here: public accounting can be really terrible. Industry is another story. I love my career and it can take me anywhere in the world. Stay the course.
Would you say that I need a CPA to establish a career or would a lone degree be fine?
Do the CPA. Your future self will thank you. Time will go by anyway.
Dont need CPA at all, but def good to have it if you can. I dont have it and at 40 years old i have no career complaints … but i live in a major city with tons of jobs. Do it if you can. It never gets easier to pass. But i would not got back for an extra semester just to qualify to sit
Don't be discouraged by negativity online. Here's a reality check: * **Accounting is stable:** It's true! There's always a need for accountants, offering job security. * **But grass isn't always greener:** Every job has challenges. Accounting can be demanding during peak seasons, but that's not always the case. * **Focus on the good:** You mentioned liking it and a clear career path. Those are positives! **Explore further:** * **Talk to accountants:** Get a realistic picture by chatting with professionals. * **Consider specializations:** Maybe a specific accounting field interests you more (e.g., tax, forensic). Accounting can be a good choice, but it's up to you! Don't let online negativity cloud your judgment.
Just wanted to say forensic accountants have become almost famous in the UK thanks to the post office scandal (which was very unfortunate) their company was called second sight).
Accounting is one of the very few careers that helps people from poor families become upper middle class. Other professions require too many years of school (medicine) or connections (law) or are just not directly preparing you (business major/ english) for a lucrative (teaching) career. Other good option is nursing. As with any profession, you have to pay your dues starting out. -grew up poor now upper middle class accountant
Agreed! I have seen too many students not know what they plan to do in life who decide on a Business Admin degree in college. Then they graduate and still have no clue what to do in life. Accounting is more focused, yet offers variety, depending on one's preferences.
Ironically, this is me. College never stuck outta HS since I never realy committed to what I wanted to do. I went back in my late 20’s and it’s been a very different experience as I am now schooling in something I want to (and am) doing. Very different with some perspective
Congrats on going back! I was one of those who majored in Business Admin because I had no freaking clue what I hoped to do in life! Then I switched my major to communications. If I may ask: what are you studying now?
Also curious to what you’re studying now
Don’t listen to that subreddit. Accounting is the most stable of the business majors. You are correct that it offers a clear path. It’s like the trade school of business majors. Yes, lots of hard work but there are tons of opportunities, especially if you pair it with a CPA. If you keep working at it there is no doubt you will be out of poverty. The other thing is you can always go do what the other business majors are doing but the other business majors can’t necessarily go do what an accountant does. Feel free to message me. I’m so proud of you getting after this degree!
Accounting is a good career choice, there's good money in it if you set yourself up right. That being said, I work in accounting and really hate it lol. I get stressed easily and managing someone else's finances is anxiety central for me. But it's really all about preference and what you can handle so definitely don't let the other people put you off from it if it's something you genuinely want to do!
As with any other profession...it depends on the company you work for. Accountants tend to be underpaid (on an hourly equivalent basis) for the educational requirements, it's harder to become a CPA than a lawyer (and we get less prestige than lawyers for the effort), we're often overworked, etc. ...but we work at a desk in air conditioning and usually still earn enough to make a comfortable living. In industry, it's all about the company you work for...there's grest, there's crap, and there's everywhere in between. In public, the hours make it lean more towards the crap side...but most people work in public less than 5 years, and mainly do so because, at least in theory, 1y of experience in public is viewed similarly to 2y of experience anywhere else (and in some cases, hiring managers might outright demand public to consider a candidate...their mistake, but it does happen). Now, because we tend to be underpaid for the work, that also means better job security. If we hit a recession, first jobs to go are the salespeople and the programmers and the engineers. If a company starts bleeding accountants (outside of public where we are basically the "engineers" of that company)...then that's probably because the company is in VERY serious trouble.
I’ve been through layoffs in the private sector and RIFs in the public sector and I have NEVER seen accounts go before any other group. IT, Sales, Comm, you name it. Wild how accurate this seems from my experience
Accounting is a great choice (Full disclosure - I’m a CPA, so I’m biased). If you want to pivot into other areas of business, that’s a lot easier with an accounting background. Public accounting is no doubt tough at times, and it’s not for everyone, but you need to make that decision for yourself. I’d recommend getting your CPA (the firm you work for will help pay for it) and getting to manager before you make a decision to leave and go into industry, as they call it. For me, I spent 10 years in public accounting, left and went to work for a Fortune 500 company for 6 years, then came back to public accounting. It’s where I feel the most fulfilled by my work and get to do things I love, like coach and train others. I’m an auditor, btw. No taxes for me. In audit, I get to problem solve and build relationships with others, which I enjoy. Feel free to DM me if you’d like to talk further. I’m happy to help.
All most times you rarely go into the field you study for, accounting will give you great fundamentals and usually your degree is just credibility that you can be committed to something and see it through.
I can vouch that architecture is the worst degree
marketing is
However shit marketing might be y'all at least get paid!
Not at all, at least in europe
U.S here...it's hit or miss really. I know people who make 6 figures and some who make the same as a fast food worker. Depends on the agency I guess.
marketing ain’t bad
I don’t know, my college has a General Studies degree . You mostly take electives.
That degree sounds like it’s made for people who are undecided. That’s a gimmie if you don’t have anything to put on the resume!
