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re: Fellow CPA's in public accounting, how many hours do you work in busy season?
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:06 pm to Tigerfan56
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:06 pm to Tigerfan56
Probably around 60. I travel a lot, though. Makes it seems worse.
0
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:08 pm to CharlesLSU
As an audit senior I’m averaging 65-70 a week for busy season. Rest of the year 50-55.
Definitely feel like I learn a lot, but making partner isn’t something I think I’ll care to do so I will probably look for something in industry after another year or two.
Definitely feel like I learn a lot, but making partner isn’t something I think I’ll care to do so I will probably look for something in industry after another year or two.
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:11 pm to Tigerfan56
Audit - about 65 a week, was about 90 to 110 when I was at big 4....frick that.
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:20 pm to Tigerfan56
Big 4 audit senior
On an large first year client with an accelerated filing date that was acquired in the past year
Don’t expect to do much other than work for the next month
Rest of the year should be relvstively easy
On an large first year client with an accelerated filing date that was acquired in the past year
Don’t expect to do much other than work for the next month
Rest of the year should be relvstively easy
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:29 pm to OceanMan
quote:
4 months working 60-70 hr weeks just isn’t that bad.
Yes it is. Just not compared to the worst jobs you listed
Someone right out of graduate school should be ready to grind at 22. You get to be an absolute sponge and get exposed to topics and situations that are foreign from day 1. Consulting and IB are other forms of professional service so they are much more closely related than someone going into industry.
I wouldn't ever expect someone working as a Staff 1 in internal audit in industry to work more than 50 hours a week, even in busy season.
Comparing the 'average' workload in a white collar gig to public during busy season is apples and oranges.
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:36 pm to lynxcat
The trouble with B4 audit is that the pay is still shite even as the responsibility goes through the roof. You have Seniors making $75k and Managers making low six figures working their asses off when they can go to industry and make the same while working cush hours. At least in the consulting and IB model, they are earning a much high salary / VC for the BS hours.
My MBA classmates are starting at $145K at the Senior level with $35K signing bonuses. IB will have an even larger variable component (and life will suck even more than audit/tax/or consulting).
B4 audit and tax clearly open doors to industry but the path to Partner is severely underpaid until you reach the pot at the end of the rainbow.
My MBA classmates are starting at $145K at the Senior level with $35K signing bonuses. IB will have an even larger variable component (and life will suck even more than audit/tax/or consulting).
B4 audit and tax clearly open doors to industry but the path to Partner is severely underpaid until you reach the pot at the end of the rainbow.
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:41 pm to Tigerfan56
Get out and do something meaningful with your life.
Posted on 1/17/18 at 10:45 pm to TigerinOkieHell
quote:
As an audit senior
quote:
I will probably look for something in industry after another year or two.
Get out now if that is the game plan. You are going to get little to no benefit of sticking at Senior for a couple more years unless you make it to Manager and then jump to industry.
Posted on 1/18/18 at 12:43 am to Tigerfan56
Majority of bean counters are salaried?
I don't mind working 60hrs/wk when I'm getting paid by the hr.
I don't mind working 60hrs/wk when I'm getting paid by the hr.
Posted on 1/18/18 at 12:58 am to Tigerfan56
Tax season isn’t near as bad as audit season
Posted on 1/18/18 at 8:15 am to lynxcat
quote:
Comparing the 'average' workload in a white collar gig to public during busy season is apples and oranges.
Ok, but my point is that 60-70 hour weeks suck arse. Especially when you travel. You have no life.
It's not like you are working 40s every other week of the year either
Posted on 1/18/18 at 8:19 am to Tigerfan56
Can't remember but what I do remember is I hated doing my T&E every two weeks, and I drank myself skinny. It's paid off though. 
edit, not a cpa but took my turn in the trenches of tax prep.
edit, not a cpa but took my turn in the trenches of tax prep.
