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Dogo
Sep 24, 2007
I had a question for anyone who might know: Out of college, do firms tend to recruit more audit staff compared to tax staff?

I am going to be going through the fall recruitment process pretty soon, and am about to start signing up for interviews. Some firms have both audit and tax staff positions that I can sign up for, and while I do tend to enjoy my tax accounting classes more than my auditing accounting classes, I don't want to cripple my chances of getting a job by going for tax if there is a lot fewer positions available in that area.

Thanks for any and all help!

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2 penny bottle imp
Jun 11, 2008

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SCUMMER

Dogo posted:

I had a question for anyone who might know: Out of college, do firms tend to recruit more audit staff compared to tax staff?

I am going to be going through the fall recruitment process pretty soon, and am about to start signing up for interviews. Some firms have both audit and tax staff positions that I can sign up for, and while I do tend to enjoy my tax accounting classes more than my auditing accounting classes, I don't want to cripple my chances of getting a job by going for tax if there is a lot fewer positions available in that area.

Thanks for any and all help!

I don't think I've ever heard of tax having near as many openings as audit - especially at the campus recruitment level.

However, I got a job straight into tax, and it is honestly exactly what I was looking for. And the only reason I got the job was because it was tax. I got passed over during fall recruitment, and basically fell into the job I have because of some random things to do with a tax team for a business competition I was in. Definitely show interest in tax. If you'd be happy to work in audit as well, you could note it.

Remember that having an idea (even if it isn't concrete yet) that you'd like to work in a specific area is just another way to separate yourself from someone else. Make sure you have good answers for why you want to work tax and not audit.

I've got some pretty strong opinions on this sort of thing related to campus recruitment, and if you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an e-mail to my username (no spaces) @gmail.

gmilo
Jun 27, 2006
wooo

Dogo posted:

I had a question for anyone who might know: Out of college, do firms tend to recruit more audit staff compared to tax staff?

I am going to be going through the fall recruitment process pretty soon, and am about to start signing up for interviews. Some firms have both audit and tax staff positions that I can sign up for, and while I do tend to enjoy my tax accounting classes more than my auditing accounting classes, I don't want to cripple my chances of getting a job by going for tax if there is a lot fewer positions available in that area.

Thanks for any and all help!

Firms recruit more audit than tax staff because from what I've experienced there is a poo poo ton more turnover in auditing than in tax. If you think you would be interested in tax, then give it a shot. Audit always needs people so if you really don't like tax I can't imagine it being difficult to transition over either at your current firm or jumping ship to a new one.
Audit hires year round, tax focuses on busy season, so fall recruiting for jobs/internships that start in January is the time to try tax if you want.

LactoseO.D.'d
Jun 3, 2002
Has anyone taken the CMA exam? I'd like to know how much study time you invested.

2 penny bottle imp
Jun 11, 2008

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SCUMMER

gmilo posted:

Firms recruit more audit than tax staff because from what I've experienced there is a poo poo ton more turnover in auditing than in tax. If you think you would be interested in tax, then give it a shot. Audit always needs people so if you really don't like tax I can't imagine it being difficult to transition over either at your current firm or jumping ship to a new one.
Audit hires year round, tax focuses on busy season, so fall recruiting for jobs/internships that start in January is the time to try tax if you want.

It's not just about turnover - generally there seems to be more audit work than tax work for any given client. Though this and turnover is really gonna vary from firm to firm.

I started working in May doing tax, and I've had steadier work than any of the audit people who got hired at the same time. And May-September is about as un-tax-season as you can get.

The overall point here is that especially if the prospective office is < 100 people, then there could be a pretty big degree of change based on how many people have recently quit from each dept etc.. The only way you could know the specific situation of your firm is if you actually asked them. If they say they're hiring tax, it means they need tax people. Even if they don't say it, no one's gonna be offended if you say you'd prefer to work in tax than audit. It shows that you are starting to develop interests beyond 'I like debits and credits'.

