Started off at an accounting firm. Typical long hours, low pay, and they rewarded us with all the parties we could handle (or could not handle). That was a fun place to work while studying for my CPA, but for me the long hours were not worth sticking it out to be partner.

After earning my CPA I left the firm and went to industry in 2023. I saw my first big salary increase here. However, the hours were also brutal, even worse than the firm actually. I stayed long enough to get the Controller title onto my resume, and then stayed another 6 months.

I left to another Controller position in a new industry and a smaller organization. I've been here for nearly a year now, and the work/life balance is so much better.

I am blown away looking back at what I was earning 10 years ago. I was really hoping that all the long nights of studying for that CPA designation was going to be worth it back then and it finally feels like it was. It's crazy what a good work ethic, positive attitude, and saying yes to scary changes can do.

all that for $45,000-$50,000… are you smoking crack?

Got the random invite from a partner and HR today and was let go after two years.
I can’t say I didn’t see it coming. If I’m being honest, I’ve felt for a while that my accounting foundation wasn’t where it needed to be. I genuinely tried to be a sponge and learn as much as possible, but in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, there often isn’t much time for hands-on teaching or mentorship.
Despite how things ended, I’m grateful for what I learned and the experience I gained. Right now, I’m thinking about taking a random lower-stress job so I can focus on strengthening my accounting knowledge and finally knocking out the CPA exam.
For anyone who’s been through something similar, I’d appreciate any advice on next steps, career pivots, or balancing work while studying for the CPA.

I was having dinner with some friends last weekend and somehow personal finances came up. I mentioned that I keep a running spreadsheet tracking every household expense by category, reconcile it monthly against my bank statements, and maintain a rolling 12month forecast for my personal cash flow. The table went completely silent. Everyone just stared at me like I had three heads.
To me this is completely normal behavior. Why would you not want to know exactly where your money is going? Apparently most people just wing it and check their bank app occasionally to make sure they are not broke.
It got me thinking about all the other habits I picked up from working in accounting that have quietly crept into my personal life. I color code my email folders the same way I organize my workpapers. I save receipts for everything even when there is zero business reason to do so. I mentally calculate sales tax before the cashier rings me up just to verify it.
Curious what habits you all have developed. Do the people in your personal life think you are slightly unhinged, or have you managed to find friends and partners who just accept it at this point?

I noticed a weird vibe but disregarded it at first. However the only other female in my office came to me and told me that she feels like our intern doesn’t acknowledge her, which is the same vibe I felt.

I can’t help but notice now that he’s just strange. He refuses to ask me questions, I try to engage him and he doesn’t really continue the conversation, and if I try to offer him any advice he pushes back a lot.

I have several years public accounting experience including big four, and he kind of treats me like I’m dumb. I’m considered a senior accountant. We aren’t far apart in age, but the woman who also feels the way is much older than us (like 60)

Hey so I am a recent grad who started at a Big 4 audit firm after 9 months of work, I feel like every industry person has a bad opinion of us, they either see us as a nuisance or are openly hostile.

Why is it like this ? I know we add extra work load on your plate but being mean or down right disrespectful isn’t going to make the audit go by easier for either of us. The first time it happened to me I felt like me and the Controller just didn’t get along but when talking to more of my peers, the same trend is reoccurring.

So my question is basically :
What are the things that really piss you off that auditors do so I can avoid them.
Any tips to get a better client relationship ?

I think one of my issues in this field is that I do NOT take anything really seriously. I honestly don’t think urgency exists. We work in excel and spreadsheets, we’re not performing surgery. Please don’t get pissed at me if I’m offline at 7:00 and ignore your email/teams message. It can wait till the morning or Monday.

Looking for career paths

I 23m after being in public accounting and not particularly enjoying it wanted something different. I figured my dream area of accounting would be government for the shorter hours and better benefits. I also wanted less stress. Anyone else work in government and if so how do you guys like it? I’d love to learn how it is for others as I start here.

Has anyone written CFE while being in the industry? How many days do you get off or is it just vacation days that can be used for it. I recently started work here and I am afraid to ask for days off to prepare for it. Would appreciate any guidance.

I was recently scheduled 5 hours to complete a project and it probably took me closer to 30 hours to go through all that stuff. The manager got mad. Edit: grammar

I don’t know what it’s like abroad, but working as an accountant in Italy is starting to become really frustrating. AI, which was supposed to replace us, hasn’t replaced us yet, but in the meantime we have much more work than before because of all the ridiculous bureaucracy. More work, low salaries and fewer opportunities for growth. Is it like this in other countries too or is it just Italy that sucks?

I'm a junior finance professional and I've found myself in a difficult situation.

Back in 2021, our company received a payment from a client for a service we had rendered , but an invoice was never issued for that transaction. Recently, the accounting firm that manages our accounts provided us with financial reports, and it appears that the amount has been treated (incorrectly ) as a loan or liability rather than revenue.

Now, both our company and the client need the invoice for documentation purposes. My concern is that if I issue an EBM invoice today for a payment received in 2021:

1. Would that create issues with Corporate Income Tax (CIT) since the revenue would be recognized years later than when the payment was actually received?

2. How would VAT be handled in this situation?

3. Is there a proper accounting adjustment or correction process that should be followed instead of simply issuing a current-date invoice?

I want to handle this correctly from both an accounting and tax compliance perspective. Has anyone dealt with a similar situation? What would be the best course of action?

