Any accountants out there?

[rhsgolfer33]

I'm currently a student of business administration but am considering changing my major to accounting. At one time I considered becoming an attorney but have been exploring possibilities in other areas that require less intensive graduate schooling (3 years part time for an MBA instead of 3 years full time for a JD). I was wondering if there are any accounts on the boards to ask some questions about their profession.

Most importantly, do you enjoy your job?

What would you say your average work hours are?

Are you happy with your level of compensation?

How are the benefits?

What is a typical day like?

What was the entry level position like?

If you own your own firm: did you find starting the firm difficult? How difficult was obtaining clients?

Any general information about your specific job situation is helpful as well, how long have you worked in accounting, firm size, are you a CPA, CMA, etc, etc. Any information or advice that you can provide would greatly help me and is very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ejb190]

Seeing that no one else has posted, I'll tell you what I can.
I am not an accountant (I'm a plant physiologist!) but my mother is. I was looking at getting into accounting as a future career or "retirement plan".

There are about as many different types of accountants as there are lawyers. Corporate, tax, estate planning, forensic (IRS Special Agents - CPA's who carry guns...), or government (a whole different set of rules - local, state, federal). What kind of accounting is going to make a huge difference in your hours and pay.

My mom started out as a book keeper for a couple of local businesses, won two terms as county treasurer, then was offered the manager position at a bank branch. I have a cousin who is a CPA. He is now a state trooper! The truth is accounting is one of those really flexible degrees that opens a whole lot of doors.

 

[Jasonbot]

My stepdad is a senior partner at KPMG

I think he enjoys his job, he is a senior partner. I guess you can't go wrong with accounting since, unlike law, the principals are universally accepted standards allowing you a job around teh world.

He works really hard normally leaving at 0500 and coming back a 1800, but since he works about 1 hour away make it 0600-1700 if that makes sense.

Compensation, He drives a 5 series and owns a 4x4 if thats the kind of compensation you're thinking of? I don't go asking him for his salary.

He travels the world at least twice a year and goes to various parts of the country at least once a month for work. It's a really good benefit.

Typical day, um? work? possibly...

I don't kno much else but I guess thats kinda helpful I hope.

 

[63dot]

super late to this thread, so my apologies

my mentor in mba school got his mba in accounting and worked for coopers in silicon valley

he told me back then, in 2000, that one with a bachelor's in accounting w/o cpa or cma started about 34K a year and went up from there...i am sure it's better than 40K these days to start

while he made great money as an accountant/mba, he did very well in the high tech field and quickly had engineers and computer programmers working for him when he started up a high tech company

he always told me that major opened doors, especially an mba in accounting, though he told me that of all the concentrations/specialties in the mba, the hardest two were mba-accounting and mba-operations management

i hope this helps

whatever your path to accountant/cpa or cma, don't fret and get scared over horror stories...you have plenty of time to check it out

my cousin took a long path for the california cpa...bachelor's in accounting in japan, an american accounting degee after that, and ten+ years in the field as an accountant, and then the test

but she had a dream of taking the california cpa exam and for her she took it one day at a time and it paid off

ironically, accounting paid so well that she does not even need the whole cpa title at this point in her career

 

[rhsgolfer33]

Thanks 63. I've been looking at getting a MS in Accounting, but am not sure its going to be a career that pays enough for the amount of hours that are required. If I'm going to work 60+ hours a week I may as well make 100k+ and there are only a few careers were thats possible. I'm still an accounting major, but what is going to happen after my BA is still up in there air; its either on to law school or off to an MS and then Ph.D in Accounting program.

 

[63dot]

Thanks 63. I've been looking at getting a MS in Accounting, but am not sure its going to be a career that pays enough for the amount of hours that are required. If I'm going to work 60+ hours a week I may as well make 100k+ and there are only a few careers were thats possible. I'm still an accounting major, but what is going to happen after my BA is still up in there air; its either on to law school or off to an MS and then Ph.D in Accounting program.

my accountant became a lawyer first, and made ok money, then she became an accountant but never took the cpa exam but made more

she charges me $250 or $375 and hour and she is worth every penny...her boss was an enrolled agent and a millionaire over and over but died working years at 3 month seasons with 100 hour weeks and constant ciggies...so balance is key

i give you high marks if you ever want the MSA (master of science in accounting) and the very rare PhD in accounting

when my accountant, also my friend, told me i paid her $120 dollars for what amounted to ten minutes of work for her, i embarked on the most basic class of accounting in my mba program and i bombed....way too hard for me (not quite math, not quite law, but just this "feel" thing for it which means you have to love it)

as much as i complain about how hard law is with a california bar pass rate of 58-61%, i am glad i never have to approach the 26% percent cpa test pass rate in california

but an accountant who is not a cpa can still charge awfully high rates per hour, in taxation

a person may never have to consult a lawyer in their whole life, but uncle sam, and uncle arnold (here in cali) want my money every single year and there are dire consequences if i don't pay taxes so i am not in the driver's seat, but my accountant is

as much as my outspoken left wing views have cut down accountants and their (thunderbird school) concept of outsourcing, i heard a saying once:

"There are only three people in society*who mean anything: your priest, your doctor, and your accountant, and even the first two may not be that important" - Al Capone (from prison)