[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

I have decided to make the jump from private to public. I’ve been the accountant for a medium sized nonprofit for the past 2.5 years, but I feel like I need to work in a place where I can learn from others in my field every day in order to advance my career. But I’m not sure what size firm to apply to. Can folks tell me a little about their experiences in different kinds of work environments? Big, midsized, small, local vs. regional vs. national?

I’m an early-40s career changer, got my MSA and CPA in the past year. I have two kids, and I know work-life balance is sort of non-existent in the early years. I’m also considering getting a few years of experience under my belt and then jumping back to private.

Thanks for any info!!

Jen

[Anonymous]

IMHO the work/life balance is much more dependent on WHO you work for and your personal work habits vs. WHERE you work.

But to answer your question- I'm at a firm of about professionals and average about 45 hrs per week on most years. That is an ACTUAL average, not estimate (I pulled a report with my total annual hours and divided by 52). Most weeks are a straight 40 with my busier periods being around 50 hrs per week, rarely 60 hrs per week.

[Tripp11]

My first job out of school was with a Top 10 CPA firm and I traveled about 80% of the time, with 1/2 of my time being out of state. Such travel was not conducive to any relationship I had at that time.

My second job, and current job, is with a 30 person local CPA firm where my travel is limited to 1-2 weeks per year. Our current firm is very family friendly and our firm staff functions typically involve all family members.

If I were you, I would focus more on CPA firms where travel would be limited, if not entirely eliminated, and firms which understand the importance of family and activities outside of work. One would think that small, local firms would be more accommodating to your life/work balance than a large, national firm.

AUD - 93
BEC - 80
REG - 86
FAR - 83

[Author]

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