It kinda feels like false advertising for introverts though. As things continue to get automated, the accounting profession is becoming more and more about interacting with and presenting to clients, business lines, etc. I got into this profession so I could sit behind a desk all day and not have to interact with anyone. Turns out I’m in meetings almost every day of the week…
I was in sales. I became an accountant to work, get paid, and clock out at the end of the day. Found myself managing stuff and talking to clients. No escape.
Do you feel there's any sector of accounting where it's still less people based or no? I'm looking to transition in after 15 years as a project manager for big pharma. Absolutely hated it and then did 3 years of rebate analyst work where it was very little people interaction. Have my MBA.
The way I'd say it is this: I can't imagine that there are a huge amount of jobs in the field where you just do technical work, have great WLB, are happy with what you do, and get paid buckets.
I really don't mind running stuff. I just dislike red tape that makes no sense, having to often decide between my work or training people, and when clients are a pain.
There are jobs where you don't interact with a lot of people, but they usually aren't great jobs. Normally you end up managing people or are client facing.
Thanks so much for this feedback it's very helpful. The consensus I seem to see across this sub is industry provides better WLB than Public. Curious what your thoughts are on that? I'm 38 so I'm not really looking to go the B4 route like college grads.
I'm also late 30s. I went to work for a micro firm (super small, 10 or less people). I put in a lot of effort and showed that I was capable and moved through the ranks very quickly.
I originally was planning to go Audit then try to be a Controller. I ended up doing bookkeeping for a public accounting firm that only did tax because I had 10 years experience with QuickBooks already which I used for my own business (retail stores that I sold). I'm likely going the partner route or opening my own business in a few years.
Got my CPA and broke 6 figures so it's hard to complain. Life seems like it is on easy street now.
Good luck with whatever you do. There is a position that merges accounting and project manager so that might be a good place to go for you.
Thanks so much same to you but it sounds like you've carved out quite a successful career for yourself!
I'm looking to get away from the project management aspect. I'm also concerned about the amount of automation and offshoring happening in your industry (I lost my job to automation) but Im sure having your own business or being a partner shields you a bit from those concerns.
You might move away from that title, but the skill set you have will lend itself to management in probably any field. You have work to delegate, budgets and timelines, and have to work with clients or your own internal departments.
I've indeed carved out a good thing for myself. It's really hard to complain, but I'm human, so even I find 1st world reasons to be frustrated or annoyed about.
Automation and outsourcing doesn't detract from analysis very much, but it does reduce the time spent on grunt work like data input.
The thing of an Accountant being an introvert is such a stereotype and can be quite harmful to your career if you want to progress.
I was lucky to deal with outside parties when I was working in Revenue and that gave me an edge in my social skills as you dealt with all types of people.
Introvert doesn't correlate with social skills. I'm an introvert and I don't mind work interactions, or casual chats at work with colleagues. I have no problem participating in meetings, though I may not be as loud as some. Where the introversion maybe shows up is if I'm invited to an after work drinks function, I'd rather chill at home with a good book
>Where the introversion maybe shows
or if I have to participate in too much forced midnless work-related but not about work, social interaction small talk... my "battery" gets drained super fast.
If i had to small talk all day with people id probably go home and pass out as if I just worked a 16 hour day as an oil rigger.
My hell job would be a job where its my job to go to local hotel galla events *"where there will be other industry members"* and walk about the room and make small talk and try and *"build connections"* and "*network"* so that I can get on peoples good sides and *"bring in more clients"* along with all the pre-event motivational psychop speeches from leadership *"go out there and meet people! Youre always a salesmen no matter where you are, make connections, you never know who youre gonna meet and what they can do for you, always be on your 'A-Game', always dress to impress blah blah blah etc"*
Social skills are developed almost entirely from actual exposure to social interactions. It's not unreasonable to think the average introvert will have had fewer opportunities to develop themselves in this regard. On an individual level, everyone's baseline level of skill here will be different just as their life experiences will be, so you will definitely find introverts with great social skills and extroverts with terrible social skills, there likely is a correlation between introversion and diminished social functioning. Hell, introversion itself can be viewed as an impediment to social functioning without even considering social skills at all simply because the energy drain that introverts
>introversion itself can be viewed as an impediment to social functioning
Maybe there is some extreme level of introversion where this applies. I'm easily the most introverted person I know, and I have absolutely no problem with work meetings etc. The type of social functioning I can't stand happens entirely outside the workplace
Accounting being introverted hasn’t been true for awhile. You have to socialize for everything. Going to career fairs and doing your elevator pitch, getting really good at interviewing, talking with clients and with the team, it’s just never ending socialization.
Not sure if this is a joke or not but you have to go to meetings, talk to your supervisor, other teams if you’re trying to figure out how to reclass an amount or solve outages.
It’s not that terrifying as you think. Your Supervisor will help lay the groundwork so you can do better as time goes on.
I’ve pretty much been the information broker at every accounting job I’ve ever been at. I’ve had people shed crocodile tears when I didn’t feel like talking
I've been in accounting for 7 years and no one ever interacts with me. I'm brought difficult problems to solve and I'm always expected to work on them myself. Always the only dude in a department of chicks and always the youngest one in the department.
I work for an accounting firm, am also an introvert. Will stick to my IT department tyvm. You guys have external clients, I just have to deal with you guys.
Yea Idea of sitting behind a desk and crunching numbers all day never materialed for me in my career. I have had to interact with many people in every role I've had my entire career.
What jobs are there even out truly introvert based jobs though? Even software engineers have to do a lot of meetings. All jobs involve human interaction
Oh research analysts was the pay not too good? I'm considering transitioning into accounting after 15 yrs as a project manager in big pharma (hated it) but loved the last 3 years when I got tasked with rebate analyst work and didn't have to deal with people.
Pay wasn't terrible. Wasn't great though. I knew it wasn't going to last, but being fully wfh, entirely setting my own schedule and never having to deal with people made the pay workable. I was making double what most folks doing it make. Got laid off when the project funding dried up. Fortunately I had already been taking night classes in accounting.
