Help This Old Guy Figure Out His Accounting Career Dreams

Posted on March 28, 2012September 18, 2017 by Adrienne Gonzalez

Have a question for the GC public accounting dropouts, degenerates and rejects? Email us. We'll fight over who gets to call you out.

After spending four years in the Navy, I went back to school and graduated with a BA in English in 2007. After looking for a job for a few months and watching my bank account balance disappear, I took a job at a manufacturing company. Within the first year I ended up in the accounting department when the AP Manager quit. From 2008 until 2009, I worked in AP, AR, and payroll, as others quit. From 2008 until now I have been the AP Manager/Staff Accountant. I actually enjoy accounting so I decided to go back to school. I am halfway through my MS in Accounting, and I am considering what I should do once I graduate next year. I plan to study for and pass the CPA exam by the end of next year. Career-wise, I really don't like the company I am working for and I plan to move on. I can stay in the industry I am in, and get a job at another manufacturing company, hopefully as an assistant controller, or move into public accounting. Since I am in my mid 30's, and I don't have a bachelor's degree in accounting, I am guessing a job with a Big 4 firm is out. I am trying to decide if I should seek a position with a small, local firm, or continue with my current path in corporate accounting. Will I make more in corporate or public accounting (with a small, local accounting firm)? Is it worth the pay cut to move from corporate to public? Will an accounting firm hire a guy in his 30's with four years experience in corporate accounting, a MS in Accounting, but no bachelor's in accounting?

Thank you for your advice,

Middle Aged Man

OK… seriously… Middle Aged Man? I get that you are a 30-something entering the world of 20-somethings but really?! As a 30-something (early, not mid, tyvm), I resent that. My boyfriend who graduated college when I was still playing with My Little Pony is middle-aged, not you. Get over it.

Anyway. The important thing here is to ask yourself what you want. From your email, I can't quite grasp what your goal is. How exactly did you go from English to accounting? It reads like you kind of just accidentally ended up there but that's not how it happens.

A smaller firm would love a guy like you. Motivated, not at all stupid and capable of following orders, what more could they ask for? Unless you absolutely need the Big 4 résumé item – and you don't given your military background and Masters, which are appealing to firms – don't even bother. Do your two years somewhere in public once you start taking the CPA exam and GTFO like everyone else does.

A move to public now will expose you to new industries that might appeal to you more so than whatever it is that is currently sucking out your soul. You might just find an industry you enjoy. It sounds like you have the freedom to make this choice so why would you question it?

The only serious point I want to get across to you is that instead of saying you are planning to take the CPA exam, start actually preparing for it. Have your applications ready to go as soon as you are eligible, and if you've been eligible for some time but haven't applied yet, I don't get why you're wasting your time emailing me when you need to be applying for the CPA exam. I'm serious. Being CPA-eligible and CPA-studying are two different things; the sooner you can get this over with, the more appealing you will be to firms. I get that you're not done with your MS but this is serious, so get it done while your brain is still in college mode if you can. You'll gain invaluable negotiating power over some dumb intern thinking he deserves a break.

It is not my job to tell you how valuable you are to accounting at large; you have plenty of marketable skills from what I can tell so I don't quite get why you need to reach out to us for validation that you aren't some loser no one in public accounting might want. So what if you're old? This gives you a leg up in today's work environment as I've found my Gen XY-ness to be an asset when managing Gen Y employees (interns for you) and reporting to Gen Xers or Boomers (managers and partners for you). Take advantage of that. You're a bit far on the spectrum but hopefully you've picked up the ability to transcend generational strife like most people our age have. Accounting firms are having a tough enough time managing Millennials, so don't let that opportunity pass you by.

If it is money you are after, I'd say do two years in a smaller firm for the CPA license experience and in the interim, you'll probably be exposed to something within that firm that tells you what you really like. Or at least points you in a better, more lucrative direction.

You’ve Been Denied by the Big 4. What Next?

