Man, my GF works so much... can you beat her hours?

[IndyColtsFan]

And to be honest ZeZe, at one time, I DID love what I did enough that I would work late just testing and learning new technology. I suppose I just got burned out on it.

 

[Ns1]

I've been involved in lots of audits (SOX, network/security, etc) and it just seemed mind-numbingly boring and no challenge at all.

As a grunt it's boring as fuck but at the higher levels more thought/analysis required.

Except in our industry, it's the opposite. The higher you move up, the less hours you work, and more parabolic the salary increases. Pay is very top heavy because we get to take advantage of paying someone $50k to work 80 hours a week. Everyone that goes in to public accounting knows this and does it for the potential money.

and this.

 

[Zeze]

Definitely not my job -- hence the reason I'd never put in tons and tons of hours on a regular basis. 😀 I didn't make the old saying, I'm just repeating it.



I think you're right, but even movie stars and singers occasionally bitch about how hard their lives are. I just can't imagine enjoying being an auditor enough to spend 100 hrs/week doing it. I've been involved in lots of audits (SOX, network/security, etc) and it just seemed mind-numbingly boring and no challenge at all.

I think being a comic would be good too. You 'work' like 2 hours (CK Lewis), and that's it!

But I really envy true popular musicians. They get showmanship, money, love, fame (don't care too much, but little attention is good), and mad chicks.

Sure, touring may get tiring, but every night you're performing a piece of art you yourself created and enjoying it with everyone.

AND make fuckton of money rest of the year.

 

[Ns1]

I think being a comic would be good too. You 'work' like 2 hours (CK Lewis), and that's it!

But I really envy true popular musicians. They get showmanship, money, love, fame (don't care too much, but little attention is good), and mad chicks.

I'd imagine the paparazzi part sucks.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

As a grunt it's boring as fuck but at the higher levels more thought/analysis required.

Yeah, as far as I could tell, the auditors I dealt with worked off of what seemed to be scripted material. Heck, a couple of the IT auditors I worked with had no clue and I could've told them just about anything and they'd believe it. Most of them had accounting backgrounds with little or no IT experience. My company did have a guest auditor program and I seriously considered signing up for the lulz, hoping I'd get to audit my department. 😀

 

[Zeze]

I'd imagine the paparazzi part sucks.

They're not bad outside of LA (only LA has that crazy culture). And if you're mildly successful 'only' making few mil a year as a B-list. It'd be perfect.

And chicks dig 'B-list underground' shit.

 

[Ns1]

They're not bad outside of LA (only LA has that crazy culture). And if you're mildly successful 'only' making few mil a year as a B-list. It'd be perfect.

And chicks dig 'B-list underground' shit.

lol @ making a few mil a year as a b-list

lawyers/managers/accountants/agents > you

 

[Soccerman06]

My mom works somewhere between a 12-14 hour day everyday. However she gets payed a buttload to do it.

 

[TheNinja]

My mom works somewhere between a 12-14 hour day everyday. However she gets payed a buttload to do it.

Is a buttload more or less than a boatload? Where does a "$hit ton" fit into that?

I would assume $hit-ton > boatload > buttload but I'm not positive.

 

[thegimp03]

Being a staff, senior, or manager sucks. You're at the bottom of the hill and shit rolls downhill. Plus, the pay is low-ball because it's yet another way to weed out the people who don't do enough crack to make it to partner.

But, leave with some experience under your belt and maybe a CPA, or just great timing, and you pretty much look at a 50% raise or more on base salary and other benefits like working less hours - unless you're the crazy SOB who wants to go do ibanking at Goldman Sachs. I graduated with about 100 other accounting majors from my university and most of us went to the Big 4 because even though we'd heard the horror stories it's almost like a rite of passage for accountants in this area.

 

[Ns1]

I graduated with about 100 other accounting majors from my university and most of us went to the Big 4 because even though we'd heard the horror stories it's almost like a rite of passage for accountants in this area.

sounds like you're from LA lol

 

[JS80]

Being a staff, senior, or manager sucks. You're at the bottom of the hill and shit rolls downhill. Plus, the pay is low-ball because it's yet another way to weed out the people who don't do enough crack to make it to partner.