This post was edited on 1/18/18 at 8:24 am
Posted on 1/18/18 at 8:36 am to Tigerfan56
Wife works for a small firm. Works about 65 hours a week during this time of year, Making me a single father for the next few months to 3 bio and 3 foster children. YAY FUN. But wouldn't trade her for the world.
Posted on 1/18/18 at 10:22 am to Buffweazel
My wife left B4 Advisory (forensics) last year... 60 plus hour weeks and travel 90% of time at the drop of a hat.
Makes more now, home by 530 everyday, hasnt been on a plane in a year.
Makes more now, home by 530 everyday, hasnt been on a plane in a year.
Posted on 1/18/18 at 10:25 am to biglego
quote:
All the tigerdroppings CPAs congregating in one glorious thread. Im buckled in for a wild ride.
I honestly can't think of a worse field to get into. Why anyone would subject themselves to that amount of boring and tedious work is beyond me.
Posted on 1/18/18 at 10:32 am to TheAlmightySmash
quote:
I honestly can't think of a worse field to get into. Why anyone would subject themselves to that amount of boring and tedious work is beyond me.
I had B4 audit offers coming out of undergrad and, looking back, I don't think I would have lasted a year if I had gone down that path. The work is mind numbing...and I enjoy accounting and finance.
Tax is a lot of grunt work in the early years but those roles become much more intriguing at the higher levels. Topics like international tax strategy can be a game of chess and those roles can quite literally say, "You paid us $500,000 for this analysis and we just saved you $3M in taxes"...very few roles in professional services have such an immediate, measurable impact on their clients.
Accounting and finance are more interesting in industry once you move over to FP&A or even supply chain finance. At the Director and up level you are doing business analysis and strategic planning with a dash of monthly reporting to keep you honest.
Posted on 1/18/18 at 11:00 am to Tigerfan56
I worked in public for only the 1st year out of school but have been in industry for the past 18 years (got my CPA about 15 years ago). Based on comments in this thread and from a couple of friends over the years, I feel very fortunate that I didn't spend much time in public accounting.
Posted on 1/18/18 at 11:13 am to TH03
quote:
Working 60-70 for the next 4 months
this is a lot?
You frickers need to get a life. frick that
Posted on 1/18/18 at 11:52 am to StealthCalais11
Those people advance much faster in their careers than people who start in industry. It’s just a trade off they actively decided to make.
ETA: Personally speaking, I've done the grind for the last 7 years and have reached the point where I have started reflecting on what things matter most to me in life. Professional advancement offers a lot of great things but it also isn't everything.
ETA: Personally speaking, I've done the grind for the last 7 years and have reached the point where I have started reflecting on what things matter most to me in life. Professional advancement offers a lot of great things but it also isn't everything.
This post was edited on 1/18/18 at 12:21 pm
Posted on 1/18/18 at 12:08 pm to lynxcat
Lot of pros and cons to public accounting.
Associate and senior levels suck, no doubt about it. Long hours, low pay, but you learn a lot and become marketable.
Manager still sucks, but you are starting to get decent pay and need to make it to manager to be really marketable and be able to jump to a substantial raise. Plus you are pretty much assured job security forever.
Senior manager can be a career spot even if you will never make partner. Annual raises can get senior managers with 10 yrs at a larger firm up between 150-185k, basically forever.
Partner of course equals millionaire money in a few years or at least very good money between 200-800k depending on firm size and book of business.
Associate and senior levels suck, no doubt about it. Long hours, low pay, but you learn a lot and become marketable.
Manager still sucks, but you are starting to get decent pay and need to make it to manager to be really marketable and be able to jump to a substantial raise. Plus you are pretty much assured job security forever.
Senior manager can be a career spot even if you will never make partner. Annual raises can get senior managers with 10 yrs at a larger firm up between 150-185k, basically forever.
Partner of course equals millionaire money in a few years or at least very good money between 200-800k depending on firm size and book of business.
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