Daniel Braddock
November 2, 2011

Ed. note: Have a question for the career advice brain trust? Email us at advice@goingconcern.com.

Hello Going Concern,

I’m currently finishing my last semester at the University of Kentucky, I’m a fifth year student that will be graduating in December with a dual degree in accounting and economics. The recruitment period for the big 4, regional and local firms are all over and done. I applied to basically all of the positions/internships and was not asked to interview for any of them. At first, I naively thought they just weren’t hiring from my school, but the voice of reason deep inside my head finally convinced me that it was ind y own doing. My GPA was simply too low (about a 3.1).

Granted, accounting is a challenging course of study, also majoring in econ certainly steals valuable time and energy towards getting that very good GPA. My problem now, is where to go from here. I can’t change the past and must move forward, from all indications I will graduate in December with no job prospects. Should I continue to push and attempt to network with the larger firms, or should I just try and get a position somewhere….anywhere, accounting related to develop some valuable experience? I didn’t do a good job at all of networking through college, just put my head down and hit the books. I’m not a social pariah by any means, however I know that this shyness of mine will not cut it and has hindered me tremendously at this point. I feel overwhelmed and a little disheartened at the makings of the future. If I don’t land a firm job will I be stuck in a perpetual rut in a dead end job? Is it important to avoid the private industry right out of college to get a taste of what you like in the public industry? How would you go about networking out of college, cold calling? I know I’ve asked a bunch of questions here, and maybe have not provided enough background information. To be outstanding you must stand out, now I’m at the crossroads of trying to do just that, but am a little unsure of how to start.

Sincerely,
Pablo

Pablo,

Playing the “I’m holding out for a job in public” doesn’t pay the rent or student loan bills. Not only are you up against stiff competition due to your lower-than-most-interns GPA, and self-decribed “shyness”, you’re fighting the timelines of every firm’s recruiting schedule. Meaning, the firms are done with their hiring needs by this point in time, especially if you are in a smaller market. You ask in your email to GC if you should “continue to push and attempt to network with the larger firms” only to admit in the next sentence that you “didn’t do a good job at all of networking through college, just put my head down and hit the books.” What the hell happened? Your email leaves me wondering if you simply dropped the ball on putting any effort into your job search, leaning too heavily on the notion that all you need is an accounting degree to receive free job handouts.

If going into public accounting was always the goal, your economics degree was not necessary. As “majoring in econ certainly steals valuable time and energy towards getting a very good GPA,” why didn’t you cut your losses after a few classes and drop the major? If your answer is “because I was interested in the subject,” I’m going to call bullshit. If you were so interested in the topic, one would safely assume you would, you know, do well in those classes.

But enough about the past – given that you are about six weeks from graduating, you need to be aggressive with your job search.

Contact Career Services – Your school’s career services should have resources available to help you overcome some of the interview/social anxiety you might have that has held you back in your efforts to network with employers up to this point. They can set you up with meetings, discussions groups, mock interviews, etc. Take advantage of these free resources now; in six weeks it’ll cost you.

Stop being so damn picky – Your questions above gave me the impression that you’re being too picky (dead end jobs worries, hesitation about entering private industry instead of seeking public accounting experience, etc.). The economy – if you haven’t noticed – sucks. You’re entering a job market that is sputtering around nine percent unemployment and approximately 103 percent underemployment. Your competition is more experienced and potentially has better grades and soft skills than you.

The job market – even for accountants – is a simple numbers game – You apply to 30 jobs. You receive interviews at five. You receive second rounds at three. You hope for one offer. You should be applying to accounting roles in every industry in every sized firm. If they’re seeking an accounting degree, your résumé should be there. Search Indeed, LinkedIn, and the Monsters of the world on your own. Look into your college’s resources for alumni. Get in touch with recruiters in your area to see if they have any entry level or temp to perm positions. Play the numbers and see what hits. Good luck, and keep your head up.