[Anonymous]

Im not trying to come off as a jerk but I constantly hear people crying about the hours and pressure at the Big4. I’m sure that a lot of the people posting these complaints to this bulletin board are most likely ages 23 – 27 who’s only work experience probably consists of internships, part time jobs, and/or campus/summer jobs so they’re probably experiencing their first grown-position. I start at a Big4 firm next month and have read lots of complaints about the hours and the work environment. I’m entering public accounting after serving 6 years in the military where we would spend months at a time away from our families to work 12-16 hour days, 7 days per week in countries where the locals would love to put a bullet in our skulls. The lucky months where I was allowed the be in the US, we still would pull 50-60 hours per week easy. So when I repeatedly read these posts about the stress and long hours of public accounting I just shake my head. Public accounting is a dream compared to being shipped off to the desert for several months to be shot at 24 hours a day. Give me a break.

[Partially Deaf]

people say to themselves: I don't want to work 60 hours a week, I went to college so I wouldn't have to do this.

an 18 year old grunt does not say that. why? because most people who join the military come from disproportionately poor and uneducated backgrounds.

MBA Candidate - UCLA Anderson School of Management

REG 89 - 4/9/2012
BEC 88 - 5/29/2012
AUD 93 - 8/20/2012
FAR 83 - 2/4/2013
-All passed on the first attempt!

CFA Level 1 - Passed on first attempt in June 2014

[Anonymous]

<<Im not trying to come off as a jerk>>

Always a telling opener.

[fuzyfro89]

Lol @ CPA33. Obviously, you can't compare working in the Big 4 to serving in the military. No offense, but that is a stupid comparison. It's apples and skateboards (not even oranges). There is no comparison between doing accounting/tax/advisory work for corporations and serving the military and risking your life to protect the country.

You should compare Big 4 experience (and future career potential) to other career-type jobs (non military) and their future career potential as well as current lifestyle and compensation.

Thank you for your service, but I don't really understand your point?

[krokofilen]

Dude

That was the most ridiculous comparison I have heard in context of working for Big 4. I can tell you thing, you come into this profession as a machine, you will not last forever.

Big 4 Audit Manager from Europe here to pass the CPA in the U.S. of A in 2014! Niiice!

AUD - 95 / Jul 15 / 130h over 4 weeks
FAR - 86 / Aug 14 / 240h over 4 weeks
(11 week break)

REG - 81 / Nov 14 / 200h over 4 weeks
BEC - 87 / Nov 17 / 30 h over 2.5 days

[mla1169]

You are correct that everything is relative, but given that stance there's nobody in the world who can complain about ANYTHING not even the long hard hours of military service because there are people out there who have it far worse than that even.

Thank you for your service, though!

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to adjust your expectations. There is no profession in the world comparable to a soldier's life, but you can't fault people for feeling and expressing the stress that's relative to THEM and their experiences in life. You can't go to the circus and expect not to see clowns, man. That's on you.

With that said, thank you for your service.

[yourmomsaCPA]

Um…okay.

FAR - 87 2/18/14
AUD - 84 4/2/14
REG - 87 7/23/14
BEC - 78 8/26/14

I'm finally an *official* CPA - TX

[taxman89]

“I'm not trying to come off as a jerk” but i find it really annoying when you discount everyone else's situation by saying your own situation is waaaaay worse. Therefore, i am going to…..do the exact.same.thing……..

I appreciate your service and there is nothing that compares to deployment, but you dont really need to turn everything into a “top that” competition

AUD - 75
BEC - 77
FAR - 78
REG - 82

AUD: 61-67-75 (Thanks ninja aud)
BEC: 77
FAR: 78
REG:69-73-70-82

Aud-75 3x I knew i never liked you
Bec-77 1x being in the bubble is stressful
Reg-82 4x its not me its you...and no we cant be friends
Far-78 1x easiest section

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your service!

[Anonymous]

50-60 hours will be a light week at Big4. My coworker spent three years at KPMG in New York….she once sat at her desk for 50 hours straight (excluding bathroom breaks, of course).

Enjoy!

[alboreland]

He is not comparing jobs, just wondering if the hours are as bad as people say they are. I agree that alot of people in their early 20's do complain about hours even if they aren't really that bad. Maybe it's because they have nothing to compare to or just need to grow up.

I think you need to take every statement about hours with a grain of salt. I get annoyed when people make personal calls all day or go to talk to their friends then complain how long they work. Maybe if they concentrated on work then they could leave on time. I also had a manager that would tell everyone “This is my 5th cup of coffee beacuse I was here at this time” when she came in early while plenty of us were in early everyday. She would also brag about how late she stayed when no one was there to verify her story. I even saw her walking to her car on one of her late nights.

[impska]

People can feel free to tell themselves whatever they want to convince themselves to accept 60-80 hours work weeks.

But do you know what else is a dream compared to being shipped off on military deployment? A 40 hour workweek. Or… sitting by your pool and drinking mohitos. If you want to settle for 60-80 hour workweeks, go right on ahead. It's your life.

For myself, I'm aiming for mohitos.

REG - 94
BEC - 92
FAR - 92
AUD - 99

[005]

well yeah, if you're comparing everything to the military…

BEC - ✔
REG - ✔
AUD - ✔
FAR - 11/29/14

CPAExcel, Ninja MCQs, and a sh*t ton of coffee

[Gonzo30]

The main problems with Big 4:

1) The atrophy of your body – You sit at your desk from 9am to 12am, leaving only to get your lunch from the refrigerator and use the bathroom. Any other breaks and your senior will look at you like “where the hell are you going?” You are micromanaged in this way in all aspects of your first 2 years at a Big 4. You have no time to go to the gym, and no time to sleep, no time to take a walk, no time to do a few pushups. You gain or lose unhealthy amounts of weight, your back hurts, your legs hurt from NOT moving. You know this is terrible for you but you have no choice. Usually this lasts only 1/3 of the year, but if you are unlucky (30%-50% are unlucky) you will do this for 2/3 of the year. In the summer you are so depressed from doing this for 2/3 of the year that it takes major effort to get back into an active lifestyle.

2) Pressure – You see friend after friend put into failing situations and then failing themselves. They are laid off and then you have to make new friends, who are then laid off or leave. Often the work is hard and there is no one to train you, leading you to feel like you are a complete idiot every single day. To reinforce this, your partners and managers expect you to know things that you could not possibly know yet. But you plug along with a “good attitude” which is difficult to muster, and then they may reward you with a random good to great rating. This rating will be lowered by the managers at the end of year meeting unless you did things well beyond the expected. Pressure and no appreciation plus the risk of really screwing up daily.

3) The work itself (at least in audit) is boring, monotonous, and often very difficult at the same time. It's excruciating.

[Gonzo30]

Just to add to this, I worked at another kind of office job for 5 years before joining a Big 4 and it was awesome, great coworkers, sometimes long hours but interesting work. No it's not their age that is making them hate it. And my first year, I couldn't even ever check gmail because we were squeezed into a conference room so first I didn't want my senior to see me on there and secondly, I had way too much work to even check my cell phone or email ALL DAY.

[Author]

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