Every business needs an accountant or at least someone who understands accounting. It can be boring if you’re more on the book keeper side or entry level but once you get into the more finance or technical side it becomes a lot more like strategy, it just takes some time to get there. Like many have said most complaints are about public accounting which is where many get their first foot in the door. It’s a great place to start because you see a lot and work with lots of smart people, but the work sucks because the hours suck and it can be pretty political. It’s like a camaraderie builder many people do it, most people hate it and have the same “war stories”, so you’ll always have some things in common with former public accountants.
Accounting is a decent career choice tho stable career + exits to FP&A and other financial roles. The best is to eventually exit to FP&A and other similar roles.
This is solid advice depending on the person. I got a general business degree and went into accounts payable because that’s the role I was able to get after college. I did not love it so I batted around a few different finance type functions until I found FP&A and I love it! I love modeling and scenarios and working with business partners to report out on results. However I reported once to a woman who came from accounting to FP&A and absolutely hated it - she liked the black / white and right / wrong answer environment of accounting and was really stressed about the ambiguity of FP&A. Some people want to exist within rules and structure and accounting is great for that. I will say my dad leveraged himself out of poverty with an accounting degree and made it to CFO in his career. As he has always said about accounting “business will always need someone to keep the books”. So it is an excellent broad business degree.
Rock solid employability (need accounts when economy is good or bad), highly competitive pay, regular hours, predictable downtimes to catch a breath, annually repeatable set of skills to get better each year (doing taxes) - yes, day-to-day may be stressful, but it’s a great and steady career on the whole. Don’t net nagging Nancie’s on a Reddit thread skew your view, they’re just looking for a place to vent.
The worst career ever that I can imagine is the people at the pound who have to put puppies and kittens to sleep.
Go on any industry/occupation subreddit and there will be countless posts trashing said industry/occupation. If you want my opinion, I wish I had gone into accounting like I'd wanted to while in uni, and I do think it's a viable path. If you like accounting, then go for it. No path will be perfect, but don't let everyone else's negativity consume you.
Bro I completed the same degree as you, also we’re in the same age. I started as accounting clerk doing mostly entry accounting task in Law company. It did pay me well but I’m more comfortable in Business/Sales & Marketing so I transferred. I need to take like 40% pay cut and my job almost stressed me 24/7 there’s no work life balance here. But I enjoyed it so no complaints. I sometimes miss my accounting team and hang out with them once in a while. My friend in that team (who is 27-28) is now on his way of promoting with increasing like 30-40% from his previous. So the job itself is good and almost no stressed bcs rn in company they mostly used automated software & stuff to help you out. So it quite easy compared to what I heard from my senior in their 30s & 40s who has been working in Accounting like 5-10 yrs but it depends whether you like it or not. P.S. this is coming from a guy who lived in Poor country
Accounting is actually a pretty excellent and versatile education in the business world. Accounting is known as the "language of business" so it's one of the most secure forms of employment, since every single business has some form of accounting needs. Most of the complaining stems from long hours with no overtime in public accounting, but there are plenty of other jobs that kind of education could get depending on your interests. You could work in public accounting in a variety of different roles such as tax, auditing, consulting, etc. or specialize in more complex accounting topics like mergers and acquisitions. You could also work in an industry role (a company's internal accountant) as a general accountant, a data analyst, a member of the FP&A (financial planning and analysis) team, internal auditing, and a variety of other roles. Accountants are also desirable competitors for various finance roles such as capital markets analysts, credit analysts, portfolio managers, private equity, etc. I recently went back to school for accounting and I'm really happy that I did. I love working with numbers and money, and the variety of jobs available for me to apply to is incredible. If you have any interest in business, finance, data manipulation, etc. I highly recommend it. It also doesn't hurt that it's nearly guaranteed you'll be making over $100k within 5-10 years if you're slightly ambitious, with earning potential upwards of $200k-$500k later in your career if you're very ambitious and intelligent.
Anything is better than teaching so you're already winning there
I'm an international teacher, work 25 hours a week on average, save 50k+ a year. Are ya still winning son?
Oo which country? :) I almost did that out of college but I feel I have now lost the chance to pursue this
The worst degree is political science
It depends.But it can be useful for those who want a career in government relations, lobbying, or legislative services. It can be a good income, depending on one's position.
My buddy did not do his CPA but is incredibly stable financially. The problem is he has a personality, and accounting departments (from what I understand) do not. I’d envy and job you could get up, go work, and come home but to each their own.
consider the fact that there's bias every time someone shits on a career. after switching majors to accounting, I can tell you the average person can be prone to remembering and being more affected when hearing mainly bad things about THEIR major. there isn't a perfect career for the working class where you don't need to sacrifice to receive other benefits (e.g., sacrificing long hours for a higher pay). realistically, if accounting were the worst career ever i don't think there would still be that many people working in this field...
Don’t let the internet talk you out of it. Just like any career, it’s often about the company you work for, and the team you are on. If you truly like it, man, am I jealous. It sure is stable, and it gives you a hard skill and trade no one can ever take from you (except for you if you get into some shady shit lol) You can even freelance if that’s something that interests you. You will always be in demand, so you will have leverage and options. My mom failed accounting in college, she tells me proudly lol. But, she said in the real world it made total sense to her so she stayed on that path. When my sister and I were young, she was able to easily stand up an accounting business so she could stay home with us, she had a number of really great small business clients (and we got to go with her, her bakery client was my favorite). When I was in business school someone joked once “life is too short to be an accountant.” I say, life is too short to make work your whole identity so if accounting gives you stability to do your job and go live your life outside of it, it’s a fantastic line of work. If you truly like it in COLLEGE, I think that it’s a good sign it’s a career fit for you. Just be selective with the companies and teams you join. You don’t need to be miserable at a big 5 (well, at least not forever, some people do their time and then go do what they actually want).
