[AJE]

I am a bit older (almost 30) and just finished up my Master of Accountancy and am set to start full-time with a large size regional firm soon.

I know I don’t plan on being in public accounting for the long haul to get to partner level. I interview well, have a good size network in my area, excellent school stats (3.9 GPA), and should have my CPA license soon.

Has anyone gone from public to government? My career before going back to school was in education and, if possible, I’d like to get back into education (e.g., controller for a school board or something).

Anyone know about the exit opportunities of going from public to government, or into the education industry?

FAR 91 - 04/16
BEC 87 - 05/15
REG 77 - 07/27
AUD 92 - 08/31

[Anonymous]

I went from the Private Sector (banking) to the Government.

It wasn't easy. Getting into Government is VERY hard to do. Because of tighter budgets and more oversight, opportunities are pretty slim. Especially if you're outside and trying to get in.

With that being said, once you are in, you're golden. The pay is solid. I started in September and make just over 50K a year in Ohio (lower cost of living than New York as an example) and after one year I am guaranteed a promotion and raise that will take me to over 60K a year. The benefits are really good. Liberal time off since you accrue regular Leave and Sick Leave at the same rate (plus all the federal holidays). Finally, this has the best work to life balance of any job I've ever had. There are stresses but they're nothing compared to what you find in the private sector or in industry. There has been some mandatory overtime in my department since we're working on our internal audit of controls right now. But, again, it's pretty low key compared to what you'd find in Public Industry.

With THAT being sad, Government work takes getting used to. You will want to scream at how inefficient things can be. It's also really difficult to be fired which is a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand you don't have to worry that a stupid mistake will cost you your job but you'll see people there and ask yourself “why haven't they been fired ages ago?” You'll also see people promoted based on seniority who truly don't deserve it. One guy was just promoted to a low level director position despite every single one of his controls failing the audit… That was a hard pill to swallow (not that I was interested in the position after only 6 months but because he doesn't deserve the promotion based on his past performance). The only thing you can do is smile, nod, accept it and keep telling yourself “It's the Government way.”

Overall though, I'm very happy as a Government Drone.

[AJE]

Thanks for your response. To get into a government position (from your knowledge) is it based on a “fair” just turn in resumes/papers types situation or is it a “you have to know somebody” situation.

Are there different avenues for starting or is it all just start at point A (intern for example) and then they ship you to a department that needs a permanent position?

FAR 91 - 04/16
BEC 87 - 05/15
REG 77 - 07/27
AUD 92 - 08/31

[Anonymous]

Knowing people on the inside doesn't hurt. That's typical everywhere though.

I work for DFAS (Defense Financial and Accounting Services) which is part of the Department of Defense. In my case, I knew about 4 or 5 people who were taking classes with me in our Masters of Accountancy program and also worked at DFAS. As it turned out, one of those people was on the interview committee who sat down with me. I talked with her after getting hired and she said that the rest of the committee was impressed with me on their own and she didn't need to do any additional pushing to get me in. But having a friendly face in the interview only helped me out as it lowered the tension quite a bit.

A typical resume will be enough to get you in the door. Once you're inside though, they have a particular format that they want resumes written but I'm not far enough along that I need to worry about it. My best advice is just to keep an eye on http://www.usajobs.gov and apply for anything that looks good.

Here's where the hard part of getting in comes into play. Coming from the outside, you're really low on the totem pole of candidates. Veterans will get priority. Current and former Government workers will also get priority. So you just need to keep at it. I was also told that getting the interview is the hardest part. If you manage to get an interview, you really need to screw it up to not get hired.

Finally, as weird as it sounds, you're right. They will hire and you ship you off to a department that needs to fill a billet. In my case I knew I was applying for an “accountant” position but I had no idea what the role or actual duties would be until after I started.

It's a lot of work but, in the end, it's worth it if you can land a position. I've only been here for 6 months but I'm happier here than I have been in any of my other positions.

