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Lemmi Caution posted:I have taken pretty much any class you can think of, including tax. But I don't want to work in tax, so having all my public experience be in that area seems to be getting off on the wrong foot. This hiring season I presented myself as a candidate for the audit track, and trying again on a track that I'm not interested in just because I failed to get a job in my preferred area seems like a really bad idea. I got into this to do public audit, internal audit, or eventually work in industry. I have no interest in being a tax preparer. You wanted alternative ways to get the hours for the CPA exam, I was just suggesting an alternative way to get the hours. Lemmi Caution posted:If I had years and tens of thousands of dollars to start over on a second bachelors I would probably major in STEM, not accounting. In any case I am finishing up 60 semester units of accounting study and have been working as a staff accountant for the past two years, so the suggestion that I spend years learning my debits and credits again sounds absurd. I'm not sure it would even be allowed. I do not understand this, why is it impossible to qualify for a second bachelors degree with the classes you already have? If you have the credits to qualify for the CPA why don't you qualify for the degree? You talk about it like you'd have to start as a freshman or something. Have you even spoken to an adviser regarding what hoops you'd have to go through to get a second bachelors? poo poo how far away are you from a Masters at this point?
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Nov 10, 2013 00:06
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a. Most schools around here do not allow second bachelors. b. Those that do have a residency requirement of about 30 units no matter what you bring to the table, so yes I would be retaking a hell of a lot of classes.
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Nov 10, 2013 00:32
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I have some questions about what I should be looking into as an accounting major. I'm currently at a community college and will be transferring to a four year university starting in the Fall of 2014. I'll need about 60 more credit hours to meet the 150 hour requirement for my state, so I'd effectivley have 2 years at the university to complete, making my first year there my junior year and the second my senior year. My question is have I missed out on trying for a summer leadership program? Should I just concentrate on trying for internships? Should I immedietly start looking for interships after my first semester at the 4 year university or could I try for stuff for the summer between when I graduate from the community college and the fall semester at university? I'll leave the community college with an associates of arts with the Financial and Mangerial Accounting classes that are taken before Intermediate 1 complete.
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Nov 17, 2013 02:42
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Avellon I don't think you've missed out on anything, I'm assuming you did well in your intro accounting classes? In my experience firms look most at the core accounting classes for GPA. Have you used your college's resources to look for internships or anything yet? I'd assume your university will have better resources but it never hurts to look now.Lemmi Caution posted:a. Most schools around here do not allow second bachelors. That sucks. I don't really know what else to tell you other than "Good luck!".
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Nov 23, 2013 02:20
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I went for a job interview recently for a corporate tax job. Entry level, as I just graduated with my Master's degree. It was only supposed to be an interview with 3 interviewers, each with a 30 minute long meeting, but midway through, the director decided to add two more interviewers afterwards, for a total of five interviewers. Was that a good sign? Also, when I asked one of the interviewers about why they came to this company, we bonded over the fact that some companies use ridiculous questions to see how a potential hire reacts, like the "blender" question, and they thought behavioral questions were dumb and came out and said just that. I agreed in the sense they could make an interview more awkward and less free flowing. Did I get trapped? Let my guard down too soon? Because the very next interviewer came in with a list of behavioral questions, which I answered in a way that brought up relevant experiences where everything was spun positively. It ended weirdly though. After the interview, the last interviewer took me to the director, but the director was in a meeting, so I was simply shown back to the lobby and exchanged goodbyes. No mention of "We'll be in touch," or anything like that; just made my way out and left. No response from HR or anyone at the company so far. Am I reading too deeply into this situation and worrying over nothing, or do I have a legitimate concern? I wonder because at this point, it's my best shot at a good job, as I'm still one of the few in my program without a job.
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Nov 26, 2013 05:57
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More interviewers is a sign of serious interest (or they have no projects and the firm is a sinking ship)
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Nov 27, 2013 01:19
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I've begun studying for my CMA. I chose exam matrix as they received good reviews online and it seems like a solid product. If there's any interest I can report back with my thoughts on the review course, the exam, and other parts of the process. So far I've joined the IMA, sent in official transcripts, and purchased the review course. After my transcripts are approved I will be paying the exam registration fee. Once I get a feel for where I stand after working on the review course I will schedule my exams accordingly.
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Dec 2, 2013 20:43
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Bugamol posted:I've begun studying for my CMA. I chose exam matrix as they received good reviews online and it seems like a solid product. If there's any interest I can report back with my thoughts on the review course, the exam, and other parts of the process. I'm very interested in your experience--I joined the IMA recently as well, and am debating whether to do the CPA or CMA first as I work full-time in an unrelated management job. It will be nice to see some end product to several years of part-time accounting courses.
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Dec 2, 2013 21:06
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I interned at a Big 4 this summer doing auditing and pretty much wanted to die every single day. What is tax like at a smaller firm? Are the hours as insane as audit? That, and what's the best way to contact smaller, regional firms? It's hard since the places I'd prefer to work are far away from where I go to school.