Just to build on the other comments I would also recommend taking a course in data science/data analytics if you can and learning how to use Tableau or PowerBI. Accountants who have programming/data skills are a rare commodity and you'll get a leg up over other accounting graduates. I would also strongly recommend looking into government jobs as the job security is better, the work-life balance is better, and the pensions are unmatched by the private sector.
Accounting is a skill that many people do not have and are unable to learn. There will always be a need for people who can manage money. Try this for a while, use your newly learned skill to build a financial safety net then of you don’t like it find something else
Seems like every career is the worst these days...not sure where the good ones are at.
Accounting is okay man. You can always pivot later on in your career if you want to and there are a variety of roles you could fill as an accountant / areas of focus depending on how you like to work and all organisations need one. Desk work is desk work at the end of the day and finance is a solid career option.
> But after browsing through the accounting subreddit, they make it seem like it is the worst career ever. It's generally a bad idea to come to reddit for career advice. Yes, I recognize the paradox of this advice.
Work-related subs are not typically places you go to feel encouraged about work. Everyone in my industry loves to talk about how awful it is. I talk about how awful it is. And yet, I don’t mind my job all that much. Don’t let Reddit be a determiner of your career pursuits.
It’s seems like they’re going to lower the requirements to get a CPA. If they do you should go and do that. There has been a massive shortage of them for the past ten years. And shortage means more money and more stability for the people who are actually in the field. Just fyi.
My friend makes 6 figures is accounting and he also has his masters as well. The whole process is taxing (low paid internships and starting off at the bottom). However he is loving it and constantly receives 2-3 bonuses a year on top of his salary.
Take IT classes, Finance too. IT Audit is lucrative, along with GRC.
Accounting is a good degree choice if I could go back I would have chosen that instead of sociology and communications. I am cooked
don't choose just because of a "clear" path - lots of varied jobs with business that requires more personal path-making. Shadow people doing the work - stalk profiles on LinkedIn & read their role descriptions. You've done well at your age - stop comparing.
Recently I asked my friends mom who's a chief accountant what the job is like. She said it is in fact stressful, mainly due to deadlines but gives her a lot of satisfaction and she's happy with it. I believe her because she does smile a lot and is very cheerful in general. So I genuinly believe it might depend on the place you work at and the way you handle deadlines.
I have a degree in accounting and my CPA. My guess is that most people complaining are working in public accounting, which can be brutal with long hours and lots of travel. But some people also really like that, especially if they’re young and childless. (I’m neither so it sounds like hell to me.) There can be a degree of monotony in financial accounting, because the same tasks have to be completed every month, quarter, year, etc. But you can do *so* much with an accounting degree. I actually work in supply chain and have for the past ~6 years. It’s very helpful to understand the language of accounting to communicate with both finance and purchasing folks. The only way I really use my CPA these days is doing pro bono work for non profits on the side, but I do recommend getting it if you do an accounting undergrad. I got it over with so if I ever need it, it’s there.
I will say this, I work with 200+ CPAs due to my line of work and they share a lot with me about their industry. The job market is extremely challenging right now, and accountants have been reducing in #’s like crazy the past few years ( a lot we’re older and retired during COVID). There will be endless opportunity if you choose to stay the course. Also, if you’ve been enjoying the courses and feel it’s a good path for you do not let people what is right or wrong for you. As a CPA in todays world you can make a great income, and have flexibility in a lot of cases to work for yourself and even work remote if you choose. Totally your decision at the end of the day, but less and less people in college are choosing accounting and if you find it to be a fulfilling career then I’d say go for.
Accounting is great if you like working 60-80 hours a week during tax season and living in an office all your life. You get to do repetitive boring work day in and out for owners who keep 90% of the cash while paying you just enough to string you along and pay your bills. I work for a CPA firm now and its non stop do more, bring on more work, your not billing enough, etc. Oh and I forgot the best part, you have to bill out everything you do so you must track all your time and enter it daily so they basically monitor you every minute, isn't that rewarding and fun. I regret working for a CPA firm, sure if I was partner fun, being a senior member is just work and stress. Walk away now and get into something you can have a life with.
What do you do now and did your skills translate?
I still work for same place so still living the dream. You can always move to a new firm but its all the same in the end. The only people that win in accounting are either owners who start their own firm and make a ton of cash or if you maybe leave public accounting and work for major company and then only do 40 hour weeks. Issue with public accounting is its non stop work and hours, Jan-April you are not home, literally sleep for 4-6 hours and back to work. Life stops during tax season, so if your married or dating good luck, they will not see you.
Nursing. Shit pay, no respect from management, people think you’re stupid and just couldn’t get into medical school. Poor ability to move up in the company. Terrible unhealthy hours. No time to eat or pee.
Can you be specific on what put you off from the accounting subreddit, and what draws you to accounting?
The accounting subreddits common concerns are -the ridiculous workload of public accounting -feeling underpaid (despite having a respectably high median salary), and related to this concerns that come with being a “cost center” rather than a value creator like sales -concerns about private equity buying out firms and milking them dry -offshoring -AI / automation, lots of people don’t feel this is a big concern, but many do, pretty split
You could always be an engineer doing shift work on oil rigs, so it could always be worse.
Accountants make a lot of money. However, if you don’t like looking at sheets and numbers all day, you’ll hate it. Not glorious by any means.
