It seems like this is one of the least popular questions because I've seen postings asking for advice on tax vs audit but there weren't many responses. However, I'm also going through audit vs tax dilemma and really need some advices. I've passed the exam (all 4 sections) last year and got a job at a mid size public accounting. I've been working as a staff auditor for about 10 months and it has been hard. I already had years of experience in non-public accounting industries before I started the auditing job and all of my employers complimented on my work and they were happy with me. But public accounting was somewhat different. I'm a very detail oriented person and have very independent personality, so whenever I had questions or findings from testwork, I tried to figure it out myself at first and summarize my questions before I bring it to my superiors' attention. And I ended up getting some comments on "efficiency". My superiors are telling me not to waste any of my time to figure out things myself and just ask them questions immediately. Long story short, I realized that my strength could have been also my weakness. And now I'm seriously considering switching my job to tax. So I would like to ask if "efficiency" the #1 consideration in taxation as well, or accuracy & detail oriented personality are more valuable than "efficiency"? If I lack efficiency, then can my weakness in audit be a strength in tax? This is a totally unexpected situation and I really need some advice on my career path whether to continue to work as an auditor or switch it to tax. Or do I not belong to public accounting?