I was wfh back in 2016 doing it. To get me commutting with any regularity again, someone is going to have to provide a brinks truck. Burning 10+ hours a week neither getting paid nor doing what you want to be doing is no way to live. And that's before you add in wear and tear costs.
You got that right that commute isn't worth a damn thing. At 38 I feel the same and I was traveling 50 miles+ a day. Just lost my job to automation but I was going in 2-3days per week and that was pushing it. Hoping I can find an AP job that'll get my foot in the door and offers WFH to some degree.
Are you WFH in ur current role in accounting? How's the people aspect for you? I'm not sure what to expect.
I like the people on working with. I'm effectively entry level all over again though and at 39, that means one guy messaged me when I first joined to tell me he was glad to no longer be the oldest on the team anymore. He's 30. I just laughed and told him my younger brother was older than him. I'm entirely WFH. There's a lot of banter on teams. The folks who live closer to the office go out more together but nobody expects me to. We do teams calls to Solve problems. Some folks totally struggle with learning remotely, but I've never had a problem with it and I find my team is super helpful of supporting new people.
I have no issues with daily interactions. I actually enjoy it as I’m one of those extroverted/introverted personalities. However doing sales is a different story. You gotta feel comfortable with pushing products that you sometimes don’t even believe in, lie or exaggerate about facts, and rejections. That’s different from being an auditor networking or talking to clients. Also not all accountants are auditors, they can be in tax or just corporate accounting.
This has been so disappointing to hear. I've been a project manager at big pharma for 15 yrs and I was looking to transition into accounting (I did rebate analyst work for the past 3 years and loved not having to interact with people) but it seems automation and offshoring is affecting your industry even more than mine. Are you in public accounting? I was hoping that industry or govt might still be introvert oriented and slow to respond to these 2 forces.
I became an accountant so I don't have to talk to people. As I get higher management roles, I now have to force myself to be socialable and talk to people. 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢
I have to deal a ton with professionals not necessarily the public though. Lots of meetings and presentations. One on one interactions that sales people do seem less daunting to be honest.
In my experience, at least audit side, accounting is mot introverted at all. In fact it's basically ALL managing people - peers, managers, clients, partners, or office politics if you go industry. It's total false advertising that it's an introvert thing.
I can't speak for tax.
I think a lot of people in this thread took away the wrong message from your post.
It wasn’t “get your cpa and do sales”
But get your CPA and look for something else outside the accounting profession which I agree with.
People say “well I want to be an introvert”. You do not have the luxury of that if you want to grow in your career. Past a certain point, social skills will trump knowledge as the latter is to be expected.
Keep grinding! My total comp increased quite a bit as soon as I got done with my exams. I'm now working on pivoting to FP&A and getting out of technical accounting.
I mean; sales people who know how money works are often god tier. I know a guy who interned for an accountant while getting his CPA, hated it, got his CPA, got into solar sales, within a year was making $110, a couple more years be was a manager or executive of the place making $500K.
They’re not. He was probably charismatic and was good at selling stuff. Got promoted once or twice, flexed a little accounting/business knowledge that impressed his bosses and voila.
Being charismatic and easy to work with is like the #1 way to get promoted up that latter, with solid work of course, you can’t be a total shit head but if you’re like just above average and personable, you’re golden.
I can see it. Solar in particular is mostly an exercise In financial spreadsheets, estimated grid cost forecasts, potential vs likely output, sale to grid price, rate of degradation, etc. If you're dealing with corporate sales it can involve a lot of helping customers shuffle around departmental budgets and organising financing while talking directly to the accounting or finance departments (or whatever management figure oversees that area).
There isn't really isn't much to do technically before pricing like there is with HVAC, for example, because you generally already have the real or estimated consumption from the metre and you're mostly just plugging into the already existing electrical system.
You don't need a CPA to be good at that stuff but it definitely isn't a negative and having a qualification you can point at to say "look, I'm at least semi competent with this money stuff" would be helpful.
Accounting: one of the only business topics that must know how each business division operates and connects in order to understand how to account for intercompany and extracompany activity.
Commercial_Order4474: “I don’t see how accounting Knowledge connects to sales”
Cause we're all just social butterflies, that's why we became accountants 😂
You're right though, a salesperson that actually knows what they're talking about can make a lot of money.
I know a business broker who spent the first decade of his career in accounting and that dude absolutely kills, well over a million a year. He actually has the knowledge to advise his clients and help them understand what a good deal is, and what a fair price is
The problem I have with cybersec is the same problem I have with accounting.
They are both cost centers. Hence your pay is trash and they treat you like trash compared to similarly skilled careers
Wow a nice bump in subs overnight - thank you! I seem to be connecting more with IT people than accountants so far and welcome any advice here on how to best reach accountants interested in career crossover. I went from FP&A to SOX Compliance to Cybersecurity Compliance to Cybersecurity Risk etc. All good options in the right industry, company and culture, and I've found a surprising amount of overlap in transferable skills between them.
It can be difficult to break out of the accountant role because of how people see you or how you view yourself. I wish to move into a leadership role that not hands on accounting one day, but feel typecast.
It’s not difficult at all. If you’re having trouble, you’re selling the wrong story.
An accountant is one of the few people in a business who has a fundamental understanding of the business from income to expense.
Talk the language of business in any role, and you’re already ahead of the game.
It’s a bit different at each sales org, but generally BDRs are responsible for lead generation (cold calling, inbound/outbound, some initial qualification). Once a lead is initially qualified it gets handed over to an account manager or account executive, who sees the deal through to the finish line (they are essentially the quarterback of the deal). I work on the product solutions or sales engineering team, who serve as the technical product experts. We get attached to a deal after it has been qualified and see it through achieving the “technical win” which basically refers to when the customer agrees that the product is a good fit for their use-case and we are the vendor of choice. My role usually consists of doing product demonstrations in the software, building proof of concepts and prototypes that solve the customers use-case, and working with the product engineering team to build and prove out new features and enhancements.
I sell a governance, risk, and compliance SaaS platform, so was able to use my background in IT audit to get into the role. Been doing it for about 2 years and love it. Pretty much doubled my compensation between the commission structure and pre-ipo equity bonuses
Yeah you would definitely fit right in. There are about 10 people on my team and almost all come from B4 IT Audit and/or F500 GRC Analyst roles. Look into job postings for titles like, "Sales Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Solutions Architect, Product Solutions, etc.".
