[Anonymous]

Hello!

I’ve recently started my journey towards becoming a CPA – Got a job as an auditor with a smaller regional CPA firm and am studying to take my first CPA Exam coming up! I had no prior accounting experience, other than my 150 credit hours in accounting for a good university.

I’m a month into my new job and I’m getting basically no training at all. I am given tasks to complete on audits and usually I am simply directed to last years work to figure out how to do it.

I realize a lot of this type of work is really hard to teach, and a lot of it you have to work yourself through and teach yourself. But even just a verbal walkthrough, guiding me through the steps and what to keep an eye out for would be so helpful. Every time they give me a task I ask them, “Can you walk me through this?” or “What should I look for when doing this?” or etc. what I get back it just look at last year.

When I ask questions while I’m working on the tasks about something specific, I get a specific answer without much elaboration or explanation.

I also understand that its the end of the busy season, and the two I’ve been working with both have a lot of things going on, so their time to train me is limited. But it wouldn’t take a whole lot of time just to verbally walk me through a task they’re assigning to me. But even when things slow I don’t see this changing much at all.

Is this common in public accounting? Is it just expected that this is the way you learn and you’ll come out a better accountant once it all makes sense?

I guess what makes it all an insult to injury is that the firm is obviously having turnover issues with auditors, so you’d think they would want to invest a bit in training someone new.

but anyways, I apologize for posting a downer post that’s not even on topic to the CPA exam. Been reading through the forums as I study, and I guess I’m just looking for some encouragement / advice. It worries me that I’m not getting training. I want to do well and I wanted to stay in Public, but I can’t imagine staying if things stay like they are so far.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to be a downer but it's that way at my firm. I just had this conversation with a co-worker today. I don't think it is that way everywhere or at least I hope not as I'll be changing once I've got my 1 year experience.

Same thing happened to me in the tax dept. and now that the season is over, it's still that way.

I hope to hear some positive responses to your post. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Sorry to be a downer but it's that way at my firm. I just had this conversation with a co-worker today. I don't think it is that way everywhere or at least I hope not as I'll be changing once I've got my 1 year experience.

Same thing happened to me in the tax dept. and now that the season is over, it's still that way.

I hope to hear some positive responses to your post. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, I think this is the norm in public accounting. Firms do not want to pay to train someone. When I first started, I was doing tax returns and extensions in my first week with no experience. When a senior accountant did those same returns the following year, they said to me “I even had trouble with those returns, I don't know why they have them to you last year.” There really is no training and always say “just follow last years work and she how we did it.” Honestly, it's a learn as you go, trial and error kind of job I feel like an I have heard others say it as well.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, I think this is the norm in public accounting. Firms do not want to pay to train someone. When I first started, I was doing tax returns and extensions in my first week with no experience. When a senior accountant did those same returns the following year, they said to me “I even had trouble with those returns, I don't know why they have them to you last year.” There really is no training and always say “just follow last years work and she how we did it.” Honestly, it's a learn as you go, trial and error kind of job I feel like an I have heard others say it as well.

[Me.]

I work in State Government and it is that way here too. I just did my first in-charge audit after 2.5 years and had not even done every audit step yet! Seemed crazy to me but it has worked out. I learned a tremendous amount on that audit!

REG - 50, 64, 73, 76
FAR - 67, 65, 67 Ugh!!!
BEC - 65
AUD - November 30

"You just can't beat the person who never gives up." -Babe Ruth

[Me.]

I work in State Government and it is that way here too. I just did my first in-charge audit after 2.5 years and had not even done every audit step yet! Seemed crazy to me but it has worked out. I learned a tremendous amount on that audit!

REG - 50, 64, 73, 76
FAR - 67, 65, 67 Ugh!!!
BEC - 65
AUD - November 30

"You just can't beat the person who never gives up." -Babe Ruth

[msgolds]

I completely agree with this. I started my career as an Auditor with a government agency. While it had quite a few organizational problems, the training was excellent. The agency had a division that conducted in-person trainings year-round and also had a web-training portal. Training plans were made with your supervisor, etc

I left for a position at a public accounting firm, but due to my experience as a Federal auditor, I wound up getting contracted to the Federal government to do basically the exact type of work that I had been doing before. However, the staff I was working with had none of the training that I had. This includes the Managing Partner, Engagement Manager, Seniors, etc. So I realized very quickly that I was one of the only people there that actually knew what he was doing. It was a terrible work environment for me because I wound up basically doing the work of multiple people since nobody else knew how to. I wound up leaving pretty quickly for a firm that does make the investment in training its employees.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[msgolds]

I completely agree with this. I started my career as an Auditor with a government agency. While it had quite a few organizational problems, the training was excellent. The agency had a division that conducted in-person trainings year-round and also had a web-training portal. Training plans were made with your supervisor, etc

I left for a position at a public accounting firm, but due to my experience as a Federal auditor, I wound up getting contracted to the Federal government to do basically the exact type of work that I had been doing before. However, the staff I was working with had none of the training that I had. This includes the Managing Partner, Engagement Manager, Seniors, etc. So I realized very quickly that I was one of the only people there that actually knew what he was doing. It was a terrible work environment for me because I wound up basically doing the work of multiple people since nobody else knew how to. I wound up leaving pretty quickly for a firm that does make the investment in training its employees.

