Does anyone else hate accounting?

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  • #192808
    kettlecorn
    Member

    Just curious, how many people actually hate or dislike accounting but still do it anyway for a variety of reasons and benefits like job security, low unemployment rate, decent pay, etc.?

    I really dont like accounting. I’d go so far as to say I hate it for some of the topics. Other topics not so bad. It takes everything I have to get my ass up and to study for the CPA and some days I’m like “ok this isn’t so bad” and other days I will not want to crack open a book for 3 days. The thought of doing certain accounting makes me want to just sleep. I’m not really complaining but it’s a good position to be in and problems are all relative. Some people would kill for my degree and job prospects but to me, I am in my late 20s and I have one last chance to pursue what I want to do.

    There are many different areas of accounting but for the most interesting.. say IT Audit, it’s reasonable at best. I would never be like “I can’t wait to get up and do work”. And yet I can’t seem to ditch it due to the positive aspects of it. I feel like it would be a great thing to fall back on.

    Working is less painful than studying though. I’m definitely smart enough to pass the CPA and the parts that I have interest and motivation in, I do ok because it has my full attention. But there are some parts like FAR where it will take everything and more for me to really study it.

    Sometimes I think about going into something completely unrelated and going into an entry level position and starting over.. But the grass is always greener I guess…..

    If money wasn’t an issue, I would work in the creative space. But very hard to find a decent job there. Ain’t that always the problem.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 29 total)
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  • #659912
    law0915
    Participant

    There's just something prestigious about being an accounting/finance professional. I want to be Nicholas Cage in The Family Man, but with his career and the family 🙂 Peter Olinto said it best…it is insane to have an accounting degree and not be a CPA. That has stuck with me since studying and I believed it and passed.

    REG 77 Feb14
    BEC 13*, 79 Aug14
    FAR 64**, 76 Nov14
    AUD 89 Feb15

    *Exited exam after first testlet
    **Only studied F1-F6 out of 10 Becker chapters

    Licensed Arizona CPA

    #659913
    Snickets
    Participant

    I feel almost the exact same way most days Kettlecorn. I'm in my late 20s and feel like there are other areas I would like to pursue if only money were not an issue. Sometimes its scary just to think about jumping ship because everything i've done is geared directly for accounting. I have failed sections more times than I care to share and now that I am getting close (2 sections left to go) I entertain the thought more and more.

    Then I think well we live in a great country and if you are really being honest with yourself you can always pursue almost anything you want or at least desire more than accounting. At this point I am going to continue with passing this exam not just because of the doors it will open, but because it is a goal I set for myself and I will not give up. I feel that if I give up and not pass the CPA that lack of self will and discipline will only carry over into whatever path I decide to take next.

    Then again I could just be freaking out because this exam does this to me all the time. I do however heavily dislike my current position because it is not a good fit for me. So before I jump ship I think I will try out some other areas of accounting such as Audit and Tax. If then I still hate what I'm doing I will choose something else.

    AUD - 84
    BEC - 75
    FAR - 76
    REG - 77
    "Don't worry, you got this! One time I took this really hard sociology exam and...."
    -Every family memember and friend that I want to slap in the face during my exams.

    AUD 84
    FAR. 78(expired/retake 5/9/16)
    BEC 77
    REG 76

    #659914
    Skynet
    Participant

    NO! Accounting is where all the good looking women are.

    AUD - 90
    BEC - 78
    FAR - 84
    REG - 87
    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - In Progress
    Phase III : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase IV : Form the new Charlie's Angels with Megan Fox, Scarlett Johansson, & Gal Gadot
    Phase V : TBD

    BEC : 78
    REG : 87
    FAR : 84
    AUD : 90

    World Domination Plan

    Phase I : Pass CPA Exams - Complete
    Phase II : Megan Fox - Initiated
    Phase III : Bring back 8-Tracks
    Phase IV : Megan Fox & Scarlett Johansson Lingerie Pillow Fight
    Phase V : TBA

    #659915
    CPA soon
    Member

    I loved accounting but I'm starting to hate it after this long journey…hope it pays off afterall

    FAR - 71, 68, 74, (8/31/14) 78 âś”
    REG - 67, 71, 71, (10/18/14) 78 âś”
    BEC - (11/29/14) 86 âś”
    AUD - 73, (4/4/15) 86 âś”

    I can't believe this is over! 2 years and 3 months..