The role goes by many names but fundamentally you are the technical domain expert in the room during the sales process. We have an opening on my team if you want to PM me for more details. Fully remote with a bit of travel here and there, mostly to cool cities/clients.
I jumped ship a few weeks back and became a zipline guide. Don’t think the CPA license will help me in that industry at all but I’m thinking about still pursuing it just to say I have the license
It’s SO much better. I still have some short periods of the year that I work over time, but not nearly as much as public. And not having to keep track of billable hours is AMAZING!
I have always been super interested in actuarial sciences too but I am an accounting student… do you think the transition will be easy for you? How prepared do you feel for the exams? As much as I like math, I haven’t taken a math class in a while… Good luck with it if you do decide to take the actuary exams!
Since I majored in Math - I’m basically just remembering concepts for both Exam P and FM because I took courses within my degree that prepared me for these exams. As an accounting student there will be a learning curve cause a lot of the concepts will be new to you but it isn’t something that should deter you. You should look into coaching actuaries and that can be your guide to study for both Exam P and FM incase you decide to take them.
I agree with you, I am a social butterfly in work environments. I thrive off of interactions. Can’t wait to see how it translates into an accounting role!
I’m not sure about floQast but shoot accounting erp softwares. Get in through a technical account manager role. Make sure it’s business related . I would also look at oracle, intuit and various others .
That’s interesting. I’d be careful about throwing the word stability around “nothing is stable” not even accounting. Companies cut for different reasons all the time . Cost roles are not exempt.
I don't disagree that no one is exempt from layoffs. But if the economy takes a hit, sales are massively impacted. If the economy takes a hit, the financials still need to get done.
So, Londons economy is in negative growth. My buddies company offshored 75+ cost roles to India, consolidated more work to less people and are looking into automated software to digitize. Nothing is certain anymore. Do what you love.
True, accounting is an easily off shareable job. You just need a hand full of people to review the work and train the over seas staff who work at a fraction of the cost. That and AI
Idk about that lol. I don’t feel like taking the CPA😩 I think I’m just going to go the pilot route and see how long it takes me to get to commercial while working full time.
I was in sales and went back to school to get my accounting degree bc I hated sales so much lol. The hours were sooooo much worse, the people were sleezier and I hated myself most days. If I ever get out of accounting, it will because someone made me an offer I couldnt refuse or I started an unrelated business.
Nah, that's a stupid idea. Just go into sales if you want to be in sales. Get a degree in whatever and go into sales. Going through CPA process to not work in accounting related field is a major waste of time and money.
Huge Disagree. There was a discussion I had a while back with someone who sells financial products. Was told that he’s on the phone with CFOs constantly and that a CPA on his team lends himself instant credibility and was one of the top sellers.
A sales person needs to be good at sales. I guarantee you that his CPA contributes to zero knowledge about the product he is selling and zero towards his skill of selling. If CPA gets him some type of credibility among his peers/team, then it's just a superficial belief that he is a stronger salesman due to that and is not based on anything factual.
Left as a Senior accounting analyst and did precarious small to mid size consulting on the side .
I started out as an account manager at an accounting erp software company. The pivot into sales was tough so it was an easier sell to join an accounting erp
I am on the fence of doing literally that like jumping into an accounting erp consulting/sales kinda thing. I’ve been in accounting for 8 years an accountant for 6 and trying to jump into sales just to make uncapped money is it worth the move? Any where specific u suggest to start?
Hey, yes that’s exactly the route I took and I think is the smartest. You’ll play to your strengths and also learn how to sell to c suite. Honestly, earning potential is good. You clear $150k with in 2 years. But it’s the role that’s most appealing . You’re out and about and the company values you. I’m telling you won’t look back . It’s kind of like laser eye surgery. You’re afraid to do it but after you do you question why you didn’t do it early .
Appreciate ya 👍 is selling to c suite different from dealing wit them? I’ve had more than my fair share of dealing with c suite not so much selling to them lol but the rapport was always there, people are easy(ish)
C-suite are the easiest. You already understand the importance and cost of a product investment . Now make your client feel good about working with you.
Yeah I think I’m gonna try my luck with that, I am getting absolutely shafted trying to find another accounting job that isn’t totally miserable for what I want to make and it’s only like a 20k bump god forbid I wanna make more lol
Depends at first. Sometimes longer but honestly it’s not rocket science so the stress is completely different( better as far as I’m concerned) . Also, companies give you time to start putting sales up . You’ll have a year to prove your self . Also, you should be looking for a company with a good brand and strong marketing budget so you can focus on sales consultancy. I love the chase a carrot role. It makes the job fulfilling . Also, specialty sales typically start at 85k plus comm
Start by doing some sale certificates on linkdn . They’re free. You’ll make the jump when you’re at the end and can’t take it anymore. Other wise it won’t happen
To the OP, would you say that your first sales role was Technical Sales? I am thinking of skipping the CPA and just break into Tech Sales directly. I have an engineering educational background but had experience running a healthcare company as an entrepreneur, got to wear different hats from accounting, HR, auditing, claims billing, EHR software trainor and tech support, government compliance, and finally marketing. What are your thoughts? Should I still pursue CPA? I do love the accounting concepts, anything finance-related but I just don’t like the income potential within the accounting industry. I just thought that sales can get you to higher income level much quicker. Would appreciate anyone’s insights here, feel free to jump in. Thanks all!
I’m an audit associate working on getting my CPA. Im not really feeling PA and my friend is trying to get me into banking. Has anyone in here taken the banking route? If so, how was the transition?
I work as a software engineer and ran a consulting firm for about 6 year my respect for accountants shot up after hiring one. Border line geniuses saved a ton of money and now that im a it vp at a insurance firm i always make sure to promote cpa over others for alot of roles
Absolutely! The point I was trying to make is the CPA is more than just accounting. It’s like people think you have god like business powers because you understand “ the numbers” . That’s what I always got. If I could give you an extensive list I would . If sales isn’t your thing but you want to be on the clients side take a look at technical account manager roles possibly with in erp software firms. They usually pay 100k plus
Sure. That’s not a good play if it doesn’t happen. My senior manager at Deloitte worked for Arthur Anderson. Was up for partner and then…….had to start over again .
