Is it worth going into a Big 4 firm if you're an experienced professional?

[Ns1]

play around with? hardly haha.

more like, i see you had 600 new user account requests this year. please give me the approval documentation for these 100 I have selected so that I can make sure everything is in order.

/shoots self

you still get to see their systems =P

This is IT + Audit, so the mundane nature of audit should not be a surprise.

 

[JS80]

You get thrown at F500 companies and get to play around with their IT infrastructure instead of being pigeon-holed into your own?

I dunno IS/IT Assurance is typically useless and the people that do it don't know jack shit about real life IT infrastructure...

 

[sjwaste]

I dunno IS/IT Assurance is typically useless and the people that do it don't know jack shit about real life IT infrastructure...

Depends on the firm, and to a larger degree, the team that you paid to bring out there. Saying all IT Assurance is useless is a pretty broad stroke there.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The 40 hour work week is a dead concept as far as I can tell unless your an hourly guy. Most places I've heard of expect 45-50 hours a week from their salaried people.

I generally work 40 hrs a week here. Sure, there are weeks where I put in more, but those are the rare exception and not the rule. At my last job, I did put in long hours but then I got a life and cut back to 40 hours. I still got top reviews and raises, so I felt like a sucker for all the extra time I put in. Work smarter, not longer/harder.

 

[soulcougher73]

The 40 hour work week is a dead concept as far as I can tell unless your an hourly guy. Most places I've heard of expect 45-50 hours a week from their salaried people.

They only do it because people like you allow them to do it. When my mom worked at the Sprint HQ they tried to get salary people to do OT for no pay. They just didnt do it and would all leave when their regular 8 hour shift was over, managers included. The people pretty much took it upon themselves to force the issue of no OT without pay.

 

[DCal430]

The 40 hour work week is a dead concept as far as I can tell unless your an hourly guy. Most places I've heard of expect 45-50 hours a week from their salaried people.

You must not know people who work for the government. Most government workers are salaried and most work less than 35 hours a week. No one works over 40 hours a week.

 

[sjwaste]

You must not know people who work for the government. Most government workers are salaried and most work less than 35 hours a week. No one works over 40 hours a week.

Quite the stereotype. I'm a government employee. Maybe at the lower grades, people work 35 a week. The people I've been around work at least 40, and they're actually working in that time period. Plenty of folks routinely put in extra hours, too.

There are some lazy govies out there, but I haven't seen many of them. Maybe it's different in state government, or whatever you're referencing.

What do you do for a living?

 

[DCal430]

Quite the stereotype. I'm a government employee. Maybe at the lower grades, people work 35 a week. The people I've been around work at least 40, and they're actually working in that time period. Plenty of folks routinely put in extra hours, too.

There are some lazy govies out there, but I haven't seen many of them. Maybe it's different in state government, or whatever you're referencing.

What do you do for a living?

I work for the government too, not federal. The lower grades work more hours since they are hourly and are required to work 40 hours. The higher grades all work fewer hours since they are salary and have no minimum working hours. Having talked to my coworkers who have been in government work all their life almost no higher level employee works over 35 hours a week, and none will work over 40.

I have seen people who come in for 10 minutes leave and claim zero time for the day. I have seen people log into their email from home and will claim zero time for the day. Because our MOU says this can be done for salaried workers. Though only hand full will take it to these extreme level of abuse. Most I see work around 35 hours a week on average and will attempt to work at least 4 hours a day.

Here we are entitled to 70 minutes worth of breaks a day, a 30 minute one that we can use any time and a 5 min break each hour, to be used during the hour too. 90% of employees here take full advantage of this, and so do I. I take a 5 minute break almost every hour, plus a 30 min coffee break each day.

 

[Juddog]

I work for the government too, not federal. The lower grades work more hours since they are hourly and are required to work 40 hours. The higher grades all work fewer hours since they are salary and have no minimum working hours. Having talked to my coworkers who have been in government work all their life almost no higher level employee works over 35 hours a week, and none will work over 40.

I have seen people who come in for 10 minutes leave and claim zero time for the day. I have seen people log into their email from home and will claim zero time for the day. Because our MOU says this can be done for salaried workers. Though only hand full will take it to these extreme level of abuse. Most I see work around 35 hours a week on average and will attempt to work at least 4 hours a day.

Here we are entitled to 70 minutes worth of breaks a day, a 30 minute one that we can use any time and a 5 min break each hour, to be used during the hour too. 90% of employees here take full advantage of this, and so do I. I take a 5 minute break almost every hour, plus a 30 min coffee break each day.

Ok where do you live, and are they hiring? Because I want in.

 

[sjwaste]

I work for the government too, not federal. The lower grades work more hours since they are hourly and are required to work 40 hours. The higher grades all work fewer hours since they are salary and have no minimum working hours. Having talked to my coworkers who have been in government work all their life almost no higher level employee works over 35 hours a week, and none will work over 40.

I have seen people who come in for 10 minutes leave and claim zero time for the day. I have seen people log into their email from home and will claim zero time for the day. Because our MOU says this can be done for salaried workers. Though only hand full will take it to these extreme level of abuse. Most I see work around 35 hours a week on average and will attempt to work at least 4 hours a day.

That sounds horrible, at least if you're motivated and actually want to carry out whatever mission you've signed up for. I can't speak for the entire Fed govt, but that is not at all what I've experienced.

 

[chalmers]

I'm an accountant. Zero interest in public accounting. I work for a well known company with lots of advancement opportunity, made ~42k to start at the bottom level, and work 40 hours a week. I'd rather make less money and have a life to enjoy. Some people see it differently.

 

[Oakenfold]

It depends on what your goals are. Do you want to go into Information Security? Looking to stay in the external audit realm? Internal Audit? I'd suggest heading over to the security forum and discussing what your wants and needs are rather than posting this in OT.

There are a few of us that hang out in there that are in audit / risk management / information security that may be able to give you a few pointers or set you up with someone that can, that has the experience to tell you what the market is looking for.

While some of the folks in this thread may not have had a good experience with auditors, it could also be that they may not have a good appreciation of risk management and what internal controls are in place for...of course that's why we exist! To educate others in Risk Management.

6 years internal auditing (integrated approach), CIA, taking my CISA in June!

 

[brianmanahan]

but doesnt auditing crap just bore you out of your skull?

 

[dquan97]

I'm working 40hrs/week here as a state auditor...I value time w/ family over $$ and this is perfect for me.