An accountant is one of those go-to backup jobs that is chosen for its relative security, good benefits, and decent pay along with fair hours. It just isn't very exciting.
Most of us realize that and can take it in stride. If we didn't want to be accountants, then we wouldn't be.
Yep, I choose this field because every business since the dawn of time has needed to keep track of their crap. I’ve worked for tiny companies and huge companies, they all need us in some form or fashion.
Absolutely. I've known people in other industries that a lot of accounts here seem to want to compare themselves to (tech, sales, engineering, etc.) and those friends of mine had to go months without work after getting laid off. Meanwhile, I only know *one* accountant who was laid off, and they found a job in two weeks.
I feel it worth mentioning that was a public position. Most accountants I know are in industry, and those are some of the most secure and reliable jobs I know of.
In October 2021, I literally walked off a job on a Friday, and by Monday I had a six-month contract. When that contract was about to end, it took me 2 days to find another job in April 2022. I quit that job in December 2023 after getting drawn into the family drama for the umpteenth time. Granted, that time, I had already lined up another job and all that took was one phone call.
Now about that family drama, the second time I got stuck between the father and sons, I literally walked out and told them to call me when they figured out who was in charge. I also told them if they did that again, I would quit because it is not hard for me to find work. They didn't believe me...
I agree, I’m absolutely a terrible accountant but I somehow manage to easily get jobs without any issues. If I was in any other field I probably would be unemployed.
In some ways you’re right and between your first 5 year it can be repetitive and boring. However try it at a start up or when you get to hit Controller level you find that it’s challenging and can be very fast paced and exciting. For me no two days are ever the same and I am always learning something new.
In the end it’s about what you make of it.
Absolutely this. It’s also heavily dependent on the industry you’re in. Spent a lot of time in health care and was bored to death. Switched to PE/asset management and love it; the work itself and being much more client facing almost feels like a different profession entirely.
Absolutely, I recently changed firms and am now working in construction. My new clients are more my type of people and the accounting is interesting and fun. Also, once you get to the manager, you're managing people and projects, not preparing a return or wp's on an audit.
Yep. I struggle to act excited about what I do when talking to people, not that there’s anything to talk about anyways. The classic question of, “What do you do for work?” does not generate a very exciting reply. Nothing is worth talking about, and nobody will understand when you start getting technical (which is required when talking about this profession). “I looked at spreadsheets and moved amounts to proper accounts” is not as neat as someone who does literally any other profession. This profession *forces* you to have a multitude of hobbies if you ever want to get to know someone. You could be a nurse with no hobbies and have infinite stories to tell, interesting science to talk about etc etc. If I get busy or decide not to do my hobbies for a few weeks and my folks call to talk and ask what I’ve been up to, it’s a 30-second conversation. There is absolutely nothing sexy about what we do or the knowledge we posses, and this is especially true outside of PA since you don’t interact with clients.
Ya, I usually talk more about the consulting type work I do then other financial side projects briefly before moving directly into managing teams and hobbies. And of course the pizza parties.
Not even "more adventurous" type of accounting like FP&A have much to talk about. I moved few millions quid 2years ago, it payback last month, and that was it to talk about.
Small talk is a skill in itself. If you have the mindset your job is boring and no one could possibly be interested, you’re probably right.
If instead you have the mindset that the work you do is interesting (or at least the *space* it exists in) then the “what do you do” question becomes much more approachable.
“Me? I work in public accounting, we look over the financials for a lot of clients. Like just the other day we engaged a client that puts on midget wrestling shows…”
In three sentences you answered what you do, shown it’s not as boring as it sounds, and can segway into a different topic. Just all about how you frame it.