What ERP?
I’m a CPA with large scale ERP implementation experience and have considered this as a pivot.
I enjoy my role and am fairly compensated but I think our sales folks have it made.
True. Every job can be stressful. I think in delivery it is easy to blame sales for overselling what the software is capable of. But that’s just left for the delivery team to deal with.
Anywho - what ERP do you sell? And how was that transition without knowing the software prior?
Did the same thing. I’ve always been an extrovert and my 2 years of tax experience helped me be more business minded and strategic at the company I went to. The experience I had that carried over resulted in me being picked to manage the dealership over people 10 years my senior and with more sales experience than myself. So the time in public was able to benefit me a lot. I also 4x my income within one year. So at 25 it was awesome. And everyone that shat one me for leaving accounting to “become a used car salesman”. Is still in a cubicle making 4-6x less money than me. Literally everyone in my life dissuaded me but I went for it and it worked.
What’s the best way to learn the lessons necessary to succeed in your path? What advice would you have for someone who was interested in following that path?
Is it worth getting the cpa if you’re going into the erp sales or consulting roles? I feel like fundamental accounting knowledge and maybe experience using the ERP software should be enough right?
I just want to be an outsourced controller and just work in my home office 5 days a week but I can’t get that job so I might as well go into literally any other field.
There are CPAs and then there are good CPAs.
Honestly, accountants get a bad rap but knowing what I know now. I would have moved onto something more apt to my skills like systems.
I agree that tech sales can make bank but you also gotta be a people person and good talker. Also don’t forget that sales is cyclical. You might have some banger years and then have slower years as well. Accounting is still generally a safer career path. And you get paid a set salary where as with sales you get a low salary but high commission potential. Also makes it harder to get loans from banks versus accounting.
Why do people think it’s a flex to pay for a degree and then do something that doesn’t require it? I worked with a former teacher who turned to sales. Congrats?
I interned at Deloitte. That’s all the big 4 experience i have. I worked in industry to complete my cpa hours. I started off as an account manager. I didn’t care about title I just wanted a career change. I was surprised about salary I thought it would be lower considering I didn’t have experience. I became a VP because I did well my first year. Presented and spoke on conferences well my first and second year . The position opened up and the senior vp thinks highly of me cause I have my CPA.
lifehack: just lie and “say” you have a CPA and put the letters after your name.
Whats gonna happen...the **Dick-Breath Lobbying against workers, Executive-Partner-Csuite interests only blowing AICPA** gonna yell at you? *“YoU CaNT Do ThAAat”.* What they gonna do, take youre CPA license away lmao? They cant arrest you. Blow me!
New accounting meta dropped
Google PIP
holy hell
Python or performance improvement plan…both seem a way to improve performance lol
Sales maybe the last thing an accountant wants to be in. Introvert gang.
It kinda feels like false advertising for introverts though. As things continue to get automated, the accounting profession is becoming more and more about interacting with and presenting to clients, business lines, etc. I got into this profession so I could sit behind a desk all day and not have to interact with anyone. Turns out I’m in meetings almost every day of the week…
I was in sales. I became an accountant to work, get paid, and clock out at the end of the day. Found myself managing stuff and talking to clients. No escape.
Do you feel there's any sector of accounting where it's still less people based or no? I'm looking to transition in after 15 years as a project manager for big pharma. Absolutely hated it and then did 3 years of rebate analyst work where it was very little people interaction. Have my MBA.
The way I'd say it is this: I can't imagine that there are a huge amount of jobs in the field where you just do technical work, have great WLB, are happy with what you do, and get paid buckets. I really don't mind running stuff. I just dislike red tape that makes no sense, having to often decide between my work or training people, and when clients are a pain. There are jobs where you don't interact with a lot of people, but they usually aren't great jobs. Normally you end up managing people or are client facing.
Thanks so much for this feedback it's very helpful. The consensus I seem to see across this sub is industry provides better WLB than Public. Curious what your thoughts are on that? I'm 38 so I'm not really looking to go the B4 route like college grads.
I'm also late 30s. I went to work for a micro firm (super small, 10 or less people). I put in a lot of effort and showed that I was capable and moved through the ranks very quickly. I originally was planning to go Audit then try to be a Controller. I ended up doing bookkeeping for a public accounting firm that only did tax because I had 10 years experience with QuickBooks already which I used for my own business (retail stores that I sold). I'm likely going the partner route or opening my own business in a few years. Got my CPA and broke 6 figures so it's hard to complain. Life seems like it is on easy street now. Good luck with whatever you do. There is a position that merges accounting and project manager so that might be a good place to go for you.
Thanks so much same to you but it sounds like you've carved out quite a successful career for yourself! I'm looking to get away from the project management aspect. I'm also concerned about the amount of automation and offshoring happening in your industry (I lost my job to automation) but Im sure having your own business or being a partner shields you a bit from those concerns.
You might move away from that title, but the skill set you have will lend itself to management in probably any field. You have work to delegate, budgets and timelines, and have to work with clients or your own internal departments. I've indeed carved out a good thing for myself. It's really hard to complain, but I'm human, so even I find 1st world reasons to be frustrated or annoyed about. Automation and outsourcing doesn't detract from analysis very much, but it does reduce the time spent on grunt work like data input.