I don't really see a way putting tax as your first choice would hurt you in any way. Just make sure that if that's your intent, you make it clear that you'd be willing to start in audit, maybe even until you get your designation. That's what a lot of people do, anyway (that is, get a designation and then switch into tax, advisory, etc.), and if nothing else it shows that you have at least a pretext of a goal that isn't "immediately switch over to industry to make bigger $".

Ribsauce
Jul 29, 2006

Blacks in the back.
If you really want to do tax, don't do audit just to get a job. Do what you want to do. Unless you have terrible grades or whatever you should be able to get a job doing what you want to do.

hellboundburrito
Aug 4, 2004
I agree with the last poster that said you should get a job in what you want to do. That being said, I personally would tell a recruiter (if I was in your position) that I am most interested in tax and would really like to work in that area, but that I think I would be a good fit in audit if there was demand for it. When I was first recruited I didn't know which side of the business I wanted to go into, but I expressed interest in both sides and I got a job (in audit) and am happy just the same.

Contrary to what another poster said, this time of year (August - September and a little of October) is the busiest time for tax in my practice. There are a lot of extensions and partnership returns to be done by the extended deadline, and right now everyone in tax is scrambling. In fact, I just rolled onto a tax team despite being in audit and I've been doing partnership returns for the past few days and will be for the next few weeks. The point of me saying this is that depending on where you end up working, you may have opportunities to experience both sides. Also, to answer your original question my firm (Big 4) hired 20 people from my graduating class, and the split between tax and audit was exactly down the middle.

Ribsauce
Jul 29, 2006

Blacks in the back.

quote:

That being said, I personally would tell a recruiter (if I was in your position) that I am most interested in tax and would really like to work in that area, but that I think I would be a good fit in audit if there was demand for it.

If I was a recruiter and you told me that I would hear "I really want to do tax but I will take an audit job and quit the second I find a tax job here or somewhere else" or "I will take the audit job and be miserable the entire time because it was not what I wanted to do, so I will not be invested in it"

Anyway, you should try to get exposure to both if possible. All you know right now is you like the tax classwork better. That does not translate to what work you would like more.

scribe jones
Sep 17, 2008

One of the key problems in the analysis of this puzzling book is to be able to differentiate a real language from meaningless writing.

Ribsauce posted:

If I was a recruiter and you told me that I would hear "I really want to do tax but I will take an audit job and quit the second I find a tax job here or somewhere else" or "I will take the audit job and be miserable the entire time because it was not what I wanted to do, so I will not be invested in it"

As someone who feels the same way (I want to work in tax but I would muddle through if I were in audit instead), is there a better way to thread that needle with a recruiter? Or do you just have to go all in one way or the other?

gmilo
Jun 27, 2006
wooo

scribe jones posted:

As someone who feels the same way (I want to work in tax but I would muddle through if I were in audit instead), is there a better way to thread that needle with a recruiter? Or do you just have to go all in one way or the other?

This really depends on the firm. If you are looking for an internship sometimes they will give you a taste of both. At the staff level its more likely you'll get stuck wherever you start. If you think you want tax, go for it. From my personal experience it is much easier to jump out of tax and into audit than the other way around.

Ribsauce
Jul 29, 2006

Blacks in the back.
At a smaller firm you can do everything, well some at least. My first year I was about 50:50 audit/tax, but this year I'd say 75:25 audit:tax is my ratio, mostly because no one else in my office likes audits, which sucks for me.

Look, just ask/tell them. Tell them what you want to do. It is their job to make sure you fit. It doesn't benefit anyone if you don't stand tall and get a job doing what you want to do. You won't be happy, your work won't be as good (it never is if you aren't happy to be doing it), they won't be happy, ect. Life is too short to take a bad fit.

We are lucky to be in an industry where there is a strong demand. CPA candidates fresh out of school will ALWAYS be in demand. They are the biggest profit center for firms. You will grind all day for a tiny paycheck (comparative to your earnings for the firm) and not complain (to the bosses at least). Don't take a job you don't want because you are afraid you can't find one you do. You will find one you want, well unless you have a 2.0001 gpa and no social skills/awareness or whatever, but even though this is the internet I am going to assume that is not the case.