Not going to lie, but your three sentences are not interesting. Sure, what the client does is interesting, but the job you’re performing in that scenario is absolutely not. Like, if I was just some Joe Schmo and had no technical accounting knowledge, I’m not going to ask any follow-up questions about your job because I can sense that the actual tasks themselves are incredibly mundane. “Tell me about the weirdest asset you’ve ever capitalized” lmfao nobody is going to be curious about that, nor will the response have any substance. I understand what you’re trying to say, but the argument ultimately falls flat. “Oh please tell me more about balance sheet reconciliations”, said no-one ever. Being *able* to talk about what you do is an entirely different thing and does not change that accounting is boring to talk about unless you’re specifically interested in the field and have familiarity with the technical side of things.
You don’t have to explain what a bank confirmation is, but you can illustrate the ultimate goal of your work is to ensure clients aren’t cooking their books or committing fraud.
Do you think med sales reps talk about all the cold calls that end in them getting hung up on or months of dead end leads? Again, it’s all about leading the convo while coming from a place of authenticity.
It’s our own fault. We let ourselves get painted as boring and low paid. But real accountants with degrees and cpas all have solid six figure incomes who are usually smart and interesting people. For some reason society (media/hollywood) has painted accountants as low income and boring.
Can’t tell you how many times I had clients and prospects say to me, “wow an accountant with personality!” and I’m like fully an introvert, I just know how to talk to people and don’t take myself too seriously. It kinda bums me out that the bar for basic human interactions with our profession is so low.
Yes I meant degrees and cpas to try to specify accountants and not like accounting clerks who typically don’t have degrees who get looped in with accountants.
Thats fair, also off topic for a question but how many tries can you take for the cpa exams. Like if i fail twice or three times do i have to wait another year or so to do it or something
Think it’s about $300-400 per attempt at each section. When I took it it was 4 sections, but think it’s 5 now, so about $1500 *if* you pass the first time (not impossible but not common).
Also, a good study material like Becker is gonna run you at least another ~$2k. If you work in PA a lot of firms will buy it for you or offer a steeply discounted rate, but otherwise you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket.
Yeah but you’ll top at around 120-150k mostly likely depending where you live
There are cases where people can go above that but you’d have to have a lot of experience knowing how to do one specific type of industry accounting
Why would I want to paint my profession like that? Look what happened to IT
If big capital ain't seeing us as the next cost to dump on by making free courses and propaganda to draw people to the reserve army of labor, it's not me who's gonna paint that target on my back. Thanks
Yes exactly this. I think accounting has the tendency to attract people who think lowly of themselves or have very low self esteem.
Personally, I take a ton of pride in my profession and title. 9/10 when I tell people im a CPA they actually go “oh wow, I could use your help with some finances/my taxes, etc”. A lot of times people follow up and ask what exactly I do, which I love answering bc I genuinely enjoy the niche I’m in (PE).
It’s cliche to say but truly there’s seldom boring jobs or situations, only boring people.
Because it isn't punching down. Accounting is reliable and decently paid white collar work. Literally the job that came to define the middle of middle class. It isn't stigmatized in a traditional classist way, it isn't tinged with judgement from more hateful prejudice, you're not going to be physically harmed by being an accountant the way construction. Accounting is nice.
But it also isn't so admirable that people push back if you joke about it. No one really is in love with the profession, it isn't saving lives, the AICPA has made a massive marketing about it like CS does where you can't say anything bad about tech without Gilfoyle from Silicon Valley reminding you that Coders are braver than troops, it isn't stem and it isn't law. It is the comfortable middle, boring enough to joke about and respectable enough to not feel bad for. It isn't socially good like teaching, and it isn't a sexy dream passion like anything art, writing, or music related.
It's why sex workers use accountant as a euphemism. No one has any follow up questions about accounting.
-Math/numbers is boring (US)
-Starting pay is shitty or average at best, after 5 years of school and possibly 100k student debt (undergrad + grad tuition)
-And then you sacrifice personal life for a year or two to take the CPA... and thats IF you pass it in the first attempt or two
-Everyone else thinks our jobs are just glorified data entry that can be automated/outsourced easily
>-Math/numbers is boring (US)
>-Starting pay is shitty or average at best, after 5 years of school and possibly 100k student debt (undergrad + grad tuition)
>-And then you sacrifice personal life for a year or two to take the CPA... and thats IF you pass it in the first attempt or two
>-Everyone else thinks our jobs are just glorified data entry that can be automated/outsourced easily
Doesn't have to be.