BEC - 90 PASSED
FAR - 84 PASSED
AUD - 93 PASSED
REG - 84 PASSED

I DID IT!!!!

Using Becker Self-Study

"If we were put here to carry a great weight, then the very things we hate are here to build those muscles."

[kma0505]

I started working straight out of school at a small, local firm, and had the same problem. No internship, no accounting experience whatsoever. I was handed stuff I had never seen before, and expected to just crank out a return. Unfortunately I do kind of think this might be the norm. I hope that this is only common in smaller/regional/local firms. I'll be starting at a big 4 in a few weeks, so we will see what kind of different “training” I will receive, if any.

Like other people said, I think it's just kind of a trial and error thing, it's hard to really give training in public accounting. The best “training” you can really get, is to just learn from your mistakes. Write down what you did wrong when you get review notes back, be sure to never make that mistake again. Unfortunately it seems that making mistakes is the best/only way to really learn…

REG: 78 (OCT 2013)
FAR: 79 (FEB 2014)
AUD: TBD
BEC: TBD

[kma0505]

I started working straight out of school at a small, local firm, and had the same problem. No internship, no accounting experience whatsoever. I was handed stuff I had never seen before, and expected to just crank out a return. Unfortunately I do kind of think this might be the norm. I hope that this is only common in smaller/regional/local firms. I'll be starting at a big 4 in a few weeks, so we will see what kind of different “training” I will receive, if any.

Like other people said, I think it's just kind of a trial and error thing, it's hard to really give training in public accounting. The best “training” you can really get, is to just learn from your mistakes. Write down what you did wrong when you get review notes back, be sure to never make that mistake again. Unfortunately it seems that making mistakes is the best/only way to really learn…

REG: 78 (OCT 2013)
FAR: 79 (FEB 2014)
AUD: TBD
BEC: TBD

[Anonymous]

‘I realize a lot of this type of work is really hard to teach, and a lot of it you have to work yourself through and teach yourself. But even just a verbal walkthrough, guiding me through the steps and what to keep an eye out for would be so helpful. Every time they give me a task I ask them, “Can you walk me through this?” or “What should I look for when doing this?” or etc. what I get back it just look at last year.

When I ask questions while I'm working on the tasks about something specific, I get a specific answer without much elaboration or explanation.'

In public accounting, there can be a bit of ‘throw you into the fire, let you figure it out and then teach you through review notes' mentality that some people have. If you ask questions, THEY should elaborate and give you the background that you need, otherwise they are just shitty seniors and creating more work for themselves when they have to review and/or fix your mistakes. However, you definitely need to be willing to ask questions/bring your concerns – something like, ‘I've looked at the prior year and think I understand it, but have a few questions that I wanted to run by you to make sure I am doing them right now (vs. having to fix them during review).'

[Anonymous]

‘I realize a lot of this type of work is really hard to teach, and a lot of it you have to work yourself through and teach yourself. But even just a verbal walkthrough, guiding me through the steps and what to keep an eye out for would be so helpful. Every time they give me a task I ask them, “Can you walk me through this?” or “What should I look for when doing this?” or etc. what I get back it just look at last year.

When I ask questions while I'm working on the tasks about something specific, I get a specific answer without much elaboration or explanation.'

In public accounting, there can be a bit of ‘throw you into the fire, let you figure it out and then teach you through review notes' mentality that some people have. If you ask questions, THEY should elaborate and give you the background that you need, otherwise they are just shitty seniors and creating more work for themselves when they have to review and/or fix your mistakes. However, you definitely need to be willing to ask questions/bring your concerns – something like, ‘I've looked at the prior year and think I understand it, but have a few questions that I wanted to run by you to make sure I am doing them right now (vs. having to fix them during review).'

[Anonymous]

Phew, I'm relived to hear from you all.

I get tha

[Anonymous]

Phew, I'm relived to hear from you all.

I get tha

[Anonymous]

Phew, I'm relived to hear from you all. Thank you!

It makes sense that public accounting firms suck at training, we're accountants, and our partners and seniors aren't trained in training or human resources or anything like that. They know their accounting!

I honestly think I'm not getting the training because they don't know HOW to train me, so they just give me stuff and let me struggle through it.

It's frustrating not getting help even when I ask and ask and ask. But, I'm glad to know I'm not alone and I will keep struggling through till I get my CPA! 🙂

[Author]

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