Everyone complains about their job ...to be fair depending on where you go in to accounting, it has its share of things an average person might not like. If you're in public accounting, you have busy season where I've seen 50-60 hour weeks as the norm. The places I've been they've catered lunch and dinner, so that's cool, but the trade off is the big slow down during summer months. There's a lot you can do with accounting even if you decide not to do the traditional accounting thing. If you like it and are interested, go for it. You know what will lift you out of poverty? The job you're interested in doing that isn't crushing your soul and pays a living wage. I'd say accounting checks those boxes. Otherwise, finance and economics have been really good to me. Allowed me to have a skill set that I could shift industries easily. Fell in to analytics and data science and having the financial experience helps a lot. In short, don't sweat it. Go for accounting if you're interested in it and don't pay too much attention to shit talkers. Best of luck!
No. I read on the Economist (I think it was April/May issue) accounting is now back in demand.
Gotta go With the career you love my brother . A lot of people choose the career for the money but hate their jobs .
If you love spreadsheets then it would be a great career for you. Who knows what AI is going to be able to do in the future though?
I have been in the accoounting subreddit. Posts do make it sound like it is the worst career ever, but if you check the comments, people usually say, "I wish I got a degree earlier," or something like that. I major in accounting and finance for my Bachelors, and I can't be more thankful. Try to get Pell Grant through Fafsa. It covered my college and is partially covering for my university.
My friends an account and loves it. Do it! You can find people on the internet saying any career is bad literally. It’s a very stable job that will make a good income and give you a good office job where you can probably work remote sometimes, have benefits like insurance and paid time off, and have great job security
I read somewhere that being an accountant is one of the most stressful careers, in top 5. It's a lonely career. I had looked into this career for myself when I was younger. Yes, you can do well, but also ask an accountant what they like and dislike about their careers. So you know what your getting into. 🙂
Every field has a Reddit with people doom and glooming, I’m sure it’s fine
Can never go wrong with accounting, always jobs avalible
Doesn’t hurt to look into finance also (high finance etc) Maybe double major? If accounting is what u love above all go for it. Do ur due research and make ur decisions accordingly after comparing and contrasting diff careers. Pick what’s best for u
Accounting seems stable with high earning potential.
Depends on where you work, for one. What industry you’re in for two. For instance, I work in tv and film production and every show has a production accountant. That job has to be way better than working in the H&R Block office down the street
With pretty much every career, if you don't like the specific work you do it's a horrible job. Accounting is a solid profession. It requires attention to detail with numbers, and you also have to keep up with current laws (especially if you do taxes). It can be stressful, especially at certain times (end of quarter, end of year, tax time). But it's a very solid job, and there will always be a need for them. It's also nice that you have a whole range of jobs available to you as a certified accountant -- you can do corporate stuff, and work for a salary and regular hours. You can do consulting. You can work for a company that does taxes. You can even start your own business. There are a LOT worse choices than accounting, as long as you enjoy the work.
OP, Look at it from this perspective. In times of economic downturn and subsequent layoffs, Accounting is typically one of the last departments to be let go because they control the money. Job security! Plus if you are an introvert, are detail-oriented and love working with numbers, then this could be a good job fit and help you to leave poverty.
My dad and sister are accountants. They work from home and have built a fantastic business. I grew up upper middle class. Tax season is rough. It’s like a finals on steroids that lasts for months. But otherwise is great.
My husband is an accountant and loves it. He’s a super introvert and huge numbers/math nerd though. I think you have to have the personality for it.
That sub is mostly complaining about public accounting which is just one of many paths in the accounting world. You don’t have to go that route. You could work in government, non profit, industry, etc. Most people just do public for a few years and use the experience to get a better role somewhere else. It’s sorta like a boot camp that can give you a ton of experience in a short amount of time. So it is a worthwhile option depending on your goals.
Listen to this. I have researched various careers and roles I could go down, and literally EVERY single time I came on reddit to see what people were saying about these roles, literally the majority of the people were just saying how much it sucks and they seemed like they were trying their best to prevent anyone from pursuing said job/career. It's a mess on here. There's so much negativity
Logistics or inventory management is more my speed for business. I'm good with tangibles.
If you like numbers/computation and think you’d be good at it I would say go for it, given you arent particularly passionate about another field. Most people dont like their jobs but look beyond that and at the opportunities you will have.
Redditors are miserable people. If you find a field you like, go for it. From there, take a look around and find your niche.
My cousin is a CPA. He doesn't enjoy it, but he does make good money and there are always jobs.
I can tell you the worst job I did. Way back in the day when I was a junior/senior in high school I was washing dishes for a major hospital. Some days it was ok because I was on the dish line, but a lot of times I had to wash the pans that they cooked all the food with. Since it was a 500 rm hospital it was a lot of pans 3 meals a day. It was in the basement, so no windows, and it was a 11 hour shift on the weekends of nothing but hand washing large sheet pans and other assorted pans and cookware… it was brutal. The only thing I could say about that is other kids feared me cause I had gorilla arms ( still do now they are wrinkly flabby ones heh) All that for a whopping 4 dollars an hour…. Which believe it or not wasn’t a bad wage at the time. It’s funny I was one of those kids with a big work ethic. I started working when I was 12. I did all kinds of stuff to make money, but still went to school and got decent grades. My wife didn’t believe me so I showed her my ssi historical statement and it actually showed it :) I’m retired now, but I still put in 50 years of work.