AbbiTheDog
May 21, 2007

scribe jones posted:

As someone who feels the same way (I want to work in tax but I would muddle through if I were in audit instead), is there a better way to thread that needle with a recruiter? Or do you just have to go all in one way or the other?

Just tell them that you want to work on whatever job you're applying for, and switch later. Easier to switch once you get your foot in the door.

And most college kids tend to lean towards audit, since it's "sexier." Recruiter might if you'd be interested in tax at the time as well.

garythetard
Jan 31, 2005

If you go audit can you decide on any industry you want to specialize in or does it all just depend on what the firm needs at that time?

AbbiTheDog
May 21, 2007

garythetard posted:

If you go audit can you decide on any industry you want to specialize in or does it all just depend on what the firm needs at that time?

Depends on who you suck up to and can tag along on their audit jobs. Small firms you will tend to audit everything (some local firms specialize, but not many). Large firms will tend to have niches, and the staff will lobby and politic heavily to get in on the "glamour jobs." (Nike, Microsoft, etc.)

Find the niche you are interested in beforehand, and perhaps bring it up in the interview/hiring process. (Tip: if you're being interviewed, ask the interviewer [or wait until they bring it up] what niche they work in, and state THAT's the one you might like to get some exposure in as well). Then find the main manager/senior who audits a lot of those clients and see if you can get assigned to work with them. If they like you and you're easy to work with, they will fight to get you assigned to their audit schedule (tip #2 - this means being on time, proactive, quick learner, no whining, and bust your rear end to not get your time written down ["realization"] since it makes the senior/manager look great).

If you find that the niche you're trying to get assigned to is not working, ask the manager (in a polite way) what you can do to get assigned to those. Don't be naive, though - you might just not be cut out to work on those jobs or with the currently assigned staff.

hellboundburrito
Aug 4, 2004

garythetard posted:

If you go audit can you decide on any industry you want to specialize in or does it all just depend on what the firm needs at that time?

I can only speak to my firm (Big 4), but you can generally choose the industry or group you want to be an auditor in. No matter what they are always receptive (in my experience and that of others I know) to your interests, and will try to place you in a particular group if space permits. I know that when you finish an internship and receive an offer, they usually ask you if you liked the group you interned with or if you would rather go to a different group full time.

When I first got an internship offer, I had interviewed with the partner in charge of my group for the entire country. He made it sound fairly interesting and was also an alum from my school, so I requested to be placed there and have worked in it ever since.

garythetard
Jan 31, 2005

Does anyone have any experience with second tier firms (RSM, GT, etc.) or local/regional firms? I imagine with second tier you would still have some great opportunities available to you if you ever decide to leave public accounting. Would a local/regional firm give you similar opportunities? Also in terms of just learning more about accounting would a smaller office with more access to partners really be that much better in helping you develop?

Carlton Banks
Jan 5, 2004

"The Tigers' biggest obstacle to a championship will be keeping a straight face. The Tigers in three."
I am in the process of beginning the hunt for my first job for after I finish my Masters in May and I attended my university's job fair yesterday. The number of accounting firms that showed up was disappointing; only around 10 or so, even less than the number of firms that attended when the economy was at rock bottom.

While there is a chance I might land an interview from the companies I talked to yesterday, I am starting to realize that I might need to find interviews on my own without the benefits of meeting recruiters in person. Of course, there is one more fair in the Spring and I am also keeping an eye out for events at school where I can mingle with recruiters.

However, if it comes down to it, would applications on the company's website be any better/worse than sites like Monster.com or CareerBuilder? I am not very familiar with HR practices, so I don't know if one gets more attention than the other.

Mattism
May 22, 2007

Carlton Banks posted:

I am in the process of beginning the hunt for my first job for after I finish my Masters in May and I attended my university's job fair yesterday. The number of accounting firms that showed up was disappointing; only around 10 or so, even less than the number of firms that attended when the economy was at rock bottom.