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Dec 3, 2013 16:56
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Prof. Pizza Hut posted:I interned at a Big 4 this summer doing auditing and pretty much wanted to die every single day. What is tax like at a smaller firm? Are the hours as insane as audit? That, and what's the best way to contact smaller, regional firms? It's hard since the places I'd prefer to work are far away from where I go to school. I work at a small firm (~20 professionals) that does both audit and tax. I can tell you that you will definitely be working less hours. We do around 60-65 hour weeks through February and work 60-80 hour weeks from March through the deadline. That being said you need to spend a lot of time interviewing smaller firms so you do not get stuck at a firm with a poor support structure. Make sure that there is a staff development plan and a career road map in place. I have found that a lot of the smaller firms lack in these areas and poor training starting out of the gates is just no good.
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Dec 3, 2013 18:36
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What all were you doing in the summer for auditing that made you work so much? From what I hear, the summer is for relaxing and maybe doing a few things to prepare databases for the next busy season and doing fun intern events. Then former interns come in expecting that level of work and get slammed with the reality of busy season. Then again, my internship was auditing ITGCs and such in the risk assurance umbrella, so I got that impression from talking to actual audit interns and staff.
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Dec 5, 2013 00:39
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There were a number of companies who had June/July year ends, so their audits were in full force. I also had to spend a couple 12-hour days scanning and copying files for a PCAOB review, which was great fun.
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Dec 5, 2013 01:55
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Benefit plan audits run in the Summer as well.
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Dec 5, 2013 02:13
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Prof. Pizza Hut posted:There were a number of companies who had June/July year ends, so their audits were in full force. I also had to spend a couple 12-hour days scanning and copying files for a PCAOB review, which was great fun. I was the lead senior on a large year-end audit and three benefit plan audits my last two summers, and while it wasn't always smooth sailing it was never truly unbearable and certainly not for my interns or first year associates. Granted it depends on the clients you have, but I was probably the busiest person in my group during the summer and it didn't seem as bad as it sounds like it was for you. When I was a summer intern (in the same group I worked in) I only worked past 5 a handful of times and spent a lot of time watching DVDs on my laptop in the office because there wasn't enough to do.
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Dec 5, 2013 03:31
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There's a lot of governmental auditing that runs in the summer as well. Most school districts and colleges run a July-June fiscal.
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Dec 5, 2013 03:33
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Did anyone here leave a Big 4 after making senior and before manager?
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Dec 9, 2013 20:59
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Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I've run into a Quickbooks issue and could use some advice. I have a bookkeeping client who's been using Enterprise and needs to switch to Pro. Intuit of course has no easy downgrading options and services/software seem to cost $500+ which is a lot for a small business. So it's looking like the cheapest solution is to reconcile up the Enterprise file as of 12/31, export anything that can easily transfer, and then switch to a Pro file as of 1/1. My questions for the thread would be: 1) Is this the best solution, or am I overlooking something? 2) I'm concerned about getting reconciled data for the switch. It's going to be a big rush trying to shut down Enterprise fast enough to get Pro fully functional, and some things (like credit cards) just aren't going to be as solid as I'd like. Additionally, there's a small amount of lookback that's desirable for this client. I'm wondering if instead of trying to make the switch as of 1/1, I should be making the switch as of 10/1/13 and manually re-enter the most recent data. I should say that I will have access to the Enterprise file for reference purposes only, so if I had to look up old transaction details I still could. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Dec 17, 2013 04:11
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What is a good newbie accounting textbook for somebody who works at a bank who's not naturally good with numbers (but not disastrous,) doesn't aspire to be an accountant but could use a general understanding of principles and bookkeeping? Preferably one that could be borrowed at the local library.
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Dec 18, 2013 18:24
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Mescal posted:What is a good newbie accounting textbook for somebody who works at a bank who's not naturally good with numbers (but not disastrous,) doesn't aspire to be an accountant but could use a general understanding of principles and bookkeeping? Preferably one that could be borrowed at the local library. Just use the internet. A lot of basics of accounting are available for free online. I'm not sure what you're looking to gain, but it should be readily available by googling "Basics of Accounting". This might be a good start? First hit on Google. http://www.accountingcoach.com/accounting-basics/explanation/1
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Dec 18, 2013 20:24
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Bugamol posted:Just use the internet. A lot of basics of accounting are available for free online. I'm not sure what you're looking to gain, but it should be readily available by googling "Basics of Accounting". It's got to be a book because I can read at work but I can't use the Internet.
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Dec 18, 2013 23:29
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Mescal posted:It's got to be a book because I can read at work but I can't use the Internet. Let me check at home. I may still have some of my old intro to accounting books. I'll ship them to you media mail free if I can find them.
