[FallingShort]

After finishing my undergraduate degree in Business, I decided to get my masters in accounting. I struggled with the classes and ended up barely finishing the program, graduating last in my class. After graduation I studied full time for the exam. I took each section once and failed them all (54, 48, 64, and 73). After that, I started a job as a tax accountant for a Big 4 firm. After 9 months I had enough. I struggled with the work and couldn’t seem to make anyone above me happy. I would routinely be talked down to and yelled at for things I didn’t even know I was doing wrong. And on top of all that, the commute for me was an hour and a half to get to work. So I decided to pick up and move to a new place and a new firm. After a few days at the new firm despite a better commute with better coworkers, I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m starting to think that I’m just not very good at accounting. I can’t sleep at night because I dread going to work. All day I sit at my desk and worry about messing things up and being “found out” (that I have no idea what’s going on).

So my question is, where do I go from here? I don’t really know what to do now. I’ve spent 5 years of post secondary education and countless dollars on a degree that I really don’t even want to use anymore. I was a great student before my graduate program. I never had that much trouble in the classroom before. But I don’t feel like I’ve been good at what I’ve been doing for two years now. It’s a draining feeling to feel terrible at your job and I was hoping that someone, anyone, could give me some direction to head. I know not everyone loves their job, but I just want to feel like I’m capable of doing my job and not like I’m lost the whole time I’m in the office.

-FallingShort

[Anonymous]

This may be obvious, but are you asking questions at work? Are they giving you work and you're just spinning your wheels trying to figure it out? When I first started in Audit, I had no idea what the hell I was doing. Cash recon? Okay, just follow last year.. test for unrecorded liabilities? Follow last year. I literally was bsing my first year and was very reluctant to ask questions because I didn't want to look “dumb.” I can tell you for a fact, that most 1st years in public accounting have no idea what they're doing either. The only thing is, what are you going to do to overcome that challenge?

Since you're new at your job, maybe you should engage your coworkers more and ask for advice and help. Maybe you can have them explain certain sections of your work to you, or if it's your senior.. you can ask them how they tackled the work when they were in your shoes.

Obviously, you need to do something as it's going to get worse if you just sit there and act silent. One of the best lessons I learned after 5+ years in industry: never be afraid to ask questions.

[greg2015]

Sorry to hear about your struggles. A question for you: is your current job also at a public accounting firm? If so, maybe you could try working in industry in an entry-level corporate-type position. That might be a better fit for you. Life's too short to be miserable at work. You may also want to consider meeting with a career advisor/counselor who might be able to direct you down the right path.

AUD: 99
FAR: 95
BEC: 89
REG: 87

AICPA Ethics: 91

Licensed Illinois CPA

[JohnWayneIsGod]

Is the new place another CPA firm? Aside from accounting, what do these two firms have in common that are not working for you? My last job was very fast-pace, and I had a boss that would scream at me and talk down to me almost daily. It's why I quit. My boss tried to make me feel like I wasn't good at the work, but the real problem was that my boss and I just were not a good fit, and that kid of environment just wasn't for me.

Do you think it is possible that you've just been picking places that are not a good fit for you?

FAR - 80

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.

-John Wayne

[FallingShort]

The new place is just a smaller public accounting firm. The people are better, and they seem more reasonable, but the work is similar. I ask questions all the time, but I just never feel like I know what I'm doing while everyone else is sure of where everything is coming from and where it should be going. on top of that, I have no idea how to work the software at the new place. I know that will just take time, but it's another thing I don't feel like I can do. I just feel really beaten at this point. I know nobody gets the job they love right out of school, but I just don't even feel like I'm qualified to be in the office anymore. I didn't feel this way during my internship with the old place, but I don't think I was taught well while in graduate school and that lack of knowledge is really hindering my ability to succeed at this point. I've considered jumping ship and just trying to be a teacher, but I also want to be able to afford things later in life too. I'm making more now than I would after 25 years as a teacher in the South.

-FallingShort

[LoriInCO]

To add to the good suggestions already submitted, I recommend looking into the Highlands Ability Battery at http://www.highlandsco.com. I have no financial interest in it; I'm just throwing it out there as an idea. I took it several years ago, and it helped me decide to go back for my MS in Accounting. So many of the assessments focus on your personality or what you like to do. The Highlands tests your abilities, and that was more helpful to me than the more subjective measurements.

[JohnWayneIsGod]

@FallingShort. If you don't know the software, then it sounds like they either didn't train you or didn't properly train you. It looks like LoriInCo has a good suggestion there. I'd check into it. Whatever you do, don't sell yourself short because you have your degree and nobody can ever take that away from you. It's possible that tax accounting in particular just isn't for you, and that you'd excel in a different area of accounting, or that you just never were properly trained how to be a tax accountant. I hear so many people apply a ‘let them sink or swim' method of breaking in new graduates, and I don't like it. Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses and make a plan, but whatever you do don't let people bring you down.

FAR - 80

Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.

-John Wayne

[mommyof3texans]

First let me say… tax accounting at a CPA firm is just one of many, many jobs that can be had with your education. Don't yet give up because of your experiences so far. Maybe you should try working in a regular company, not a CPA firm. Also, there are so many business and finance related positions you may be better suited for.

BEC - 02/21/15 - 82
FAR - 05/29/15 - 82
AUD - 07/09/15 - 93
REG - 11/14/15 - 80

All done!!!

[Last Chance CPA]

Fake it till you make it…it's all about confidence. If intelligence, hard work, doing the right thing, keeping schedules, and all that other sh*t was necessary to be successful, we wouldn't have so many morons in leadership. Exert yourself, ask questions, act confident, be social, and yes, work hard. Put in the hours late at night.

Accounting may not be for you, but you should give it another go…a 73 is a good score.

AUD - 75
BEC - 75
FAR - 76
REG - 76

I want those initials next to my name!!!!

FAR - 76
AUD - 75
BEC - 75
REG - 76

Now I need some experience!!! And some networking...

[Anonymous]

When i started my first public accounting job, my boss gave me some tax planning project that i was absolutely clueless about. Unlike you, I did very well in school, but like you, I still came out feeling like I have learned very little and there were many gaps between what I felt I should know and what I knew.

I called my husband after my boss gave me that project from the bathroom at work. I was crying because I was so afraid I would be “found out” just as you said. But I asked another employee for some guidance, & I found the project was much simpler that I had initially thought.

All in all that job was an awful fit, but i made it work for 2 years, gathering the experience i would eventually need for my cpa. Like last chance said, fake it till you make it. Chances are most people are just as confused as you are because it sounds like they're training is awful to nonexistent.

Hang in there.

[Author]

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