While there is a chance I might land an interview from the companies I talked to yesterday, I am starting to realize that I might need to find interviews on my own without the benefits of meeting recruiters in person. Of course, there is one more fair in the Spring and I am also keeping an eye out for events at school where I can mingle with recruiters.

However, if it comes down to it, would applications on the company's website be any better/worse than sites like Monster.com or CareerBuilder? I am not very familiar with HR practices, so I don't know if one gets more attention than the other.
I'm not really answering your question, but you might want to see if your state's CPA society has any sort of career night type event. You can be reasonably assured that everyone at those events is looking for accountants, and it's generally a solid group to be networked into.

Ribsauce
Jul 29, 2006

Blacks in the back.
Carlton, if there are any firms you especially want to work for, call them directly and explain you are going to graduate in the spring and was wondering if someone there would mind talking to you a couple of minutes about the industry/career paths. Do this in Nov/December when there isn't much going on. When you go in have your resume (multiple copies) with you but do not treat it like a job interview, more like a conversation. Maybe something like "Also, here is my resume, this is the type of firm I am looking to work at, if you have any suggestions for improvements please let me know." If it is going really well you could directly ask for a job when you graduate. I got a job offer this way, and I really did just want to ask for advice!

If you know exactly what type of firm you want to work at, especially if it is non standard and/or a concentrated industry, this is even better. Say you want to work at a regional firm with concentrations is the medical industry. Find every firm in your area which fits the description and stress you are interested in the niche market they operate in.

This advice sounds like what you read in one of those lame books like "What color is your parachute" but it really is crucial.

Bean Bandit
Jan 25, 2003

I went straight into industry right before I graduated. While working there I earned my master's and now some years later I would like to move into public accounting, preferably with a small regional firm. Is there anything that can help me or is it too late for me to think about public accounting? Are firms interested in hiring people like me who have accounting experience, just not in public accounting?

Bean Bandit fucked around with this message at 03:57 on Oct 9, 2010

hellboundburrito
Aug 4, 2004

Bean Bandit posted:

I went straight into industry right before I graduated. While working there I earned my master's and now some years later I would like to move into public accounting, preferably with a small regional firm. Is there anything that can help me or is it too late for me to think about public accounting? Are firms interested in hiring people like me who have accounting experience, just not in public accounting?

Word around my office/firm is that attrition is high right now, and recruiters are finding it somewhat difficult to attract new talent. From what I see just in my group, this seems pretty accurate since we've been losing people left and right for the past couple of weeks and the outlook for replacing them is bleak. I work for a Big 4 though, so I'm not sure if this is the case with smaller regional firms - however, it sounds like the other Big 4 are having this issue right now as well. That being said, because of these conditions I think you'd still have a great shot at getting into public accounting. You've been in industry for a while so you understand accounting and that side of the business, and the rest you can pick up from training and experience. I know there are several people who work in my group who came from industry - we even have one guy who worked in sales (and was a struggling comedian on the side), got his masters at 35 and now works with us. It's kind of funny because he is now 38 and in his third year, and works under seniors who are only 25-26.

Vietnamwees
May 8, 2008

by Fluffdaddy
There is something I wanted to ask about getting your CPA license in California that I'm sure someone in this thread can answer.

I know there is a requirement for 1-2 years of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA with an active license stipulation required for those wanting to get their CPA license, but exactly what does that translate to in terms of work hours? Is it literally 40 hours a week for 52 weeks or what?

gmilo
Jun 27, 2006
wooo

garythetard posted:

Does anyone have any experience with second tier firms (RSM, GT, etc.) or local/regional firms? I imagine with second tier you would still have some great opportunities available to you if you ever decide to leave public accounting. Would a local/regional firm give you similar opportunities? Also in terms of just learning more about accounting would a smaller office with more access to partners really be that much better in helping you develop?