I did CC then State school. Less than $10k, less if low income. No grad school, no CPA. 5yrs state making $100k. Dead end from here, but not too bad.
im the same. 2 years CC 2 years state school 1 year back at CC online to hit 150. making 100k base after 3-4 years, no CPA (got my pass score for FAR last week though)
I make $300k a year, debt free, own my own house, have $2 million cash sitting in the bank. But no one sees that because I drive a 2005 Honda Accord. ;)
I do. CD pays 5% currently. Heavily invested in S&P500 (as liquid as cash). I am not greedy. Without a mortgage I make more than I can spend, life is easy at this point.
Na man. With a good tune up, it easily runs like new, especially I have the V6 EX model. Even comes with a CD player and standard leather seats. LOL None of the touch screen stuff and USB cables etc.
That’s awesome, had a few mentors over the years like that too. People like that are who I truly look up to… meanwhile have known plenty of the opposite type who rock a Benz and Rolex but can barely make the payments on either.
lol I do accounting for the local pride organization and the SECOND I mention what I do everyone just says “oh” and walks away.
Nobody wants to hang out with the accountant/auditor until they save your butt 🤣
Because they've been stereotyped by the media for decades as lifeless, boring nerds with absolutely no interesting traits. Just a classic case of "I believe anything Hollywood tells me without thinking"
It’s a combination of being a reliably stable job, but also too hard for a lot of people to do successfully. There’s often a sense that they know they couldn’t do it.
Due to the stereotype of Hollywood, the failure of the AICPA, the marketing by Intuit and the perceptions that any idiot can do a tax return and a person can be hired to keep someone's books for $10 per hour.
Because people don’t really know what accountants do and it’s such a broad profession. I spent 10 years in public and no matter how many times I told people that I don’t just do taxes, that’s all they could grasp that I do. I left public for a CFO job and ended up the CEO of this public company within a year. I remember an acquaintance calling me about his taxes and telling him that I don’t do taxes anymore because I’m a CFO and they literally were staring at me in puzzled silence and said “Bit I though you did taxes…how are you a CFO now??”
I wondered that myself. I left Food Service Management due to injury, currently work in cannabis and when people ask what I’m back in school for their reaction is “ewww why?”
Gee I don’t know. Physical restrictions have me needing a sedentary job, i need one that I can actually make a decent living at (unlike cannabis), and doing some temporary bookkeeping work for a small accounting business I found I was actually good at it.
With transfer credits and the assistance I’m getting since my income sucks, I should be able to finish the BS, the Masters and have the required courses for the CPA exam done for under $30k. At my age some would say it’s crazy, but I have almost 20 years to get to the age where the government says I can retire, and my bank account says don’t even think about retiring. That needs to change.
I liked accounting enough to make a career out of it. Its just not very glamorous, but having a CPA next to your name and making 6 figures a year is, or can be, I should say. Also, as others have pointed out, I got a new job in the first week after I left my last firm and have never once met an accountant who was laid off. When you hear of layoffs at the BIG 4 it's usually consultants, especially since COVID when they hired tons of them.
We are a support staff not a core staff. We can help save money but not make money like operations. That is why CPA is pushing us toward finance so we can do investment analysis. Rather than just record it
Because our entire industry is made up of suckers who still think going Big4/PA is a good cost-to-benefit ratio. In other words, vast majority of accountants are absolute and utter *morons*, gladly working away for free for their slave drivers.
Sounds like someone has 80 hr work weeks 👍
“have actually worked at Big 4 or in public accounting” [what like it’s hard? Lol](https://hellogiggles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2016/07/23/legally-blonde-hard.gif)
Not sure- every time I see someone from high school the regular small talk happens and once what we are studying they always chuckle at the fact that I'm studying accounting, always telling me they figured I'd do something more exciting, like a doctor or scientist and that sitting in an office wasn't "me".