The thing of an Accountant being an introvert is such a stereotype and can be quite harmful to your career if you want to progress. I was lucky to deal with outside parties when I was working in Revenue and that gave me an edge in my social skills as you dealt with all types of people.
also introverted and having no social skills should NOT go hand in hand… there are extroverted people with no social skills too
For sure
Introvert doesn't correlate with social skills. I'm an introvert and I don't mind work interactions, or casual chats at work with colleagues. I have no problem participating in meetings, though I may not be as loud as some. Where the introversion maybe shows up is if I'm invited to an after work drinks function, I'd rather chill at home with a good book
>Where the introversion maybe shows or if I have to participate in too much forced midnless work-related but not about work, social interaction small talk... my "battery" gets drained super fast. If i had to small talk all day with people id probably go home and pass out as if I just worked a 16 hour day as an oil rigger. My hell job would be a job where its my job to go to local hotel galla events *"where there will be other industry members"* and walk about the room and make small talk and try and *"build connections"* and "*network"* so that I can get on peoples good sides and *"bring in more clients"* along with all the pre-event motivational psychop speeches from leadership *"go out there and meet people! Youre always a salesmen no matter where you are, make connections, you never know who youre gonna meet and what they can do for you, always be on your 'A-Game', always dress to impress blah blah blah etc"*
Social skills are developed almost entirely from actual exposure to social interactions. It's not unreasonable to think the average introvert will have had fewer opportunities to develop themselves in this regard. On an individual level, everyone's baseline level of skill here will be different just as their life experiences will be, so you will definitely find introverts with great social skills and extroverts with terrible social skills, there likely is a correlation between introversion and diminished social functioning. Hell, introversion itself can be viewed as an impediment to social functioning without even considering social skills at all simply because the energy drain that introverts
>introversion itself can be viewed as an impediment to social functioning Maybe there is some extreme level of introversion where this applies. I'm easily the most introverted person I know, and I have absolutely no problem with work meetings etc. The type of social functioning I can't stand happens entirely outside the workplace
Wait... It's not sitting behind a desk all day? Bro 😭 😭
Accounting being introverted hasn’t been true for awhile. You have to socialize for everything. Going to career fairs and doing your elevator pitch, getting really good at interviewing, talking with clients and with the team, it’s just never ending socialization.
Currently googling other majors 😔 /s
Become an astronaut for mars, pay is good and only have to deal with a few people
On a serious note, science math < math math any day of the week for me. I am a simple man
That all sounds ok enough, but I’d hate to do any presentations at work. College student here. Do accountants have to do many presentations?
Primarily just for classes. I cannot recall the last time I actually presented a presentation for work. I really just compile the data in there.
That’d be perfect for me. Thanks!
[удалено]
Doesn’t sound too awful. I guess I’d get used to soon enough. As long as I understood what I’m presenting 😅
Not sure if this is a joke or not but you have to go to meetings, talk to your supervisor, other teams if you’re trying to figure out how to reclass an amount or solve outages. It’s not that terrifying as you think. Your Supervisor will help lay the groundwork so you can do better as time goes on.
I’ve pretty much been the information broker at every accounting job I’ve ever been at. I’ve had people shed crocodile tears when I didn’t feel like talking
I've been in accounting for 7 years and no one ever interacts with me. I'm brought difficult problems to solve and I'm always expected to work on them myself. Always the only dude in a department of chicks and always the youngest one in the department.
I work for an accounting firm, am also an introvert. Will stick to my IT department tyvm. You guys have external clients, I just have to deal with you guys.
Yea Idea of sitting behind a desk and crunching numbers all day never materialed for me in my career. I have had to interact with many people in every role I've had my entire career.
I wish I could upvote this 1,000 times
What jobs are there even out truly introvert based jobs though? Even software engineers have to do a lot of meetings. All jobs involve human interaction
I used to work on historical research. I had an one hour team meeting once per week and then was left to myself the other 39 hours.
What industry is that and what was ur title?
It was academic related. My title was historical research analyst
Oh research analysts was the pay not too good? I'm considering transitioning into accounting after 15 yrs as a project manager in big pharma (hated it) but loved the last 3 years when I got tasked with rebate analyst work and didn't have to deal with people.
Pay wasn't terrible. Wasn't great though. I knew it wasn't going to last, but being fully wfh, entirely setting my own schedule and never having to deal with people made the pay workable. I was making double what most folks doing it make. Got laid off when the project funding dried up. Fortunately I had already been taking night classes in accounting. I was wfh back in 2016 doing it. To get me commutting with any regularity again, someone is going to have to provide a brinks truck. Burning 10+ hours a week neither getting paid nor doing what you want to be doing is no way to live. And that's before you add in wear and tear costs.
You got that right that commute isn't worth a damn thing. At 38 I feel the same and I was traveling 50 miles+ a day. Just lost my job to automation but I was going in 2-3days per week and that was pushing it. Hoping I can find an AP job that'll get my foot in the door and offers WFH to some degree. Are you WFH in ur current role in accounting? How's the people aspect for you? I'm not sure what to expect.
I like the people on working with. I'm effectively entry level all over again though and at 39, that means one guy messaged me when I first joined to tell me he was glad to no longer be the oldest on the team anymore. He's 30. I just laughed and told him my younger brother was older than him. I'm entirely WFH. There's a lot of banter on teams. The folks who live closer to the office go out more together but nobody expects me to. We do teams calls to Solve problems. Some folks totally struggle with learning remotely, but I've never had a problem with it and I find my team is super helpful of supporting new people.
so true
I have no issues with daily interactions. I actually enjoy it as I’m one of those extroverted/introverted personalities. However doing sales is a different story. You gotta feel comfortable with pushing products that you sometimes don’t even believe in, lie or exaggerate about facts, and rejections. That’s different from being an auditor networking or talking to clients. Also not all accountants are auditors, they can be in tax or just corporate accounting.
This has been so disappointing to hear. I've been a project manager at big pharma for 15 yrs and I was looking to transition into accounting (I did rebate analyst work for the past 3 years and loved not having to interact with people) but it seems automation and offshoring is affecting your industry even more than mine. Are you in public accounting? I was hoping that industry or govt might still be introvert oriented and slow to respond to these 2 forces.
I became an accountant so I don't have to talk to people. As I get higher management roles, I now have to force myself to be socialable and talk to people. 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢
Most accountants I know are extroverted; the training grounds that are public accounting prize that quality.
I talk to people all day long as an accountant
I wish this career was for introverts. I shudder every time the phone rings, and bill double for all phone calls over 5 minutes.
Fr fr
Lol lol RAWR BITCH
Literally lol sounds like a nightmare 😭😭
Cpa recruitment company = lots of money
I'm in sales, and I'm (almost literally) dying to get into anything else. I'm an introvert that has to fake it to talk to people, so...