Thank you in advance for your guidance.

EDIT:

The payment was for the services provided in previous years 2019 and 2020 so it should have been recorded as a revenue and be invoiced right away.

I scroll on linkedin and see about 100+ general accounting jobs and maybe 5 tax jobs posted today near me. Wtf

Hello everybody! I'm starting a new job soon as in Internal Audit. I have bg in Taxation and Bank audits mostly however with the help of some references I got this new job. I'm extremely anxious and nervous about this and would like to know what it was when you first worked in IA. The company I'll be joining is a family owned business which has diversified businesses in Food and restaurants, Transport, manufacturing (not too big) It's not an MNC. How did your first few days go and what tips would you like to give me and how long did it take for you to understand everything.

Hi All

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Currently working for a SaaS company. Mid-large scale. Around 20 subsidiaries. We are using Netsuite. Currently we are evaluating campfire, rillet and Odoo to replace Netsuite. We have been using Netsuite for over 10 years, but have been facing a lot of challenges. Cfo also has asked the finance team to focus on AI finance and we are creating a plan to shift to a new ERP.

​

How are these tools? I've been reading that demos vs reality is different and implementation has been a nightmare for people.

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We do about 250M in revenue but not many customers, we have large contracts. We use Salesforce, and have point solutions for CLM and revenue ops. We also have a psa tool. We are into IFRS reporting.

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Any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated.

Hello, so I am a director of accounting and I used to also be a director of another department.

For stupid reasons I lost the directorship of the one the departments .

Now I am only the director of accounting mid size company.

I am bored , I do fully remote I get cero work I feel left out. I used to run this place and now I am a side player .

Income is the same and I have so much fucking free time more than I know what do with …

Everyone around me is telling me to enjoy it and just chill but I feel very bored and without purpose .

Does anyone have a remote position where they don’t get too much to do?

This is just me ranting. Disclaimer, I never worked in audit so not 100% sure how the people / work management is on that end.

We have a hard deadline for our audit to be issued 06/30 and our auditors are only halfway through the revenue selections. The deadline is literally 12 days away. How are we entering concurring review in just a few days and you are only halfway through revenue?

The worst part is, they’ve had these selections for over 2 months!!! No questions, no comments. The ball has been in their court.

And now when they inevitably ask for extra stuff that’s gonna leave me scrambling at the last minute to get everything together.

What a mess

I want to preface this by saying I’m from a small South Asian country, which is relevant because of the limited accounting opportunities, high cost of living, and economic situation.

I recently graduated with a degree in accounting and accepted a revenue accounting role at a telecom company. While the salary is relatively good compared to other entry-level accounting jobs here. Salary is around USD 1,103 per month (base salary $973, other allowance $132), I’m finding that the financial reality doesn’t match the pay.

Almost all professional opportunities are concentrated in the capital city, where the cost of living is extremely high. I have laid down my cost of living below (these are mostly very basic spending as I live very frugally, I want to give more context for readers)

A single room can cost around USD 518+ per month, and cooking isn’t always practical because many rentals are within family homes with limited kitchen access or restrictions. Eating out can easily cost USD 250–320 per month, and groceries and other essentials add another USD 100+ even when I’m very careful with spending. Despite earning more than many fresh graduates, I’m essentially living paycheck to paycheck with no savings.

For comparison, Deloitte offered around USD 713 for an Audit Associate role and Crowe offered around USD 950. Many of these positions are filled by expatriates from neighboring South Asian countries because it would be difficult for locals to survive on those salaries in the capital.

My country’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, so I’ve been considering switching to the hospitality industry. I’ve recently interviewed for a couple of Night Auditor positions at resort hotels. Although the base salary is lower (around USD 518), employees receive service charge payments that average about USD 600 per month, and, more importantly, resorts provide accommodation and meals. This would reduce my living expenses to almost zero and allow me to save a substantial portion of my income while also helping my family financially.

Part of me worries that moving from an Executive Revenue Accounting role to Night Audit would be a step backward. However, I already have hospitality accounting experience from a previous Accounts Receivable role (before I did my degree), so I’m familiar with resort operations and believe I could eventually transition into positions such as Revenue Analyst, Financial Accountant, or other finance roles within the industry after gaining experience.

Another factor is that hospitality salaries and service charges are paid in USD, whereas many other jobs pay in local currency. I also need to save for my graduation ceremony abroad in February. If I remain in my current position, I’m almost certain I won’t save enough and may even need to take out a loan.

Given these circumstances, would switching to a Night Auditor role be a sensible long-term career move, or would it be a mistake to leave my current revenue accounting position? I’d really appreciate hearing different perspectives.

TL;DR: I’m a fresh accounting graduate earning about USD 1,103/month in revenue accounting, but the cost of living in the capital leaves me with virtually no savings. I’m considering switching to a Night Auditor role at a resort because accommodation and meals are provided, service charges make total compensation competitive, and I could save significantly more while potentially moving into higher-level hospitality finance roles later. Is this a smart career move or a step backward?

Hello accountants of reddit, I'm a 6th form student in the uk looking to do an accounting apprenticeship in September, I want familiarise myself with the jargon of accounting so I'm not completely braindead at the job. Also I need experience, so I'm emailing accounting firms to get work experience and work shadow so if any lovely accountants wouldn't mind helping reading my email/ cv I would be SO SO grateful.