My firm fits this description. However, it really depends on the firm. While Big4 experience is always sought after, smaller firms (and their smaller clients) typically give you more of an opportunity to work on every area of an audit from start to finish. All my coworkers who have quit have gotten good jobs. Don't get stuck in the mentality that its big 4 or bust.

AbbiTheDog
May 21, 2007

gmilo posted:

My firm fits this description. However, it really depends on the firm. While Big4 experience is always sought after, smaller firms (and their smaller clients) typically give you more of an opportunity to work on every area of an audit from start to finish. All my coworkers who have quit have gotten good jobs. Don't get stuck in the mentality that its big 4 or bust.

Seconding this. A well-trained 3-4th year staff will have more experience running engagements than a 3-4th year Big 4 staff, simply because you're allowed more engagement administration. Big 4 will work more with public companies, but unless you're doing international tax/trust work (at which point you might be a lawyer anyways), you're not necessarily going to be dealing with more complex issues.

Big 4 is as sexy as it gets in the accounting world, but it's not required by any means.

Hellblazer187
Oct 12, 2003

Hey, this thread is still around!

I'm still plugging away at my accounting degree, in my third semester now. I got my prereqs out of the way and now I'm in the thick of it. Got a B+ in Cost I this summer, and got an A on my first exam in Intermediate Financial I.

Got a B- on my first Tax test. Right now I'm putting off studying for my second Tax test.

With the worst of the recession seemingly (oh god hopefully) over, does the employment market seem to be better in this field? (I'm sure it's much much better than law)

hellboundburrito
Aug 4, 2004

Hellblazer187 posted:

Hey, this thread is still around!

I'm still plugging away at my accounting degree, in my third semester now. I got my prereqs out of the way and now I'm in the thick of it. Got a B+ in Cost I this summer, and got an A on my first exam in Intermediate Financial I.

Got a B- on my first Tax test. Right now I'm putting off studying for my second Tax test.

With the worst of the recession seemingly (oh god hopefully) over, does the employment market seem to be better in this field? (I'm sure it's much much better than law)

My firm (a Boston Big 4) and many others seemed to be able to weather the storm a bit better than most other industries. To put it in perspective, there were about 200 new hires in my class two years ago, around 180 last year and about 190 this year (although many of those are deferred until January due to new 150 credit requirements). There can be a lot of turnover in public accounting, if that's something you're interested in, so recruiters always seem to be pretty active and I know that my office is making a big push for new talent. By the time you graduate, I would think that the job market for accounting majors would be as good as it is now but more than likely it will be better. Have you started looking into internships yet?

And congrats on doing well through your first few semesters. Your priorities should be to continue doing well in class, researching internship opportunities and considering your plan for getting credentialed if that's what you want. It's never too early to start thinking about the exam, even if it will be a while before you can sit for it.

HELP, MY ARM--
Oct 12, 2006
Oh, accept the pain, Frank!
I recently graduated school with a double in Psych and Criminology, but after injuring myself, my first plan of becoming a cop fell through the hole for the time being and I'd like to look into other fields.

What should I be doing if I want to become an accountant (and eventual CPA)? I'm looking into taking courses at my local community college and possibly going for a bachelors in accounting at a nearby school. Could I be doing things differently? More efficiently?

This is the pathway I've completed the most of:
* A bachelor’s degree; (done)
* 24 semester units in accounting-related subjects;
* 24 semester units in business-related subjects; (have some units completed for several econ classes)
* 150 semester units (or 225 quarter units) of education; (done)
* Passing the Uniform CPA Exam;
* One year of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA with an active license; and
* Passing an ethics course.

How do most people complete their one year of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA-just work at a firm with other accountants who may have one or two who are CPA certified and call it a day?

I live in California if that helps :).

HELP, MY ARM-- fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Oct 27, 2010

gmilo
Jun 27, 2006
wooo

HELP, MY ARM-- posted:

I recently graduated school with a double in Psych and Criminology, but after injuring myself, my first plan of becoming a cop fell through the hole for the time being and I'd like to look into other fields.