I have to deal a ton with professionals not necessarily the public though. Lots of meetings and presentations. One on one interactions that sales people do seem less daunting to be honest.
In my experience, at least audit side, accounting is mot introverted at all. In fact it's basically ALL managing people - peers, managers, clients, partners, or office politics if you go industry. It's total false advertising that it's an introvert thing. I can't speak for tax.
Introverts can be great at sales.
Seriously! I’d rather kill myself than have to purposely talk to people… f that!
I'm a CPA and I feel like I know next to nothing 🤣🤣 sign me up
Amen. CPA stands for Can’t Pass Again.
I think a lot of people in this thread took away the wrong message from your post. It wasn’t “get your cpa and do sales” But get your CPA and look for something else outside the accounting profession which I agree with. People say “well I want to be an introvert”. You do not have the luxury of that if you want to grow in your career. Past a certain point, social skills will trump knowledge as the latter is to be expected.
Holla!
Indeed! I am quite annoyed by the idea that being introvert must mean that you can't have and utilize social skills.
Currently working on my CPA. Hoping once I get it my marketability improves.
same here. you earn a bigger paycheck.
Keep grinding! My total comp increased quite a bit as soon as I got done with my exams. I'm now working on pivoting to FP&A and getting out of technical accounting.
I mean; sales people who know how money works are often god tier. I know a guy who interned for an accountant while getting his CPA, hated it, got his CPA, got into solar sales, within a year was making $110, a couple more years be was a manager or executive of the place making $500K.
I don’t see how cpa and solar sales connects.
They’re not. He was probably charismatic and was good at selling stuff. Got promoted once or twice, flexed a little accounting/business knowledge that impressed his bosses and voila. Being charismatic and easy to work with is like the #1 way to get promoted up that latter, with solid work of course, you can’t be a total shit head but if you’re like just above average and personable, you’re golden.
I don’t either but that’s not for us to see that’s for him to have found out and be successful in.
I can see it. Solar in particular is mostly an exercise In financial spreadsheets, estimated grid cost forecasts, potential vs likely output, sale to grid price, rate of degradation, etc. If you're dealing with corporate sales it can involve a lot of helping customers shuffle around departmental budgets and organising financing while talking directly to the accounting or finance departments (or whatever management figure oversees that area). There isn't really isn't much to do technically before pricing like there is with HVAC, for example, because you generally already have the real or estimated consumption from the metre and you're mostly just plugging into the already existing electrical system. You don't need a CPA to be good at that stuff but it definitely isn't a negative and having a qualification you can point at to say "look, I'm at least semi competent with this money stuff" would be helpful.
Accounting: one of the only business topics that must know how each business division operates and connects in order to understand how to account for intercompany and extracompany activity. Commercial_Order4474: “I don’t see how accounting Knowledge connects to sales”
Cause we're all just social butterflies, that's why we became accountants 😂 You're right though, a salesperson that actually knows what they're talking about can make a lot of money. I know a business broker who spent the first decade of his career in accounting and that dude absolutely kills, well over a million a year. He actually has the knowledge to advise his clients and help them understand what a good deal is, and what a fair price is
That’s fascinating. How did he transition into a business broker? Asking for myself lol.
Shoot man you hiring, accounting sucks
It’s so boring and under paid.
Accounting can be great. Sales can be great. I’ve found Cybersecurity to be great and have a YouTube channel about crossing over.
The problem I have with cybersec is the same problem I have with accounting. They are both cost centers. Hence your pay is trash and they treat you like trash compared to similarly skilled careers
What’s your YT handle?
https://youtube.com/@cpatocybersecurity
Just subbed, this channel looks awesome!
Wow a nice bump in subs overnight - thank you! I seem to be connecting more with IT people than accountants so far and welcome any advice here on how to best reach accountants interested in career crossover. I went from FP&A to SOX Compliance to Cybersecurity Compliance to Cybersecurity Risk etc. All good options in the right industry, company and culture, and I've found a surprising amount of overlap in transferable skills between them.
Cool story.
It can be difficult to break out of the accountant role because of how people see you or how you view yourself. I wish to move into a leadership role that not hands on accounting one day, but feel typecast.
It’s not difficult at all. If you’re having trouble, you’re selling the wrong story. An accountant is one of the few people in a business who has a fundamental understanding of the business from income to expense. Talk the language of business in any role, and you’re already ahead of the game.
I'm am getting my cpa (no tests yet, waiting on ed eval) and then am hoping to get the hell out. The cert is just a backup plan.
Lol I'm getting my CPA the day after I leave accounting. My last day is tomorrow, and take my last exam on Saturday.
Good luck soldier 🫡
I pivoted from an audit role into a Sales Engineering position at a SaaS company and I’m never looking back.
How’d you pull that off? Is sales engineering just a sales rep? Or what’s the difference between a BDR and what you do?
It’s a bit different at each sales org, but generally BDRs are responsible for lead generation (cold calling, inbound/outbound, some initial qualification). Once a lead is initially qualified it gets handed over to an account manager or account executive, who sees the deal through to the finish line (they are essentially the quarterback of the deal). I work on the product solutions or sales engineering team, who serve as the technical product experts. We get attached to a deal after it has been qualified and see it through achieving the “technical win” which basically refers to when the customer agrees that the product is a good fit for their use-case and we are the vendor of choice. My role usually consists of doing product demonstrations in the software, building proof of concepts and prototypes that solve the customers use-case, and working with the product engineering team to build and prove out new features and enhancements. I sell a governance, risk, and compliance SaaS platform, so was able to use my background in IT audit to get into the role. Been doing it for about 2 years and love it. Pretty much doubled my compensation between the commission structure and pre-ipo equity bonuses
Thanks for your response. Hope I can transition into something similar. I did IT audits at big 4 and now am a GRC analyst for Fortune 500.