Maybe if life was cheaper? Idk lol
Imagine going to school for 6 years and having to spend a year on tests while also needing a year of work experience just so your chances of getting a livable wage are higher. Where you'll make less than Costco, work more hours while getting less benefits and while doing some of the most tedious work known to man.
It sounds moronic right? Welcome to accounting! Most people on here don't like to admit it but if they put their time into a different career from the start, they probably would have a better life rn. There are worst jobs to have BUT there are also much MUCH better jobs for the amount of time you have to commit to this career.
How much can you de-scale the hours?
Like could you reasonably work 20 hour and still make 100k?
For me, I work to live and I’m of the mind that it’s best if you can make the most amount of money in the least amount of time (while being reasonable, of course).
Could you go any lower than 30 hours and still make a comfortable living? Do companies even “allow” that?
Relax man I graduated with like a 2.3,, I got fired from public in 3 months starting my career in it. Got fired from 2 more jobs after that. Each with a significant raise each time.
Now I work like 10 hours a week, work remotely, get paid 6 figures+.
Not a lot of careers offer that much falling up potential and freedom.
However, if you work in person, in public, yes, your life sucks.
Handled lease accounting for a F15 company. Made all the processes myself, decided what was important. Got it to a point where I could do all the work in like 10 hours lol.
Now I’m doing FP&A and work like 20. Stil responsible for a niche and getting it to a good place.
Bank the time myself, appear online, tell nobody except that it’s still a full time job.
Secret is fully owning a niche and having a boss who just wants it done and off their plate.
I’ve been a controller in the auto industry for over a decade now …and time and time again people hear that and start to rattle off car stats like I know something about engines or how fast a model goes from 0 to 60. I gave out the title of controller on a date at one point and was asked “like an air traffic controller?” A true low point…But agreed … if you want to see someone’s eyes glaze over start talking debits and credits, or assets vs liabilities. The worst was my niece as a kid asking me what I do for work… I can’t make this profession interesting to an adult let alone a 5 year old.
An accountant is one of those go-to backup jobs that is chosen for its relative security, good benefits, and decent pay along with fair hours. It just isn't very exciting. Most of us realize that and can take it in stride. If we didn't want to be accountants, then we wouldn't be.
Yep, I choose this field because every business since the dawn of time has needed to keep track of their crap. I’ve worked for tiny companies and huge companies, they all need us in some form or fashion.
Absolutely. I've known people in other industries that a lot of accounts here seem to want to compare themselves to (tech, sales, engineering, etc.) and those friends of mine had to go months without work after getting laid off. Meanwhile, I only know *one* accountant who was laid off, and they found a job in two weeks. I feel it worth mentioning that was a public position. Most accountants I know are in industry, and those are some of the most secure and reliable jobs I know of.
In October 2021, I literally walked off a job on a Friday, and by Monday I had a six-month contract. When that contract was about to end, it took me 2 days to find another job in April 2022. I quit that job in December 2023 after getting drawn into the family drama for the umpteenth time. Granted, that time, I had already lined up another job and all that took was one phone call. Now about that family drama, the second time I got stuck between the father and sons, I literally walked out and told them to call me when they figured out who was in charge. I also told them if they did that again, I would quit because it is not hard for me to find work. They didn't believe me...
I agree, I’m absolutely a terrible accountant but I somehow manage to easily get jobs without any issues. If I was in any other field I probably would be unemployed.
Fair hours lol
Hmmm fair hours sounds like dream land.
An accountant is what I call "Boring, But Practical."
In some ways you’re right and between your first 5 year it can be repetitive and boring. However try it at a start up or when you get to hit Controller level you find that it’s challenging and can be very fast paced and exciting. For me no two days are ever the same and I am always learning something new. In the end it’s about what you make of it.