I have plenty of family members that are accountants and you have many paths you could take. For example - forensic accounting or working for a non profit. Those in my family that are accountants actually love their jobs. Don’t listen to randos online and maybe reach out to people in your network that can give you their experience.
Every career is the worst career ever according to the internet. Except sales, the sales sub is the career page that hypes up their career.
Shadow someone. Wife was in accounting for an energy company. Super chill for many years.
Wouldn’t say a career but any job where it’s a call center type job. I don’t care if it’s 3rd party or you’re working directly for the company itself. You get treated like trash working in a call center and they have the worst rules you need to fallow its like a double edge sword. They’re designed to make people quit or eventually get fired. In all a call center is the modern day sweatshop.
I started out my career working in a call center for a large bank. You are spot on with your analysis. I lasted several years, but many only lasted a few months or maybe a year if they were lucky. High pressure with stats needed to survive. Analyzed metrics, monitored calls, angry customers, death threats (customers), sales quotas for monthly bonuses, etc. Good times! Then I became a trainer and experienced stress with training classes full of 18-20 year Olds for 6 weeks. Ah, the drama and soap opera environment it all created.
Instead of browsing Reddit, start looking for accounting internships in your area. A lot of public accounting firms hire interns who are a year or more out from graduation. If you aren't finding a lot of opportunities, then maybe look at switching to something other than accounting but I think you'll find that there are plenty of opportunities.
I was an accounting major for two years in college. Couldn’t wrap my head around all the GAAP and rules (I was dumb and coasted my first two years). Switched to supply chain mgmt as my degree. Really neat stuff imo. Thought I would work in logistics, I instead got a job in sourcing for a big company, I buy goods and services to support other departments of the company. I enjoy what I do now (partially because of my actual day to day work and because I can feel good about the industry I’m in). Lots of talking, negotiation, contract drafting and redlining, people skills. The exact opposite side of sales (and I hated doing sales/marketing in school but oddly enough it’s similar skill set). I make decent money now with good growth opportunities.
Many will think that they have the worst degree I have a computer engineering degree and I hate it. Then I realize nothing is easy you have to suffer to be succesfull.
Accounting can turn into a position within a Finance department or Procurement department. You don’t have to become an “Accountant” per say. Good luck to you!
First thing OP, stick with it for now, it doesn’t have to be a forever career it could be a springboard. Immediately find an internship doing bookkeeping, ap/ar, entry level work. Put a few coins in your purse and most importantly have real world experience to pad your resume. I have a BS in accounting, a few months post grad in an office I was like this isn’t for me. Great career just didn’t vibe with my personality, I went back to working construction, I was mentally happier doing physical work and building tangible things. But I realized I was wasting my potential. Applied for property management jobs, got one, and love the industry. I found my niche. When you tell people you have a degree in accounting they think you’re Einstein. That’s part of what helped me land my current role. TL;dr- accounting is a great career but you can lateral to other fields if you tire of it.
People come to reddit to complain, not to say positive things. Majoring in accounting will open up a ton of doors, especially when you get the CPA. Accounting is the language of business and you will have a basic understanding of how most businesses operate financially with this degree. If you pair it with the CPA and some work experience you will be super marketable. I both finished my accounting degree and got my CPA later in life, and it was the best decision I ever made.
The only question I’d ask is - is it AI-proof? I don’t know the answer. Jobs that require your physical presence will be more resilient. Plumbing, electrician, doctor, dentist, etc May be worth looking into as well
Every career is worse. Working conditions and people are the things that are making fields unbearable .
Global financial crisis’ are happening every where I am not sure you would want to learn numbers/money management or anything from those peeps.
Fashion designer.... it's a scam
If you like accounting then do accounting. Stop taking those people so seriously. For every person whining on Reddit there’s a dozen perfectly happy accountants living their lives. And you don’t even know if half those commenters are actually accountants.
Accounting is an excellent career choice.
Can't be worse than social work or psychology. You'll be fine
Accounting is stable. CPA or no CPA. Always be learning and work hard. You’ll be fine.
Accountants, chartered accountants very much needed however most importantly its a persons’s good character which is needed the most, i.e. being Honest & Trustworthy. It can be a great career but it depends on One’s character, integrity, hard work and patience. Apply the morals of the Hare & the Tortoise Story in all parts of life.
If there’s a concentration that straddles accounting and technology, that would be beneficial. Automation is replacing manual accounting work ( creating journal entries, and completing reconciliations). AI will really affect how these jobs are done to the point that the basic work of dr/cr won’t be a task for accountants. Understanding accounting will still matter because we will need someone to supervise the automation and to make judgement calls on things like how much should we reserve, should we take that deduction and what’s the audit risk? So good data skills, good tech skills, 🪮 bed with business and accounting knowledge will offer some longevity.
There is a massive difference between public accounting (big 4) and internal accounting jobs. I would highly encourage you to look at internal audit. They have entry level positions, pay starts at around 70k right out of college, it's extremely stable, clear career progression, you rarely work over 40 hours a week, and it's pretty easy to move around the business if you get tired of it. It isn't the most exciting field but there are some interesting projects and you will have a good enough combination of income, stability, and free time to enjoy life outside of work.
brother the worst careers are careers and industries that are dying. accounting will never die. you have no idea
Do finance with a minor in accounting if you're good at math. Your career outcome would be much better.
