[Anonymous]

Hey everyone,

I’m a first year working in external audit in Big 4 in the greater nyc area, and to put it frankly, I hate it. I’ve been assigned to a new client for about 3 weeks now, and everything I’ve done has been a train wreck. From control wlakthroughs to substantive testing, I’m not getting it at all. Aside from the client being new and not having PY workpapers to go off of, I don’t feel like the team likes me. It takes me a very long time to do everything and I’ve had to work this weekend to get caught up (it’s only interim, and not busy season)

I don’t know who to turn to for advice, as no one in my immediate family has worked in the field. I feel horrible about myself,

I hit the snooze button everyday and dread waking up, and I usually don’t get home until 9 (commute is long and having to stay late doesn’t help). I have anxiety attacks thinking about going into work tomorrow. To be honest, I want to cry when I get home at night, but I don’t want my parents to be upset.

I did well in college, graduated with honors from a good business school, interned with the big 4 firm I work with now, got inducted into the business honors society, the whole nine. Since I’ve been on this client, I feel like an idiot most of the time and question everything I worked so hard for in school.

I really want to put in my two weeks notice and go back to college and do an MS in accounting or something business, and finish up the cpa. I really don’t think public accounting or auditing is for me, but I don’t have the experience to land a job in industry right now. My parents tell me to stick out until a job offer comes my way, but at this rate I don’t think I can make it, I feel like I’m losing touch with who I am as a person, I haven’t felt like me since I started.

Any advice? Will quitting only 3 months in come back to bite me later on in my career? Is there a way I can tell HR I wanted to go back to school without it making it look like I hate the job?

I would never be open in this forum about my life, but I really don’t know who to go to.

[Anonymous]

I went to 2 interviews, 1 interview was because they had to interview and another because they though I had experience but I really didn't

[Anonymous]

lol how does that work, dont you submit a resume?

[Anonymous]

lol how does that work, dont you submit a resume?

[jlough]

@ LIFO– try to stick it out at least a year– it's always hard in the first few months. Do you have a peer mentor or a career coach? Can you talk to them about how you feel? Maybe you can try to switch into a different group within your office (tax, advisory, private clients) or maybe get switched to a client closer to your home?

F- 7/13- 84
R- 10/13- 79
A- 11/13- 99
B- 1/14- 86

Licensed in PA- 3/20/2014

This exam ALMOST defeated me back in 2006-2008, but I came back and WON!

[jlough]

@ LIFO– try to stick it out at least a year– it's always hard in the first few months. Do you have a peer mentor or a career coach? Can you talk to them about how you feel? Maybe you can try to switch into a different group within your office (tax, advisory, private clients) or maybe get switched to a client closer to your home?

F- 7/13- 84
R- 10/13- 79
A- 11/13- 99
B- 1/14- 86

Licensed in PA- 3/20/2014

This exam ALMOST defeated me back in 2006-2008, but I came back and WON!

[Anonymous]

To original poster: I hated accounting in college but was a lost soul and didnt know what else to do. I passed all my CPA exams and became licensed (fulfilled my work experience in a CPA firm) I hated auditing. I hated tax. I hate accounting. I hated the people I worked with. I hated the clients I interacted with. I had constant anxiety attacks.

Here is what I did to make it through:

I decided I wanted to return to school and not any school but a top tier MBA program. I spent every moment focused on leaving my job and going to school. It's all I thought about. Time flew by. Between studying for GMAT, researching schools, writing essays, time just flew by. I met my CPA license work experience and got the work experience I needed to apply to grad school. Now I'm starting a new journey.

Point being: don't quit. Pre-occupy yourself with archiving some other goal that leads to a future away from public accounting. It helps the time fly and reduces the anxiety. I would wake up every morning and tell myself “hahaha im being paid while I study and plan to leave”

It really helped. Try to preoccupy yourself and make it through.

Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

To original poster: I hated accounting in college but was a lost soul and didnt know what else to do. I passed all my CPA exams and became licensed (fulfilled my work experience in a CPA firm) I hated auditing. I hated tax. I hate accounting. I hated the people I worked with. I hated the clients I interacted with. I had constant anxiety attacks.

Here is what I did to make it through:

I decided I wanted to return to school and not any school but a top tier MBA program. I spent every moment focused on leaving my job and going to school. It's all I thought about. Time flew by. Between studying for GMAT, researching schools, writing essays, time just flew by. I met my CPA license work experience and got the work experience I needed to apply to grad school. Now I'm starting a new journey.

Point being: don't quit. Pre-occupy yourself with archiving some other goal that leads to a future away from public accounting. It helps the time fly and reduces the anxiety. I would wake up every morning and tell myself “hahaha im being paid while I study and plan to leave”

It really helped. Try to preoccupy yourself and make it through.

Best of luck.

[tough_kitty]

@ candle….

Maybe your pretentious tone is a problem.

FAR: 81 (May 2013)
BEC: 81 (July 2013)
REG: 83 (August 2013)
AUD: 82 (November 2013)
California CPA since 1/30/14

[tough_kitty]

@ candle….

Maybe your pretentious tone is a problem.

FAR: 81 (May 2013)
BEC: 81 (July 2013)
REG: 83 (August 2013)
AUD: 82 (November 2013)
California CPA since 1/30/14

[Anonymous]

yea something doesnt add up about candle, i didnt even get accepted into bing….

[Anonymous]

yea something doesnt add up about candle, i didnt even get accepted into bing….

[Anonymous]

@Awkward – If you don't mind me asking, how long did you stay in Public? I believe in NY you need a year of experience working under a CPA in order to fulfill the requirement. I like your approach, and that was kind of what I was thinking about doing (The whole study for CPA and apply to Grad schools to take my mind off of work).

Are you still in grad school?

[Anonymous]

@Awkward – If you don't mind me asking, how long did you stay in Public? I believe in NY you need a year of experience working under a CPA in order to fulfill the requirement. I like your approach, and that was kind of what I was thinking about doing (The whole study for CPA and apply to Grad schools to take my mind off of work).

Are you still in grad school?

[Anonymous]

i think you can earn your cpa experience not only in public but also in industry or govt. they only require you to work under a supervision of a cpa

[Anonymous]

i think you can earn your cpa experience not only in public but also in industry or govt. they only require you to work under a supervision of a cpa

[Author]

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