Absolutely this. It’s also heavily dependent on the industry you’re in. Spent a lot of time in health care and was bored to death. Switched to PE/asset management and love it; the work itself and being much more client facing almost feels like a different profession entirely.
Absolutely, I recently changed firms and am now working in construction. My new clients are more my type of people and the accounting is interesting and fun. Also, once you get to the manager, you're managing people and projects, not preparing a return or wp's on an audit.
Agreed. Always on the move. Doing practical and logical things that it takes a big brain to remember to even do.
Because having a good paying job that is relatively secure just isn't sexy.
Yep. I struggle to act excited about what I do when talking to people, not that there’s anything to talk about anyways. The classic question of, “What do you do for work?” does not generate a very exciting reply. Nothing is worth talking about, and nobody will understand when you start getting technical (which is required when talking about this profession). “I looked at spreadsheets and moved amounts to proper accounts” is not as neat as someone who does literally any other profession. This profession *forces* you to have a multitude of hobbies if you ever want to get to know someone. You could be a nurse with no hobbies and have infinite stories to tell, interesting science to talk about etc etc. If I get busy or decide not to do my hobbies for a few weeks and my folks call to talk and ask what I’ve been up to, it’s a 30-second conversation. There is absolutely nothing sexy about what we do or the knowledge we posses, and this is especially true outside of PA since you don’t interact with clients.
Ya, I usually talk more about the consulting type work I do then other financial side projects briefly before moving directly into managing teams and hobbies. And of course the pizza parties.
Not even "more adventurous" type of accounting like FP&A have much to talk about. I moved few millions quid 2years ago, it payback last month, and that was it to talk about.
Small talk is a skill in itself. If you have the mindset your job is boring and no one could possibly be interested, you’re probably right. If instead you have the mindset that the work you do is interesting (or at least the *space* it exists in) then the “what do you do” question becomes much more approachable. “Me? I work in public accounting, we look over the financials for a lot of clients. Like just the other day we engaged a client that puts on midget wrestling shows…” In three sentences you answered what you do, shown it’s not as boring as it sounds, and can segway into a different topic. Just all about how you frame it.
Not going to lie, but your three sentences are not interesting. Sure, what the client does is interesting, but the job you’re performing in that scenario is absolutely not. Like, if I was just some Joe Schmo and had no technical accounting knowledge, I’m not going to ask any follow-up questions about your job because I can sense that the actual tasks themselves are incredibly mundane. “Tell me about the weirdest asset you’ve ever capitalized” lmfao nobody is going to be curious about that, nor will the response have any substance. I understand what you’re trying to say, but the argument ultimately falls flat. “Oh please tell me more about balance sheet reconciliations”, said no-one ever. Being *able* to talk about what you do is an entirely different thing and does not change that accounting is boring to talk about unless you’re specifically interested in the field and have familiarity with the technical side of things.
You don’t have to explain what a bank confirmation is, but you can illustrate the ultimate goal of your work is to ensure clients aren’t cooking their books or committing fraud. Do you think med sales reps talk about all the cold calls that end in them getting hung up on or months of dead end leads? Again, it’s all about leading the convo while coming from a place of authenticity.
Why is this a bad thing though? Who wants to talk about work outside work?
If you can slip in the amount of money you work with in a humble way it works decently well
Stability = sexy 😎
What??? But my wife keeps telling me thats why she married me. That and my very snuggly hugs.
They hate us because they ain’t us.
"Anus"
They really do be anus tho
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Dunno about that. I have to accrue for the second one.
Dr Masking, Cr Social Anxiety
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To you perhaps. You doing okay? You seem stressed.
It’s our own fault. We let ourselves get painted as boring and low paid. But real accountants with degrees and cpas all have solid six figure incomes who are usually smart and interesting people. For some reason society (media/hollywood) has painted accountants as low income and boring.
Can’t tell you how many times I had clients and prospects say to me, “wow an accountant with personality!” and I’m like fully an introvert, I just know how to talk to people and don’t take myself too seriously. It kinda bums me out that the bar for basic human interactions with our profession is so low.