    #659916
    law0915
    Participant

    Bahahaha Skynet whachu talkin?! Maybe in public, but nothing more than old people at all the jobs I've been at before. I was normally the youngest accountant and now I'm 29. Not to mention they had horrible aesthetics.

    REG 77 Feb14
    BEC 13*, 79 Aug14
    FAR 64**, 76 Nov14
    AUD 89 Feb15

    *Exited exam after first testlet
    **Only studied F1-F6 out of 10 Becker chapters

    Licensed Arizona CPA

    #659917
    kettlecorn
    Member

    I do this every now and again.. I cant stand studying and then I will go look for potential jobs or careers I may change over to. I look at it, browse, read about it, look at salary potential and how long it will take me to get there and realize.. well back to accounting it is. The devil.. haha

    Honestly there ARE some other career paths I would take before I do accounting. I'd like to be a physical therapist. I'd like to work in Ad Sales or PPC or a web marketing agency. I'd like to try real estate development. Graphic design.

    But they all have downsides to them as well. The downside to accounting is the actual nature of the work. It's boring as hell. The downside to the other jobs? Well.. let's go down the list as an example:

    Physical therapist – 3-5 years of school. thousands in debt. average salary according to statistics is 80k. Sure some people make more, some make less. Probably can make that with 3-5 years of accounting experience and def with a CPA. Without debt. And I'd be substituting studying accounting with studying… physiology and stuff.

    Web marketing/PPC account manager – hard to get into something legit like an agency. Work hours are just as bad as accounting. But it's fun. However, it's saturated with black hat and weird online scammer stuff. Pay not better than accounting. Def no prestige in “web marketing” unless you become a SEO or SEM manager. which still only tops out at 65-75k

    Real estate development – actually love this stuff. but no capital to start up. heavily competitive.

    Graphic design – crap pay. deal with crap clients. fun work everyday.

    Out of all these things, if there was one thing I could choose as my #1 desire, it's flexibility. The idea of working for myself or working remotely, from my computer, etc. appeals to me much more than prestige, or pay (to a point), etc. Maybe my path is to pass this test, find a mentor CPA to get my 1 year experience and open up my own practice from home as a 1 man deal. Always doubtful of the possibilities though.. not sure 1 year exp is even enough.

    #659918
    KBinMN
    Member

    Working 60 hours a week for 3 months out of the year while mostly staring at a computer screen in a chair. What's not to like? lol.

    And prestige is overrated. I couldn't care less if I were shoveling crap for a job as long as it paid well.

    #659919
    Mamabear
    Member

    I don't like accounting. I tried to get out once and go into financial analysis, which I loved. It was something different all the time. I felt like I was actually helping people make good decisions. Then I got pulled back into accounting because that is where my company needed me most. You just do what you have to do I guess. My husband is more creative and has a passion for his career. Our family can only afford one passionate career person because passion doesn't typically pay that well or at least isn't usually a steady income that you can depend on. We have 3 kids and bills to pay so I will do this as long as I need to. I don't jump up in the mornings because I can't wait to go do accounting. I jump up in the mornings so I can make sure the lights and electricity don't get shut off. 🙂

    CPA Exam - Finally DONE (November 2014)
    BEC (08/10/13) 80
    AUD (08/24/13) 65 (11/13/13) 85
    FAR (04/12/14) 81
    REG (07/19/14) 69 (11/29/14) 87!!