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Dec 19, 2013 01:21
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Kieso's Intermediate book was what I learned on. See if you can find a cheaper version. The writers are real nerds - Star Trek references aplenty.
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Dec 19, 2013 02:53
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Bugamol posted:Let me check at home. I may still have some of my old intro to accounting books. I'll ship them to you media mail free if I can find them. You're a sweetheart. Thanks!
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Dec 19, 2013 04:06
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Mescal posted:You're a sweetheart. Thanks! It wasn't with the rest of my books so I need to dig through my garage. I'm 90% sure I still have it. It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Intermediate-...iate+accounting Give me another day and I'll let you know if I find it.
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Dec 19, 2013 16:21
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Audax posted:Kieso's Intermediate book was what I learned on. See if you can find a cheaper version. The writers are real nerds - Star Trek references aplenty. Ya, I used this too for Intermediate Accounting A/B/C. It's not exactly sunday reading, so some textbook entitled "introduction to financial accounting" might be more his level. Of course, it will have nothing to do with bookkeeping--you will need a separate book for that. Maybe even a Dummies book.
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Dec 19, 2013 18:04
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Sent in the packet of requirements to apply for the CPA Exam today. Here's to studying my life away for the next 4-5 months.
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Dec 21, 2013 09:26
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Democratic Pirate posted:Sent in the packet of requirements to apply for the CPA Exam today. Here's to studying my life away for the next 4-5 months. That's a pretty aggressive timeline. Good luck.
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Dec 22, 2013 19:49
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Mandalay posted:That's a pretty aggressive timeline. Good luck. Thanks. This last semester of my accounting program is centered around passing the exam, so I only have two very simple classes to worry about and plenty of time to study each day. Plus the Big 4 comped the Becker course so I have all their study materials to go off of.
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Dec 22, 2013 21:22
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Democratic Pirate posted:Thanks. This last semester of my accounting program is centered around passing the exam, so I only have two very simple classes to worry about and plenty of time to study each day. Plus the Big 4 comped the Becker course so I have all their study materials to go off of. It's a good game plan, as you'll have pretty much no time to work on it once you're actually doing crap at the Big 4 firm.
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Dec 23, 2013 03:14
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Democratic Pirate posted:Thanks. This last semester of my accounting program is centered around passing the exam, so I only have two very simple classes to worry about and plenty of time to study each day. Plus the Big 4 comped the Becker course so I have all their study materials to go off of. Goodness, I'm envious of your abundance of time, resources, and opportunity. Go get em tiger.
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Dec 23, 2013 19:26
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Democratic Pirate posted:Thanks. This last semester of my accounting program is centered around passing the exam, so I only have two very simple classes to worry about and plenty of time to study each day. Plus the Big 4 comped the Becker course so I have all their study materials to go off of. Good luck man, you're pretty much in the same situation I'm in but I still have 5 more (easy) classes and TA work through graduation. Right now I'm looking at FAR in Feb, REG in April, then AUD and BEC in May/June with maybe one pushed back to July if I feel like some travel right after graduation. Still have the unopened box of becker materials on my counter and every time I walk by it I think ehhhhhhhhh, tomorrow.
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Dec 23, 2013 19:34
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Mescal fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Dec 28, 2013 |
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Dec 28, 2013 05:43
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Good Citizen posted:Good luck man, you're pretty much in the same situation I'm in but I still have 5 more (easy) classes and TA work through graduation. Right now I'm looking at FAR in Feb, REG in April, then AUD and BEC in May/June with maybe one pushed back to July if I feel like some travel right after graduation. As someone who has been through it before, the next time you think "ehhhhhhhhhh tomorrow," start studying. You'll never regret extra studying but you will regret not doing so.
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Dec 28, 2013 08:38
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Exactly. Because when you fail and realize you wasted two months of your life... that poo poo hurts.
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Dec 28, 2013 16:56
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Plus it's a shitload easier to pass the CPA exam while you're still in college/not in busy season than when you are in busy season, so it's best to get it out of the way early, which is what I did.
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Dec 28, 2013 17:50
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Speaking of busy season, one more week. 
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Dec 28, 2013 22:50
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fuseshock posted:Speaking of busy season, one more week. Mazel Tov! 
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Dec 28, 2013 23:13
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fuseshock posted:Speaking of busy season, one more week. Not gonna lie, I don't miss this feeling right after Christmas...
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Dec 29, 2013 10:31
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I didn't see it for a few pages back but does anyone have an opinion on Gleim vs Becker for the CPA exam? I was planning on doing Becker but a friend said she liked the Gleim a lot more/it's cheaper. If it's important I'll probably be doing self study. Thanks!
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Dec 30, 2013 19:39
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I personally used Becker and found it to be extremely useful. That being said, I do feel that there are cheaper options that are just as good. I think Becker just does a great job with marketing and got in with the right companies and organizations.
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Dec 30, 2013 22:58
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