But, leave with some experience under your belt and maybe a CPA, or just great timing, and you pretty much look at a 50% raise or more on base salary and other benefits like working less hours - unless you're the crazy SOB who wants to go do ibanking at Goldman Sachs. I graduated with about 100 other accounting majors from my university and most of us went to the Big 4 because even though we'd heard the horror stories it's almost like a rite of passage for accountants in this area.

50%? I make 4x what I was making when I left public 6 years ago.

 

[JS80]

I graduated with about 100 other accounting majors from my university and most of us went to the Big 4 because even though we'd heard the horror stories it's almost like a rite of passage for accountants in this area.

to be honest though staff/senior are still overpaid considering the "work" they are doing. It's not rocket science ticking and tying numbers and making photocopies (I guess these days scans).

 

[ChaoZ]

While we're on the subject, how do you get into the big 4 after you have graduated? It seems they only hire people that are still in school and about to graduate.

 

[JS80]

While we're on the subject, how do you get into the big 4 after you have graduated? It seems they only hire people that are still in school and about to graduate.

what are you doing now? what was your major? GPA? can you sit for CPA exam?

 

[Ns1]

While we're on the subject, how do you get into the big 4 after you have graduated? It seems they only hire people that are still in school and about to graduate.

networking


I've been recruited several times by E&Y since I’ve graduated (now w/ 4 years exp.) and I would have never had a chance straight out of college (GPA way too low)

 

[ChaoZ]

what are you doing now? what was your major? GPA? can you sit for CPA exam?

I passed the CPA exam not too long ago and I'm still looking; currently unemployed.

 

[Ns1]

I passed the CPA exam not too long ago and I'm still looking; currently unemployed.

network network network

if you have zero experience your CPA means [this] much

Additionally, if your GPA is lower than ~3.4(depending on your school), JS80’s advice below (the second part of it, not the first part) is probably your only hope. Although the hours (when I did it) were much more reasonable.

 

[JS80]

I passed the CPA exam not too long ago and I'm still looking; currently unemployed.

Go find your nearest campus and start going to the Big4 recruiting events. Or find a local firm that will hire you and then you can transfer as an experienced associate after 1-2 years of same hours at $30k.

 

[thegimp03]

50%? I make 4x what I was making when I left public 6 years ago.

I'm talking about the first jump from public to industry.

 

[thegimp03]

to be honest though staff/senior are still overpaid considering the "work" they are doing. It's not rocket science ticking and tying numbers and making photocopies (I guess these days scans).

It just feels underpaid when you're putting in 18 hour work days during busy season seven days a week. Also, the same Big 4 firm that pays their associates $52k a year charges the client $200 an hour for them to tick and tie and perform the same mindless procedures this year-end as they did last year-end for low risk accounts.

 

[Gibson486]

While we're on the subject, how do you get into the big 4 after you have graduated? It seems they only hire people that are still in school and about to graduate.

You have to be a the right place and right time if you do not have anyone to network too...

 

[JS80]

It just feels underpaid when you're putting in 18 hour work days during busy season seven days a week. Also, the same Big 4 firm that pays their associates $52k a year charges the client $200 an hour for them to tick and tie and perform the same mindless procedures this year-end as they did last year-end for low risk accounts.

Ultimately though you're still doing work a 14 year old can do. Even though the bill rate is $200+/hour there are other fixed and variable costs that are part of it.

 

[Ns1]

Ultimately though you're still doing work a 14 year old can do. Even though the bill rate is $200+/hour there are other fixed and variable costs that are part of it.

Obviously they need someone with a college degree so they can bill $200+/hour

 

[L1FE]

You can grow professionally in a variety of ways without putting in 120 hours every week. There are very few things in life that I enjoy enough to want to spend 120 hrs per week doing them and I sure as heck am not going to spend 120 hours per week, year after year, doing something I hate.

My point wasn't that you have to work 120 hours a week to "grow professionally." More like if you are going to work that many hours, try to make sure you're getting the most out of it professionally - because you sure as hell are not making up for it on the social end. Also, there are definitely some lessons you can only learn when you're in the middle of a pile of shit (even if it's just that you don't like being buried in shit).