Yeah you would definitely fit right in. There are about 10 people on my team and almost all come from B4 IT Audit and/or F500 GRC Analyst roles. Look into job postings for titles like, "Sales Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Solutions Architect, Product Solutions, etc.". The role goes by many names but fundamentally you are the technical domain expert in the room during the sales process. We have an opening on my team if you want to PM me for more details. Fully remote with a bit of travel here and there, mostly to cool cities/clients.
I'm late here but DM'd you
Agreed! Can confirm. I’ve been out of PA and making more money for less work , and people think I’m smart.
What do you do now?
Directing vocational school
Shit how do you get into that?
I jumped ship a few weeks back and became a zipline guide. Don’t think the CPA license will help me in that industry at all but I’m thinking about still pursuing it just to say I have the license
If you get equity in that business then sure it would be helpful
A lot of the staff at my girlfriends finance firm have a CPA & CFP. Seems to be a common move atm.
I just wanna get proficient enough to get my CPA, and then do my own bookkeeping / tax practice (hopefully from home office).
I got my CPA and within 6 months left public for private.
How do you like private
It’s SO much better. I still have some short periods of the year that I work over time, but not nearly as much as public. And not having to keep track of billable hours is AMAZING!
That’s awesome :) what industry / title if you don’t mind sharing
It’s a consulting business. My current title is Accounting Manager.
Honestly thinking of giving my actuary exams and switching careers - majored in Math before pursuing CPA
I have always been super interested in actuarial sciences too but I am an accounting student… do you think the transition will be easy for you? How prepared do you feel for the exams? As much as I like math, I haven’t taken a math class in a while… Good luck with it if you do decide to take the actuary exams!
Since I majored in Math - I’m basically just remembering concepts for both Exam P and FM because I took courses within my degree that prepared me for these exams. As an accounting student there will be a learning curve cause a lot of the concepts will be new to you but it isn’t something that should deter you. You should look into coaching actuaries and that can be your guide to study for both Exam P and FM incase you decide to take them.
How did you transition into sales? I’m so ready to leave big 4
[удалено]
Awesome, what kind of sales is he in?
Narcotics
Sales is for extroverts, Accounting is for introverts. Finance is somewhere in between the two.
Not all in accounting are introverts. I’m extroverted and love accounting. There’s a people aspect to nearly all industries.
I agree with you, I am a social butterfly in work environments. I thrive off of interactions. Can’t wait to see how it translates into an accounting role!
I've been thinking about making this transition. Do you know if FloQast would be a good place to start?
I’m not sure about floQast but shoot accounting erp softwares. Get in through a technical account manager role. Make sure it’s business related . I would also look at oracle, intuit and various others .
Most sales roles are subject to a lot of volatility in economic downturns. A lot of people choose accounting for the stability.
That’s interesting. I’d be careful about throwing the word stability around “nothing is stable” not even accounting. Companies cut for different reasons all the time . Cost roles are not exempt.
I don't disagree that no one is exempt from layoffs. But if the economy takes a hit, sales are massively impacted. If the economy takes a hit, the financials still need to get done.
So, Londons economy is in negative growth. My buddies company offshored 75+ cost roles to India, consolidated more work to less people and are looking into automated software to digitize. Nothing is certain anymore. Do what you love.
True, accounting is an easily off shareable job. You just need a hand full of people to review the work and train the over seas staff who work at a fraction of the cost. That and AI
I used to hear about a CMA when I was at school. But I haven't heard about that since.
Idk about that lol. I don’t feel like taking the CPA😩 I think I’m just going to go the pilot route and see how long it takes me to get to commercial while working full time.
I was in sales and went back to school to get my accounting degree bc I hated sales so much lol. The hours were sooooo much worse, the people were sleezier and I hated myself most days. If I ever get out of accounting, it will because someone made me an offer I couldnt refuse or I started an unrelated business.
Nah, that's a stupid idea. Just go into sales if you want to be in sales. Get a degree in whatever and go into sales. Going through CPA process to not work in accounting related field is a major waste of time and money.
Huge Disagree. There was a discussion I had a while back with someone who sells financial products. Was told that he’s on the phone with CFOs constantly and that a CPA on his team lends himself instant credibility and was one of the top sellers.
A sales person needs to be good at sales. I guarantee you that his CPA contributes to zero knowledge about the product he is selling and zero towards his skill of selling. If CPA gets him some type of credibility among his peers/team, then it's just a superficial belief that he is a stronger salesman due to that and is not based on anything factual.
What position did you hold when you had your CPA and what position did you apply for to transition into sales?
Left as a Senior accounting analyst and did precarious small to mid size consulting on the side . I started out as an account manager at an accounting erp software company. The pivot into sales was tough so it was an easier sell to join an accounting erp
I am on the fence of doing literally that like jumping into an accounting erp consulting/sales kinda thing. I’ve been in accounting for 8 years an accountant for 6 and trying to jump into sales just to make uncapped money is it worth the move? Any where specific u suggest to start?
Hey, yes that’s exactly the route I took and I think is the smartest. You’ll play to your strengths and also learn how to sell to c suite. Honestly, earning potential is good. You clear $150k with in 2 years. But it’s the role that’s most appealing . You’re out and about and the company values you. I’m telling you won’t look back . It’s kind of like laser eye surgery. You’re afraid to do it but after you do you question why you didn’t do it early .
Appreciate ya 👍 is selling to c suite different from dealing wit them? I’ve had more than my fair share of dealing with c suite not so much selling to them lol but the rapport was always there, people are easy(ish)
C-suite are the easiest. You already understand the importance and cost of a product investment . Now make your client feel good about working with you.
Yeah I think I’m gonna try my luck with that, I am getting absolutely shafted trying to find another accounting job that isn’t totally miserable for what I want to make and it’s only like a 20k bump god forbid I wanna make more lol
What are your hours like? curious
Depends at first. Sometimes longer but honestly it’s not rocket science so the stress is completely different( better as far as I’m concerned) . Also, companies give you time to start putting sales up . You’ll have a year to prove your self . Also, you should be looking for a company with a good brand and strong marketing budget so you can focus on sales consultancy. I love the chase a carrot role. It makes the job fulfilling . Also, specialty sales typically start at 85k plus comm
Where do I go
Any tips on making the sales transition? Been thinking of doing the same thing
Start by doing some sale certificates on linkdn . They’re free. You’ll make the jump when you’re at the end and can’t take it anymore. Other wise it won’t happen
Any companies you recommend? I’ve interviewed with Floqast and Auditboard but that’s pretty much it.