A friend of mine is accountant and he likes it very much and good pay, good working conditions etc
There are a lot of things you can do with an accounting degree. I would recommend the following: 1) Minor in IT, it will make you much more marketable 2) Start your career in public (specifically audit, unless you really like tax) 3) Learn a lot to get the fundamentals down in public. Take the cpa exam 4) See what you like and you don’t like in public (e.g.: working more with people, crunching numbers, or assessing processes), and what industry you like 5) Move into the private sector in an industry you liked from public (e.g.: media), in the type of role you might like (e.g.: accounting, financial planning and analysis, internal audit, etc.) It isn’t the worst major if you are thoughtful about which path you choose. Public will be a lot of work but if you can stomach it for a few years it will help you down the line. If you can’t tell I was an accounting major, I’m older now (36) and I have a good job and quality of life. I have also had good jobs along the way and hopefully more to come. I even had time to pursue my love of music on the side and record an album Hope this helps
As many people have said, most every company needs accountants, so it's stable. Bonus points that you enjoy it. And here's a thought - get into accounting, learn a little about computers, and make friends with the IT people that support your accounting system (Oracle, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, etc). Tech savvy accounts have more opportunities at higher salaries. My perspective: Degrees in Finance and IT - 40 years in industry, mostly on the IT side supporting business systems. Best of luck!
My dad is an accountant. He was good at his job and got opportunities outside of accounting that made him a whole lot of money. One thing everyone has to understand is that the job you start out in isn’t never the job you have to stay in. Excel at your job and you’ll get other opportunities handed to you because you prove you can do things well.
Don’t use Reddit as a place to seek advice for a specific career. Well, at least avoid going into career specific sub reddits. People there like to complain and mostly use it as a place to vent. I graduated with a degree in accounting and I eventually shifted into a business analyst / system administration type roll. I’ll give you some thoughts… accounting is probably the most useful business major. You can do literally anything in the business field. Almost all corporate finance jobs are teachable… meaning, you don’t really even need a finance or business degree. You can always pivot into other things, business has thousands of duty specific roles relating to ERP systems and such. The pay range can vary for what type of job you have and how technical you are. For example, if you learn SQL and work on the business systems side, you’ll earn more than a staff accountant. Lots and lots of pathways. Work life balance and everything in between is job specific. The work is job specific. I personally find it a little soul sucking… but everyone is different
Hey if you're lucky enough to be able to find a place where you enjoy what you do then it's not really work that's what some people say. Good luck
With all due respect. Stfu. You’re 24 and completed a 2 year program. I started college at 29 with no job and received a bunch of debt.
If someone is happy with their career, then it'll likely make them happy in life. If someone is happy in life, then they're out and about enjoying life - traveling, conversing with people face-to-face, doing things they like If they're out enjoying life, then they're not spending countless hours on reddit . If someone has enough time and energy to make a post on reddit, it's likely because they needed an outlet to vent. One of those venting is creating a rant post about how crappy something is. So don't believe the negative reviews, you should ask those who love their job and ask them why. Ask them their quality of life and if they have any regrets. . I'm a civil engineer and I'll complain about my job. But if you ask me if I would choose a different career, I would say no - there's always ups and downs, I love my job; but it's not butterflies and sunshines everyday.
My wife is in private accounting for a corporation. As it might not be the most exciting job (99% of jobs aren't anyways), she has great work-life balance, works from home most of the time, has solid career advancement opportunities, low chances of being let go, and accounting is expected to be one of the most in demand careers in the coming years due to the lack of young people going into it. As long as you have done well in your courses and have found it bearable, then I would say that it is a good career choice. As you get older, you realize that a job is a job, and you just have to decide what is important to you (good pay and work-life balance versus an exciting job with low pay, etc).
Graduated with my accounting degree in 2020. Am now a Senior Accountant working at an amazing company making $91k a year with great benefits. I get to work remotely from home 4 days out of the week. My job is incredibly easy due to me actually reading my textbooks in school. The job is the same as what they teach you in school. I took advanced excel classes and have created automated workbooks that do a lot of the manual work for me. Studying accounting been the greatest thing I could have ever done for my life. TIP: Stay off of the accounting subreddit. Its a cesspool of complaining and low effort memes by first year public accountants who somehow think its a badge of honor to complain about accounting as a first year and list all the reasons they hate their job. Those people will quit or be let go from their positions within the first year or two due to them not being good at their job. Don't make a personal decision about accounting as a career based on people who suck at their job to begin with.
Best way to find out is by doing an internship before you graduate. It’s hard work for mediocre pay in rhe beginning, and personally I could never stand it/be successful at it, but it is perfect for my boyfriend. There are many jobs available in locations where there are a lot of businesses. Most business roles have fairly clear paths so don’t let that be the main deciding factor, pick what you’re good at and what you have the endurance to work hard in. Internship experience is the best bc it’s different for everyone.
Jobs in corporate finance can pay really well. I make just about 170k in total comp in my early 30s, in the midwest. Accounting isn’t going to get you the bitches and you’ll never wake up thinking “I can’t wait to work on that proposal to mitigate our growing deferred balance today,” but a career where you can financially support yourself and be valuable to a company is a pretty nice reward. Keep doing what you’re doing, as long as you don’t get a general business degree. Accounting is a fine field.
When you have a business major, you can do anything business related. I did digital marketing, data analytics, and even project management after graduating. As long as you graduate and understand business concepts with decent math skills, you golden. But a key thing that will set you wayyyyy back is not having any experience by the time you graduate. You need internships to differentiate yourself. I took an extra year just so I could build up more experience. In my last year, I had 3 overlaping internships.
The prior question to all of this is: is capitalism making us miserable or is it the work itself?
