[Anonymous]

So I am currently working as a state employee. I have great hours. Decent pay. Quality life is great. I enjoy the people I work with. Also, having my master’s and working towards my CPA could open many doors to work in other departments (Internal Audit, Accounting Services, Budget Office, etc.). I currently work as the sole accountant for my respective division.

However, I just got an opportunity to interview with a publicly traded company that is looking for an accountant. I hear the place is a grind. However, I could experience an increase in pay if I got offered the job. However, this would definitely change my career path.

What should I do???

What % increase in pay would justify you leaving your job for a different opportunity?

[Anonymous]

The answer to that question depends on how much pay matters to you vs how much having a life you enjoy matters. For me personally, if I have a comfortable salary (enough to pay the bills and not have to worry and fret over a cold spell making the heating bill go up, but not buying a BMW or anything like that), then qualify if life is a bigger determining factor. I could easily make probably 3x what I did if I wanted to move to a bigger city and work a job with longer hours and a worse work-environment…but how much fun will that extra money be if I'm also working late and super-stressed and not able to enjoy it? Not enough to justify it for me.

However, the “comfortable” level is different for everyone. I live in a manufactured home (aka: trailer), and that fits in “comfortable” for me. For some people, “comfortable” would have to be a brick home with marble counters and expensive statues.

My advice would be determine whether the additional money will add to your happiness more than the longer hours, higher stress, potentially worse work environment, etc., will detract from it. Below your personal comfort level, the stress of worrying about money can offset the happiness of an easier job, so it's a complicated personal equation.

However, interviewing for the publicly traded company definitely can't hurt anything. After the interview, you'll have a more clear picture to evaluate your options and decide what the costs and benefits are of making the change.

[Anonymous]

I worked for a publically traded company for 7 years, I just left due to relocation. That 7 years was the most valuable to my career (Ive been in the work force for 17 years).

I personally would go for it, unless you only ever dream of governmental accounting. I have always been a very loyal employee, only working 2 places in 17 years. That's awesome and rare, BUT it also could have stunted my growth. I think its good to work in different areas.

I will always advise working for a publically traded company especially if you can get in the Financial Reporting dept. Working on the SEC reports is great experience. In my area (Mobile, AL) it is almost unheard of.

I don't know how long you have been working, how much you make and what your goals are, but if you are a real catch for them, they should compensate you. If it is more of a lateral move, the pay bump may not immediately be huge, but over time I would bet you will exceed governmental pay.

[Anonymous]

I am actually in an opposite position. I was offered a state position recently. However, I am debating whether I should go or not. I am currently working in a publicly trade company as a corporate accountant. In my opinion, it would be very hard to find a public/private company that could offers comparable benefits (job security, a lot of vacation/sick days, health benefits and PENSIONS) as the government.

On the other hand, governmental accounting might be super boring and promotions within the department are very limited since the turnover is low. Personally, I am leaning toward no for myself because I enjoy financial accounting and the people that I work with.

If you want a 9-5 secured job with great benefits, it is not a bad idea to stay in government unless the pay is significantly lower (20-30% difference) than the publicly traded company.

[Author]

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