    #659920
    Martin
    Participant

    law0915,I think Skynet has been single for too long. In times of war any hole is a trench. Maybe up north of Florida,but I live in Miami, and believe me, it is easier to find someone who scored a 99 on all 4 parts, than to find a hot girl in Accounting.

    Through God all things can happen!

    “You never fail until you stop trying.”
    ― Albert Einstein
    When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people;as I grow older, I admire kind people.
    “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

    FAR= 72-84
    Audit= 73-82
    BEC= 74-75
    Reg=77

    #659921
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I do like Accounting but it has gotten quite boring over the years. I like my job and the salary – I won't want to quit. But sometimes I get extremely bored and just want to go chill on the beach.

    Skynet – Hey it is true. I am a 25 year old good looking Accountant!

    #659922
    Martin
    Participant

    coffee-blooded, Skynet is a great bachelor, he is looking for a great girl to spend some time when he is not studying.

    Through God all things can happen!

    “You never fail until you stop trying.”
    ― Albert Einstein
    When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people;as I grow older, I admire kind people.
    “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

    FAR= 72-84
    Audit= 73-82
    BEC= 74-75
    Reg=77

    #659923
    knicks92
    Member

    i dont necessarily hate accounting (hate is too extreme). Do i enjoy it? Not at all. Even in my performance reviews, I usually get near perfect scores from my evaluators except that they give me an average rating (their being nice) on my enthusiasm and interest for accounting. But, I do think it being a cpa is respected and my thought process is that having Big 4 on your resume can only help. My hope is to work in Big 4 for a maximum of 3 years (the less the better. Maybe even another year if I can make the switch to advisory) so I can have my fair share of experiences and get my feet wet. Than, before I reach my late 20s (only 21 now), I would like to get into a more commission/performance based type of work. In other words, I would like to try being more unsafe and less structured. I've become a strong believer in the whole go getter/take risks and chances mentality. Maybe this will require me to go back to school again in a few years (welp), but who knows what will happen and who knows what I will be thinking. All i know for sure is that no matter what, accounting is not going to be a part of my long term career. Just not for me. But, I “appreciate” everything it has done for me at this point.

    Tough times don't last. Tough people do.

    B: 88
    A: 77
    R: 89
    F:

    #659924

    I absolutely love accounting. I thought I couldn't love it anymore, then I decided to take the CPA and I love it now more than ever!!!

    #659925

    I am ambivalent on accounting. I think it's important and a useful skill, but I don't want to do it forever. I want to eventually move into a more analysis-heavy role rather than just preparing the books for people. My goal is to go from Big 4 => financial analyst/FP&A, which I don't think is impossible.

    FAR - 84
    AUD - 76 (phew)
    BEC - 88
    REG - 77

    DONE!

    #659926
    JessF
    Member

    Pretty much, yeah.

    Accounting was never the college major I wanted. I wanted to do Astronomy or Astrophysics. But I had my daughter, and I needed a program I could do at least partially online because my husband worked full time and I did not have anyone to watch her to take on a full college load on campus (couldn't afford a babysitter). My local community college offered some of its business courses online, so I jumped on that opportunity. I took Accounting 101, and I was good at it plus liked it, so I decided that'd be my major when I transferred to a 4 year university. I do still love financial accounting (maybe that's why I'm taking FAR first :p). But I discovered that I absolutely hated tax, auditing, government accounting, and managerial/cost accounting. I was very good at it, just hated it.

    Like someone else said, an accounting degree with no CPA is kind of silly. So I finished the accounting degree, and I need to follow that up with a CPA. I honestly don't know if I'll ever put my CPA license to much use, but it's always nice to have options to fall back on. I'd rather have my CPA and not need it than need my CPA and not have it. I've got a lot of extra time to study right now (with my daughter now in Kinder & working from home), so I figured I'd jump on the opportunity while I can even though I don't have an immediate need for a CPA license nor desire to stay in the Accounting field.

    BBA Accounting 12/2013
    FAR - July 2015
    BEC - Aug 2015
    REG
    AUD

    Gleim

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