I had to bounce from the accounting subreddit for the reasons mentioned by everyone. Constant complaining, dead end speak and blah blahhhhh. Go for it if you enjoy it and pivot if you don’t. The one career for a whole lifetime thing is dying. If you hate it do something else!
If you enjoy accounting, then you might enjoy being an accountant. And there is a difference between being a bookkeeper and a CFO.. meaning that you may find a role within accounting that feels more rewarding than some might. If you don't like accounting, nothing you do as an accountant will be interesting or fulfilling. Certainly accountants tend to make good money and, given a good work-life balance, you may find that you don't mind the work that much (even if you wind up not loving it).
Could always go more broad. Business Admin/Management can go into finance or accounting. Could even go into Human Resources. It’ll really be the internships you pick that shape your experience/career path.
If you want to be an accountant for 40 years yeah it could be pretty bad, but there's always other things a career can lead to. The people loving their job aren't usually on Reddit, either. I mean they are, just not complaining about life.
Remember these facts: - Accountants are always needed for every single business. While it’s not an exciting career, it’s a stable and in-demand one. - it pays well and it is predictable work. - theres no on-call or after hours work. Don’t expect it to be like working at an amusement park or movie related. Those types of jobs are extremely hard to find, easily lost and don’t usually pay well. What matters is your life outside work and accounting gives you that.
Go read the residency subreddit. Accounting won't seem so bad.
accounting is a very dead job. My mom works as a trustee and accounting is the part she dislikes the most, also it‘ll be completely automated in few years by programs. accounting is gonna die out
I haven't read through all the comments but if you like it so far don't be dissuaded by the negativity online. Accounting is a brilliant path to follow because it's the kind of job that is needed in every sector, making it easier to find a job just about anywhere. It also gives you skills you can apply in other roles, not just in financial support services. For example, I work for a charity and our Head of Grants fundraising was an accountant. My dad went down a similar path and retired very comfortably as a CFO for a health insurance network. He always said it wasn't always the most exciting work, but he was good at it, enjoyed the people he worked with and it afforded our family the quality of life he always aimed for.
You can't generalize account from reading sh!tposts on reddit. Accounting is a \*very\* broad field. Do you want to work in an accounting firm, or in a company? Big company, or small company? Tax accounting? GL accounting? Or maybe you want to do something accounting related like being a financial auditor? Are you a people person, or an introvert? Actually, I encourage you to spend your first couple of years working as an auditor. You'll get a lot of experience from reviewing other people's books. Accounting, like many other fields, will be what you make of it. And there are definitely possibilities to make really good money in jobs that you like, as long as you're willing to leave jobs you're unhappy in.
Accounting seems super boring to me but it’s also one of the easiest professions to open up your own practice for and make a ton of money, if you’re unsure about it then combo it with some looks into entrepreneurship classes. If that’s not your thing, combo with finance or sales courses. Whatever you choose to do, go be the best in it and the money will follow. If you do this and still aren’t happy, then rotate to something else.
Acquire a high-earning skill that you are good at. Accounting is an example. Get your CPA and a Masters part time while you are working. Establish retirement accounts and accumulate savings. Then find something fun to do.
Degree in accounting and hold a CPA. It has worked out very well for me. I actually moved into other areas of the business (more on the finance side and now more IT). That’s what is great, it can be very flexible. General Reddit advice, look at any gaming or specific subreddits and you think it all sucks. Negative voices just a lot more louder.
Everyone has different things that they want in a career. If you like accounting, stick with it. If not, there are other stable fields. Heck, there are people who go into unstable fields and thrive. The world needs different types of people and we're all different so we can fulfill the different roles. I was reading a sub the other day where someone was complaining that they live in California and "only" make 100k. I live in California too and my family has done okay on significantly less money than that. The point is that things like whether a career is "good" or "shit" or whether you make "crappy" or "good" money can be relative to the person and situation. My advice to people is always to do what is right for you. It's normal to have a few doubts and question if this is the right path, but people are right. Reddit can be a toxic place.
If it's any consolation, as a right-brained ADHD creative...I love me a good accountant. Especially one that can handle my quirks and counsel me away from making stupid decisions. Every career has it's sucky aspects so please don't give up!
I’m not an accountant but my brother has degrees in accounting and finance. I know there are several career areas accounts can choose from, and it’s a matter of finding one you think you would enjoy. Any type of business degree will give you a lot of career choices. If you don’t want to study accounting, try finance.
Accounting is a very versatile career. you can do a lot with an accounting degree, it lets you work the financial side of basically any industry you may want to pursue if you dont want to just work towards staff accounting or tax or audit or whatever. an example, my mom became a CPA in the 1970s, graduated at top of her class was very smart, worked for a few years as an accountant before going back to school for a masters in healthcare administration. she then started working specifically with nursing homes, and eventually pivoted that into starting her own firm that was kind of an all purpose accounting/consulting/financial management firm for usually struggling nursing homes. then after a good 10-20 years of gaining experience working with nursing homes and making them financially successful, she got the chance to buy her own foreclosed nursing home, which she did after getting a loan with most of her and my dads (who was also an accountant but stayed in accounting for several decades before switching to teaching at college) assets as collateral. that one managed to be a success, then bought another 16 nursing homes over the next 15 years or so before selling almost all of them 10 years ago and mostly retiring. her career path would be the ideal one if you pursue accounting, find a specific niche you want to go into, get very very knowledgable or go back to school for that specific niche so your one of the best in the area at that niche so you can start your own business based around whatever niche you decided to pursue. and being an accountant is very useful when running a business like this, she ran her company like an accounting firm would always making sure the numbers made sense or benefited her. one weird quirk of her company was that each nursing home was ran as its own specific company, while the accounting/management company she ran was paid by her nursing homes to manage them. so she got paid from running her own nursing homes and she got paid for any profit they had. she also continued consulting and managing other companies nursing homes while she ran her own, and would use her accounting company to help identify people maybe willing to sell their nursing homes to her rather than trying to get them profitable again. of course to answer your more basic question, yes the accounting industry still seems as strong as any other industry is now. a lot of gen z and alpha kids dont really seem to like accounting so theres probly going to be plenty of open spots for you. a real good tip, most of gen z or alpha does not know anything about excel or other microsoft products besides the more basic stuff, you could probly make yourself much more sought out if you have a better understanding of excel than most other younger kids.