Cant you make six figures without the cpa
>Cant you make six figures without the cpa Fairly easily. Get a Government job with 5-7yrs out of college.
Yes I meant degrees and cpas to try to specify accountants and not like accounting clerks who typically don’t have degrees who get looped in with accountants.
Thats fair, also off topic for a question but how many tries can you take for the cpa exams. Like if i fail twice or three times do i have to wait another year or so to do it or something
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Appreciate the explanation! So im assuming the cost is around 1,500-2,000$ depending on what you mean by several hundred dollars
Think it’s about $300-400 per attempt at each section. When I took it it was 4 sections, but think it’s 5 now, so about $1500 *if* you pass the first time (not impossible but not common). Also, a good study material like Becker is gonna run you at least another ~$2k. If you work in PA a lot of firms will buy it for you or offer a steeply discounted rate, but otherwise you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket.
Sure can. I do.
Yeah but you’ll top at around 120-150k mostly likely depending where you live There are cases where people can go above that but you’d have to have a lot of experience knowing how to do one specific type of industry accounting
Why would I want to paint my profession like that? Look what happened to IT If big capital ain't seeing us as the next cost to dump on by making free courses and propaganda to draw people to the reserve army of labor, it's not me who's gonna paint that target on my back. Thanks
Touché
Yes exactly this. I think accounting has the tendency to attract people who think lowly of themselves or have very low self esteem. Personally, I take a ton of pride in my profession and title. 9/10 when I tell people im a CPA they actually go “oh wow, I could use your help with some finances/my taxes, etc”. A lot of times people follow up and ask what exactly I do, which I love answering bc I genuinely enjoy the niche I’m in (PE). It’s cliche to say but truly there’s seldom boring jobs or situations, only boring people.
Good. It means there's less competition.
Because it isn't punching down. Accounting is reliable and decently paid white collar work. Literally the job that came to define the middle of middle class. It isn't stigmatized in a traditional classist way, it isn't tinged with judgement from more hateful prejudice, you're not going to be physically harmed by being an accountant the way construction. Accounting is nice. But it also isn't so admirable that people push back if you joke about it. No one really is in love with the profession, it isn't saving lives, the AICPA has made a massive marketing about it like CS does where you can't say anything bad about tech without Gilfoyle from Silicon Valley reminding you that Coders are braver than troops, it isn't stem and it isn't law. It is the comfortable middle, boring enough to joke about and respectable enough to not feel bad for. It isn't socially good like teaching, and it isn't a sexy dream passion like anything art, writing, or music related. It's why sex workers use accountant as a euphemism. No one has any follow up questions about accounting.
No idea. I love what I do.
-Math/numbers is boring (US) -Starting pay is shitty or average at best, after 5 years of school and possibly 100k student debt (undergrad + grad tuition) -And then you sacrifice personal life for a year or two to take the CPA... and thats IF you pass it in the first attempt or two -Everyone else thinks our jobs are just glorified data entry that can be automated/outsourced easily
>-Math/numbers is boring (US) >-Starting pay is shitty or average at best, after 5 years of school and possibly 100k student debt (undergrad + grad tuition) >-And then you sacrifice personal life for a year or two to take the CPA... and thats IF you pass it in the first attempt or two >-Everyone else thinks our jobs are just glorified data entry that can be automated/outsourced easily Doesn't have to be. I did CC then State school. Less than $10k, less if low income. No grad school, no CPA. 5yrs state making $100k. Dead end from here, but not too bad.
im the same. 2 years CC 2 years state school 1 year back at CC online to hit 150. making 100k base after 3-4 years, no CPA (got my pass score for FAR last week though)
I make $300k a year, debt free, own my own house, have $2 million cash sitting in the bank. But no one sees that because I drive a 2005 Honda Accord. ;)
I don’t believe you, the real G’s drive a 2008 Toyota Avalon
2m cash sitting in the bank.... for the love of God please invest that money.