What should I be doing if I want to become an accountant (and eventual CPA)? I'm looking into taking courses at my local community college and possibly going for a bachelors in accounting at a nearby school. Could I be doing things differently? More efficiently?

This is the pathway I've completed the most of:
* A bachelor’s degree; (done)
* 24 semester units in accounting-related subjects;
* 24 semester units in business-related subjects; (have some units completed for several econ classes)
* 150 semester units (or 225 quarter units) of education; (done)
* Passing the Uniform CPA Exam;
* One year of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA with an active license; and
* Passing an ethics course.

How do most people complete their one year of general accounting experience supervised by a CPA-just work at a firm with other accountants who may have one or two who are CPA certified and call it a day?

I live in California if that helps :).

Most people complete their 1 year of accounting experience by working in a public accounting firm. All of the managers and above will be licensed CPAs so while you work there you are technically under their supervision unless you are a janitor or something. I had some experience working in internal audit under a CPA but by the time I passed the exam I had enough public experience so I just used that to fulfill the req.

gmilo
Jun 27, 2006
wooo

Hellblazer187 posted:

With the worst of the recession seemingly (oh god hopefully) over, does the employment market seem to be better in this field? (I'm sure it's much much better than law)

Way better than law.

Audit especially, because audit departments hemorrhage staff like you wouldn't believe. From last October to this October we have had 50% turnover.

edit - and this isnt layoffs/downsizing. We are either dead even or growing.

Hellblazer187
Oct 12, 2003

I probably won't be able to do any kind of internship. I'm employed full time as an attorney and I have a mortgage to pay. This is my biggest fear with regards to employment. I can't just give up my real job for an internship that may or may not come through with a full time offer. I really wish I had done this my first go round with college.

My academic advisor said that internships are more important for people coming right out of school. When I get my degree I'll have 3 years as a lawyer under my belt, and he said that will be enough for some firms to take me seriously even without an internship.

My goal is public accounting, at least to start. Ideally I'd like a job with state or local government or a qualifying non-profit to take advantage of the 10 year repayment on my student loans (90+% of which are due to my law school mistake)

edit: my hope is to have very good grades and pass the test before graduation. I don't know how hard the CPA exam is vs the bar exam, but I do have experience with a giant test like that so that should be helpful.

Hellblazer187 fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Oct 27, 2010

gmilo
Jun 27, 2006
wooo

Hellblazer187 posted:

edit: my hope is to have very good grades and pass the test before graduation. I don't know how hard the CPA exam is vs the bar exam, but I do have experience with a giant test like that so that should be helpful.

This is purely anecdotal but the only thing I've heard from tax lawyers or people who know tax lawyers is that the CPA is way worse than the bar exam. That being said, you can take it in parts which makes things significantly easier.

TheChimney
Jan 31, 2005

gmilo posted:

This is purely anecdotal but the only thing I've heard from tax lawyers or people who know tax lawyers is that the CPA is way worse than the bar exam. That being said, you can take it in parts which makes things significantly easier.

Also anecdotal, I've heard tax law is the one place where the job market doesn't suck for lawyers.

Hellblazer187
Oct 12, 2003

gmilo posted:

This is purely anecdotal but the only thing I've heard from tax lawyers or people who know tax lawyers is that the CPA is way worse than the bar exam. That being said, you can take it in parts which makes things significantly easier.

I read a small study on it and it seemed like the answer was that whatever test was taken first was harder. For 90+% of people who have two licenses, the CPA exam came first. But, IIRC, the study said the sample size of people like me (bar first, then CPA exam) is so small no real conclusion could be drawn. That said, I'm operating under the assumption that the CPA exam is more difficult. My bar exam experience should be helpful in knowing how to prepare for a 12 hour test and in that my nerves will probably be much lower than many other test takers because I've been in a similar situation before.

The bar exam seemed hard at the time, but my score was really high. You need to wait 2 months to get your bar results which is agonizing. The CPA doesn't do that, right?

The bar is also only offered twice a year. As I understand it you can take the CPA exam more frequently.