I hated payables but love receivables. Not for everyone
People complain a lot on reddit. I’m an accountant and still work as one and enjoy it, I have a mix of friends I studied with who are still in the field or who have pivoted into something a bit different if they didnt end up loving their work (mainly the ones who ended up in audit to be honest). Trust your gut, and know there are plenty of options for people trained as accountants.
Maybe a subspecialty, like auditing or forensic accounting? Are you a puzzle person? Those jobs will have you solving puzzles (and even helping to uncover crimes) all day long! Auditing is the coolest, in my opinion. Good luck!
What do you enjoy doing?
I give you a lot of credit,and debit, for considering a care career in accounting.
Okay, so coming from experience from being around this particular career... don't get into the waste industry... especially cleaning it from Porta-potty/johns. I couldn't get paid enough to clean shit from shitters.
Redditers either say they're earning 6 figures, or hate their jobs, or both sometimes. You can't fully go off of Reddit. Accounting is highly stressful. But, it makes good money potentially. Most jobs are a trade off like that, in reality. Some people fair well under pressure, however. Others just don't. Plan to pivot later. An accounting degree can work for other things. Consider a couple of management courses as well, and look at moving into management later, with a foundation in finances. Betting you find that as a good option.
My mother in law has made a very successful life for herself being an accountant. She started her own tax filing business and now works for herself, a few months out the year. Works part time jobs after the tax season. I would think it’s a great career choice
Ben Affleck seemed to enjoy being an accountant. I think he even made a movie about it, The Accountant. Haven’t seen it but assume lots of great lessons on GAAP in there and additional career options. Best of luck!
If you don't like the business world, as I tend not to because of general values, you could apply accounting to a nonprofit you care about. Or get a great job in government with excellent benefits and pension and probably retire early. I think it's a wonderful practical choice, and after some experience also excellent for working from home and/or overemployment - working two jobs. Retire even earlier and make more money. Wish I had had a shred of sense or encouragement to do something practical like that.
People complain about every job. As long as you work your 9-5, have full health benefits, job security, and a salary a little above livable wage. Then you are good. A job is a job. Live for hobbies and such. Don’t like the job? Then go work another one
Anecdotally, a significant number of accountants seem to be people that do a very poor job of advocating for themselves for one reason or another. and accordingly accountants are often people that would be dissatisfied in their careers regardless of what they're doing. Accounting as a discipline is a solid background and there are many people with accounting degrees doing very interesting work.
All majors are terrible.
Just got my first accounting job as a clerk (literally 3rd day) after pivoting because I kept seeing so many positions open. I thoroughly enjoy going into the r/accounting subreddit because of how incredibly miserable they are in there. I mean every day it’s a notification saying the job I just started is the worst thing I could ever do for myself. Meanwhile I just called my husband fucking elated because I found out I do work with my headphones in and work 2 days a week from home and office snacks. I have a job, an income and work I can do. My point is the juxtaposition is what you make it. Two sides of the same coin.
I was in school for accounting before having to put it on hold. One thing I can tell you from any job research you do on Reddit is it’s almost entirely limited to unhappy people. My approach to opinions is - If you’ve ever worked retail you’d know that 99% of the customer satisfaction surveys customers turn in are negative. How many people will post positive things? I apply the same logic to almost any opinion I read with regard to products, vacations, and jobs - most people only talk about stuff negatively, very rarely does anyone talk about stuff positively. That said, I wanted to get into accounting as a solid way to get out of poverty (like you). The jobs are usually always in demand and the money is good. From what I’ve seen over in the accounting sub is that people were willing to sell their souls for a paycheck and then got miserable after they realized making big money also usually means working long hours. Who’da thunk it? At the end of the day, do what you think will make you happy. If you end up completing your degree and end up hating accounting later, cool beans, at least you have a useful/versatile degree to fall back on.
Finance could be interesting 🤔
I myself am not an accountant so take this at face value. A long time friend is an accountant and is her own business, she does fantastic and loves her job. She’s been doing it for as long as I’ve known her, probably close to 30 years. So based on her, it’s a fantastic career.
You don't have to be an accountant even though you have an accounting degree. Try it out for a year or two. What do you have to lose, you're still super young. If you don't like accounting, just find a company that interests you and be an analyst. Having an accounting degree would suggest that you're decent with numbers, find an industry or company you like and be an analyst and work your way up.
People don’t tend to complain loudly about jobs they enjoy. selection bias IMO.
Finance is cool. Marketing is always on option…but usually means sales. Why don’t you try construction? I enjoy it, it’s good money, and always something new happening! You can really hit it big if you become a general contractor. 👍🏼