[Fil-Am]

@sundizz: I guess I am looking for the opposite. I want to switch from local government to public. While I like the flexibility and work only at most 240 days a year @ 7.5 hours per day, I am still looking for challenges. I want to have diversified experience and want to explore this in another sector aside from local government. I like to be in federal but still to no avail. I want to go to public accounting and probably at least 4 years if I can, maybe longer if i like it.

Anything worth doing is probably not easy, but the rewards are worth it. (unknown)
Please feel free to add me on LinkedIn just to say hello or stay in touch.

CPA Exam - PASSED 2014
CALCPA Ethics - Passed 2014
CA CPA License - Pending

To God be the Highest Glory. Little Miracle happens every second!

[Anonymous]

What sucks right now is there are hiring freezes especially with the IRS so getting a government job right now is tough unless it is at the state level

[Fil-Am]

cprv19 – you're so right. I have been following so many federal government jobs posting. IRS – didn't find one that are realistic to match my qualifications except for data entry and low clerical. Local government job is good if you are in a senior/supervisor/director level, otherwise, the pay is no good at all. I thing it goes the same with state. Federal is a better choice IMHO.

Anything worth doing is probably not easy, but the rewards are worth it. (unknown)
Please feel free to add me on LinkedIn just to say hello or stay in touch.

CPA Exam - PASSED 2014
CALCPA Ethics - Passed 2014
CA CPA License - Pending

To God be the Highest Glory. Little Miracle happens every second!

[Anonymous]

I agree with Fil-Am. I am also working for the state, looking to possibly get into public. I can also confirm that the pay is not as good as federal seems to be. I started at about 37k, and am now at about 42k, after 2 1/2 years. As Angelwatch said, it can be frustrating, especially with regards to seniority. Overall, I feel that my time here has been good, but I also feel like I want to get a broader experience.

[juuustin]

There are a TON of Accounting/Auditing Fed openings right now in the DC area. A search for “Auditor” in the DC area hit 21 entry level and 29 intermediate level job openings. That isn't even counting the higher levels. A search for “Accountant” yields 34 and 49 openings respectively, but I am sure there is some overlap there.

Now I'm not saying it isn't difficult (I used to work as a Fed in a unrelated field), but in the DC Metro area it really becomes a numbers game. There are literally 10's of thousands of Accounting related jobs but not enough people to fill them because you have all of the huge firms, all of the nationals and regionals, state and local, private industry, and then the Feds to top it all off.

MD Candidate: 10/1/14

FAR - 87 (11/23/14)
REG - 87 (1/30/15)
BEC - 89 (4/19/15)
AUD - 98 (5/30/15)

Ethics - 100

Experience - In Progress!

[Heather]

I work in State Audit.

I've always been an overachiever and its almost impossible to be that way here. At times, we have almost no work to do, then the next minute, everyone has something they need you to do ASAP. Its frustrating. The pay is OKAY. Nothing to scoff at, but definitely not ideal. My manager, who has been working with the state for 30+ years, only makes double my salary. For me, that's not an ideal situation.

My observation is that people who stay in government want the cushy 37.5 hour work week and scarific the pay and challenging nature of other jobs. Also, you are not required to have the CPA to work here, however, you cannot get past an Auditor 3 or 4 (not sure which), therefore, stuck at a little over 50k/yr.

Another thing, those people who didn't get their CPA seem to resent those that do. One lady I work with pretty much refuses to do any work, pawning it off to us “lowly Auditor 1 and 2s”. I guess the manager doesn't notice that she's always so “busy” and “overloaded” that she fails to meet deadline… *shrugs*

Let me put it this way: 19 people in my little department. 9 CPAs and 4 people currently studying for CPA (me + three others). And to be perfectly honest, the two studiers don't seem too motivated.

But the job is great in the interim. Paid holidays, sick and annual leave. I study when I'm not busy, so I'm okay staying here until I pass some portions of the CPA and be come a more desirable interview candidate.