Mattism
May 22, 2007

There's a pretty substantial wait for CPA exam results as well, usually 6-8 weeks depending on when you took the exam within a given window. For example, I took REG the first week of July and BEC the second week of August and received both scores during the first wave which was near the end of August. The way I understand it (and this may change with the adoption of the new CBT-e), you could theoretically wait up to almost three months for your scores.

I don't know how the CPA exam compares in difficulty to the bar exam, but I thought the LSAT was more difficult than BEC/REG. Nothing holds a candle to FAR though.

AbbiTheDog
May 21, 2007

gmilo posted:

This is purely anecdotal but the only thing I've heard from tax lawyers or people who know tax lawyers is that the CPA is way worse than the bar exam. That being said, you can take it in parts which makes things significantly easier.

You young whippersnappers have it easy. Back in my day, you had to take it all at once! Over two days! And write essays!

heated game moment
Oct 30, 2003

Lipstick Apathy
Yeah the CPA takes forever to get your scores back. That said, I think for most people the hardest part is simply the time involved with studying while working full time.

Ribsauce
Jul 29, 2006

Blacks in the back.
One thing about the CPA I don't understand is why every young accountant doesn't make it their number 1 priority. As soon as I could I started studying for it like a machine because I knew it would get harder every day I delayed. I work with people who are over 30 and still just casually studying for it. What the gently caress?

If I ran a firm I'd do something where if you were a new employee fresh out of school, after your first 6 months of adjusting to a big boy job you pretty much had to demonstrate progress towards passing the CPA exam. I wouldn't fire anyone who didn't, but I would make it very clear that your ceiling was very low without passing it like you're not getting past senior status.

Also, I didn't think the CPA exam was that hard. Well, it was hard, but with adequate preparation anyone can pass it. I passed all 4 sections first try but I went in to each one fully prepared, studied my rear end off, and passed it. I put in my work so the exam was already passed before I even answered the first question. I guess what I am trying to say is sure it is a difficult test, but anyone who can graduate with an accounting degree can pass it if they put effort into it.

TheChimney
Jan 31, 2005
Have you guys ever heard of the big 4 offering extensions on their deadlines for accepting offers? I have a friend who has an offer in hand but it expires a week before he can interview at another firm. And he wants to check out the second firm before he decides.

Calcaneus
Sep 12, 2010
I'm currently an Accounting major and am kinda going through that "is this right for me?" phase. I liked my early accounting classes well enough, but I know it gets "worse" as it goes on. I just worry that I will find myself in the situation where I realize I hate my job 5 years later.

I'm kinda eying switching over to Computer Information Systems, its kind of a meeting point between business and IT, and I feel like I would probably enjoy that a bit more rather than a very specialized accounting. Also, if I switch before next semester, I'll basically be graduating at the same time as I would have as an accounting major.

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hellboundburrito
Aug 4, 2004

Calcaneus posted:

I'm currently an Accounting major and am kinda going through that "is this right for me?" phase. I liked my early accounting classes well enough, but I know it gets "worse" as it goes on. I just worry that I will find myself in the situation where I realize I hate my job 5 years later.

I'm kinda eying switching over to Computer Information Systems, its kind of a meeting point between business and IT, and I feel like I would probably enjoy that a bit more rather than a very specialized accounting. Also, if I switch before next semester, I'll basically be graduating at the same time as I would have as an accounting major.

There are more than a couple of accounting courses that you'll likely encounter that tend to weed out accounting majors, so you're right in that it will get harder as you progress. If you stick with it for a while, just know that you won't experience everything you do in these classes in the real world and you will do things in real world accounting you maybe never saw in class. Also, some people go into accounting because they actually like it a lot, and others might get into it for opportunities down the road.

If you like accounting so far but also have an interest in IT-related areas, you could double major or take on a minor and pursue a career in something that is relevant to both. All Big 4 firms, most regional firms and many small, local firms have IT auditors and IT consulting which you might find interesting. In many cases they are paid more, and you might need to get a CISA instead of or in conjunction with a CPA.

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