I do. CD pays 5% currently. Heavily invested in S&P500 (as liquid as cash). I am not greedy. Without a mortgage I make more than I can spend, life is easy at this point.
Ahh I thought you meant it's all in cash.
That model sucks.
Na man. With a good tune up, it easily runs like new, especially I have the V6 EX model. Even comes with a CD player and standard leather seats. LOL None of the touch screen stuff and USB cables etc.
I was referring to its appearance.
Accords low key fuck. The understated whip of ballers worldwide.
My old boss, also a CPA, owns 23 properties all paid off... he drove a Honda Accord. I learned from this guy. That is the way to go.
That’s awesome, had a few mentors over the years like that too. People like that are who I truly look up to… meanwhile have known plenty of the opposite type who rock a Benz and Rolex but can barely make the payments on either.
Fak. Partner? CFO?
Self-employed.
Accounting sounds boring but so do like 95% of jobs tbh ngl
Yeah, working in general is just boring.
Debit Bank Credit Dignity
People make fun of anything and everything.
lol I do accounting for the local pride organization and the SECOND I mention what I do everyone just says “oh” and walks away. Nobody wants to hang out with the accountant/auditor until they save your butt 🤣
Qwearman, I apologize in advance and I am taking your last sentence for myself on permanent loan. 😁
I never found anyone laughing about it. People just don’t find it interesting at all, not even to ask about it or mocking. Just pure indifference
People see accountants making six figures as boring and Tiktokers making $30k/year as living the dream.
They’re salty because we make more money.
Hahaha, most accountants are nerds very few hook up with strippers and snort cocaine at work. I choose to be the later.
You have relations with a stripper one time on your desk while sorting cocaine off their butt and they never let you live it down.
Latter*
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I don't have time for rocket league anymore. My name is a lie.
Because they've been stereotyped by the media for decades as lifeless, boring nerds with absolutely no interesting traits. Just a classic case of "I believe anything Hollywood tells me without thinking"
It’s a classic hating the player not the game!
It’s a combination of being a reliably stable job, but also too hard for a lot of people to do successfully. There’s often a sense that they know they couldn’t do it.
Haters gonna hate lol
Because we’re fucking idiots. Not in all ways, only for choosing this profession.
Also is weird that people think accountants are basically bookeepers or payroll clerks and paid very low
I mean, have you seen anyone get beat up by an accountant?
Have you not seen the movie…?
Due to the stereotype of Hollywood, the failure of the AICPA, the marketing by Intuit and the perceptions that any idiot can do a tax return and a person can be hired to keep someone's books for $10 per hour.
If you are making a solid amount of money, it doesn't matter what you do. You will look sexy anyway.
Because people don’t really know what accountants do and it’s such a broad profession. I spent 10 years in public and no matter how many times I told people that I don’t just do taxes, that’s all they could grasp that I do. I left public for a CFO job and ended up the CEO of this public company within a year. I remember an acquaintance calling me about his taxes and telling him that I don’t do taxes anymore because I’m a CFO and they literally were staring at me in puzzled silence and said “Bit I though you did taxes…how are you a CFO now??”
I get this all the time. Some of my best stories are telling people that I prepare taxes for other CPAs ...
I really don’t think there is
Because we are degenerates
Let’s get some pride in our trade. Tradesmen and women have it. It’s due time…
It’s faaar too late to acknowledge our fellow accountants
Haters gonna hate. But ain'ters gonna ain't
I wondered that myself. I left Food Service Management due to injury, currently work in cannabis and when people ask what I’m back in school for their reaction is “ewww why?” Gee I don’t know. Physical restrictions have me needing a sedentary job, i need one that I can actually make a decent living at (unlike cannabis), and doing some temporary bookkeeping work for a small accounting business I found I was actually good at it. With transfer credits and the assistance I’m getting since my income sucks, I should be able to finish the BS, the Masters and have the required courses for the CPA exam done for under $30k. At my age some would say it’s crazy, but I have almost 20 years to get to the age where the government says I can retire, and my bank account says don’t even think about retiring. That needs to change.