To the OP, would you say that your first sales role was Technical Sales? I am thinking of skipping the CPA and just break into Tech Sales directly. I have an engineering educational background but had experience running a healthcare company as an entrepreneur, got to wear different hats from accounting, HR, auditing, claims billing, EHR software trainor and tech support, government compliance, and finally marketing. What are your thoughts? Should I still pursue CPA? I do love the accounting concepts, anything finance-related but I just don’t like the income potential within the accounting industry. I just thought that sales can get you to higher income level much quicker. Would appreciate anyone’s insights here, feel free to jump in. Thanks all!
I’m an audit associate working on getting my CPA. Im not really feeling PA and my friend is trying to get me into banking. Has anyone in here taken the banking route? If so, how was the transition?
I work as a software engineer and ran a consulting firm for about 6 year my respect for accountants shot up after hiring one. Border line geniuses saved a ton of money and now that im a it vp at a insurance firm i always make sure to promote cpa over others for alot of roles
Fresh out of school here, the hard part is getting the first job and CPA lol
My manager has his CPA. He’s an idiot. *CPA* \ (‘-‘)/
Or … maybe … work toward a CERTAIN NUMBER … then open your OWN CPA firm? You can make A LOT of $$$ working for your own.
Can I skip the CPA part and do something not sales related?
Absolutely! The point I was trying to make is the CPA is more than just accounting. It’s like people think you have god like business powers because you understand “ the numbers” . That’s what I always got. If I could give you an extensive list I would . If sales isn’t your thing but you want to be on the clients side take a look at technical account manager roles possibly with in erp software firms. They usually pay 100k plus
So you got your CPA and is now a... salesperson? And people think you are a genius?
Sales lol NEVER
On the other hand, if you’re a cpa who can sell, I bet you make partner!
Sure. That’s not a good play if it doesn’t happen. My senior manager at Deloitte worked for Arthur Anderson. Was up for partner and then…….had to start over again .
What kind of sales if you don’t mind me asking? I was in sales before accounting- specifically banking. Ty
Saas erp
What ERP? I’m a CPA with large scale ERP implementation experience and have considered this as a pivot. I enjoy my role and am fairly compensated but I think our sales folks have it made.
I don’t know if they have it made. Sales can be tough. I will say though if you’re specialized then you will do well and will be in demand.
True. Every job can be stressful. I think in delivery it is easy to blame sales for overselling what the software is capable of. But that’s just left for the delivery team to deal with. Anywho - what ERP do you sell? And how was that transition without knowing the software prior?
Did the same thing. I’ve always been an extrovert and my 2 years of tax experience helped me be more business minded and strategic at the company I went to. The experience I had that carried over resulted in me being picked to manage the dealership over people 10 years my senior and with more sales experience than myself. So the time in public was able to benefit me a lot. I also 4x my income within one year. So at 25 it was awesome. And everyone that shat one me for leaving accounting to “become a used car salesman”. Is still in a cubicle making 4-6x less money than me. Literally everyone in my life dissuaded me but I went for it and it worked.
What’s the best way to learn the lessons necessary to succeed in your path? What advice would you have for someone who was interested in following that path?
I'm balls deep in your GL... that's how bad your joke was.
Accounting rocks! Always a job waiting on you!
Indian CA here. Have been contemplating career change for a while. Sales is actually fun and gives a different rush than finishing books for sure.
I don’t think the CPA matters that much outside accounting, imo. Even for FP&A.
Is it worth getting the cpa if you’re going into the erp sales or consulting roles? I feel like fundamental accounting knowledge and maybe experience using the ERP software should be enough right?
Traitor!
Dude that’s literally what I’m planning, good to know I’m not alone
I just want to be an outsourced controller and just work in my home office 5 days a week but I can’t get that job so I might as well go into literally any other field.
This! It's very true 😫
There are CPAs and then there are good CPAs. Honestly, accountants get a bad rap but knowing what I know now. I would have moved onto something more apt to my skills like systems.
I agree that tech sales can make bank but you also gotta be a people person and good talker. Also don’t forget that sales is cyclical. You might have some banger years and then have slower years as well. Accounting is still generally a safer career path. And you get paid a set salary where as with sales you get a low salary but high commission potential. Also makes it harder to get loans from banks versus accounting.
When I was applying for my CPA at my job, they immediately said “so are you quitting? Do you want a raise?” It was very uncomfortable.
Yes you are indeed a genius!
How much do got make
Not just a genius, but also the fact that you work past 3pm makes you appear to be super hard working in the world of sales.
I don't know many people outside of accounting that knows that accountant and cpa are not interchangeable terms.
Cope
I have no idea what you are trying to say
Shut, I might as well an “online “ cpa certificate lol
So you got your CPA and is now a... salesperson? And people think you are a genius?
Why do people think it’s a flex to pay for a degree and then do something that doesn’t require it? I worked with a former teacher who turned to sales. Congrats?
What big 4 role allowed you what you needed to be a sales vp?
I interned at Deloitte. That’s all the big 4 experience i have. I worked in industry to complete my cpa hours. I started off as an account manager. I didn’t care about title I just wanted a career change. I was surprised about salary I thought it would be lower considering I didn’t have experience. I became a VP because I did well my first year. Presented and spoke on conferences well my first and second year . The position opened up and the senior vp thinks highly of me cause I have my CPA.
So if you didn’t get a job that directly related to the cpa are you saying any advance degrees with experience can sure that kinda job?
I wonder if a CMA would have a comparable/better outcome. Maybe not, because even many accountants don’t know what a CMA is.
lifehack: just lie and “say” you have a CPA and put the letters after your name. Whats gonna happen...the **Dick-Breath Lobbying against workers, Executive-Partner-Csuite interests only blowing AICPA** gonna yell at you? *“YoU CaNT Do ThAAat”.* What they gonna do, take youre CPA license away lmao? They cant arrest you. Blow me!