AUD 1/30/15 - 79
FAR 5/29/15 - 83
BEC 10/2015 - 82
REG 11/2015 - 75 and DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

@hsells0308

Do you mind telling me which state you work as a state auditor? My friend works as a state auditor in CA. I am pretty sure he made past Auditor 3/4 without passing the CPA.

Thanks,

[Java230]

USAjobs website is a bit hard to use– it is a bit frustrating since you don't know what happens you when you submit. But my job only hires from USAJobs now. If your applying to my company someone on the inside can give you some tips but someone on the inside can't help you much until you get past the “black box” (ie USAJobs) and get an opportunity to interview.

Some tips to get past black box (based on my experience), your resume should have some of the words that are used to describe the job you are applying. Your resume must hit on ALL the requirements; otherwise, it wont make it to the next step even if it is obvious that you meet the requirements. There is a checklist, it says did candidate put X in the resume, if X is not in the resume, you are disqualified. Just use some of the “key” words in your resume, your resume should be tailored to each job. I feel in public sector you have to have a resume that quickly makes you stand out but i feel in the government sector your resume should be more expansive and hit on all the requirements for your specific job. Don't have a static resume that you send to everyone, even if your applying for the same types of work.

Also, don't wait, currently a lot of government jobs require that you be a newly graduate. My work primarily hires new graduates (has specific rules on how long it can be since you graduated). So don't wait.

If it has been awhile since you graduated, make sure you have some kind of job when you apply, if you are unemployed, it puts you in a HUGE disadvantage. Some jobs, specifically require that you are employed and an unemployed person is automatically disqualified (no matter how qualified and how great of a fit you would be). I know this is pretty harsh but that is common.

It also takes a while to hear back. I applied in December and didn't start until July.

About me: I work for larger government entity (about 6,000 employees), starting pay is $50 thousand year. I am also a recruiter for my work.

Licensed WA CPA 2/2015
Government Auditor Since 2007

[Quinacridone]

Java230, my goodness! I've never heard about any policy for current employment to get a job in any Fed position. I would think that Fed positions wouldn't be looking at that (since it is counter to present policy regarding long-term unemployeds).

I've heard the same regarding making sure your resume is tailored to any job you are applying for on USAJobs and to pop in as many key words as possible. I already work Federal in the DoD as an auditor, however, our agency is now encouraging career-broadening so I've been looking at the job listings. Unfortunately, the only jobs I have interest in are other audit type positions with the GAO, Federal Reserve or FDIC.

REG - Nov 4, 2013: 88
FAR - Feb 27, 2014: 86
AUD - April 5, 2014: 91
BEC - May 6, 2014: 83

Florida CPA 24 July 2014
(Done in seven months - thank you Jesus!!)

[Heather]

@CalCPA – I wouldn't mind telling you if I wasn't afraid of getting fired! Its not California, that's for sure. Its a midwestern state 🙂

AUD 1/30/15 - 79
FAR 5/29/15 - 83
BEC 10/2015 - 82
REG 11/2015 - 75 and DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[memmy29]

Interesting thread. I'm looking to move from state government into public accounting. I am in Internal Audit and make $58k. No idea what I'll be looking at for public accounting pay…

AUD - 84
BEC - 84
FAR - 77
REG - 75

So glad to be done!

"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Sir Winston Churchill

AUD-84, REG-75, BEC-84, FAR-77

Licensed CPA

CIA Exam
Part 1 - Passed
Part 2 - Passed
Part 3 - Passed

[taxgeek83]

@memmy – From personal experience, you'll likely be looking at a decent pay bump going into public accounting (assuming you're not starting at the bottom of the totem pole, so to speak), but on the flip side your benefits won't be nearly as good as they are with government. I'm not sure what your situation is, but my retirement is set (defined benefit plan) and my health insurance is 100% paid for; however, going into public I'm looking at covering a portion of that myself.

[Author]

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