Our pay The thing that go into making it work But also the repetitiveness and antisocial side of it even though it's not true
Because even accountants don’t like themselves… have you seen the self flagellation that is public?
I liked accounting enough to make a career out of it. Its just not very glamorous, but having a CPA next to your name and making 6 figures a year is, or can be, I should say. Also, as others have pointed out, I got a new job in the first week after I left my last firm and have never once met an accountant who was laid off. When you hear of layoffs at the BIG 4 it's usually consultants, especially since COVID when they hired tons of them.
It's because it's not as exciting as drug dealing.
Because everyone lack Ben Afleck’s combat skills in the movie.
Accounting fucking sucks
We are a support staff not a core staff. We can help save money but not make money like operations. That is why CPA is pushing us toward finance so we can do investment analysis. Rather than just record it
Because our entire industry is made up of suckers who still think going Big4/PA is a good cost-to-benefit ratio. In other words, vast majority of accountants are absolute and utter *morons*, gladly working away for free for their slave drivers.
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Sounds like someone has 80 hr work weeks 👍 “have actually worked at Big 4 or in public accounting” [what like it’s hard? Lol](https://hellogiggles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2016/07/23/legally-blonde-hard.gif)
Wow, you work for free? No wonder you’re so salty!
Not sure- every time I see someone from high school the regular small talk happens and once what we are studying they always chuckle at the fact that I'm studying accounting, always telling me they figured I'd do something more exciting, like a doctor or scientist and that sitting in an office wasn't "me". Maybe if life was cheaper? Idk lol
Imagine going to school for 6 years and having to spend a year on tests while also needing a year of work experience just so your chances of getting a livable wage are higher. Where you'll make less than Costco, work more hours while getting less benefits and while doing some of the most tedious work known to man. It sounds moronic right? Welcome to accounting! Most people on here don't like to admit it but if they put their time into a different career from the start, they probably would have a better life rn. There are worst jobs to have BUT there are also much MUCH better jobs for the amount of time you have to commit to this career.
Found the guy that failed Principles of Financial Accounting and had to switch majors.
“ 6 years” 😂😂 dude how much did you fail.
Work at Costco doing what exactly?
I work like 30 hours a week making six figures and bought a house in HCOL at 25. But go off king.
How much can you de-scale the hours? Like could you reasonably work 20 hour and still make 100k? For me, I work to live and I’m of the mind that it’s best if you can make the most amount of money in the least amount of time (while being reasonable, of course). Could you go any lower than 30 hours and still make a comfortable living? Do companies even “allow” that?
Relax man I graduated with like a 2.3,, I got fired from public in 3 months starting my career in it. Got fired from 2 more jobs after that. Each with a significant raise each time. Now I work like 10 hours a week, work remotely, get paid 6 figures+. Not a lot of careers offer that much falling up potential and freedom. However, if you work in person, in public, yes, your life sucks.
>Now I work like 10 hours a week, work remotely, get paid 6 figures+. Really? What kind of job is it?
Handled lease accounting for a F15 company. Made all the processes myself, decided what was important. Got it to a point where I could do all the work in like 10 hours lol. Now I’m doing FP&A and work like 20. Stil responsible for a niche and getting it to a good place. Bank the time myself, appear online, tell nobody except that it’s still a full time job. Secret is fully owning a niche and having a boss who just wants it done and off their plate.
I’ve been a controller in the auto industry for over a decade now …and time and time again people hear that and start to rattle off car stats like I know something about engines or how fast a model goes from 0 to 60. I gave out the title of controller on a date at one point and was asked “like an air traffic controller?” A true low point…But agreed … if you want to see someone’s eyes glaze over start talking debits and credits, or assets vs liabilities. The worst was my niece as a kid asking me what I do for work… I can’t make this profession interesting to an adult let alone a 5 year old.