I've been in similar environments to you, and most CPA jobs are good, but there's still those firms that do the famous “turn and burn” to employees, hire them and promise a bonus in a year, then fire them at 11 months after working them 70+ hours a week. That happened to me actually, before I ended up at the firm now which I love. The good news is, at least in my state, recruiters know the reputation of firms and companies well, so definitely find a local recruiting agency and tell them about your experience and what you want. Even if they don't line you up with interviews, you can call them and say ” I have an interview with ABC company, have you heard anything about them?” And most of them will tell you if they know of them, and if so, what they've heard, good or bad. Sure there will be a few recruiters who just want to use you to make money, so every company according to them will be bad unless they set you up with the interview. Use your judgement and distinguish between those recruiters and the good ones. Most recruiters, as long as you're nice and display passion, will want you to get a good job/career, regardless if they help you or not, plus recruiters love to maintain relationships with you after you found a good job, so you can refer people to them. Even though my current job I found on my own, I still keep in touch with 4 different recruiters through email and LinkedIn, and you never know when that will come in handy (plus I refer people to them, which means if I ever do need their help, they'll be must more likely to help me quicker). I say, find some good local recruiters, they'll always love to have you in their office and talk about your passions and what you want.
As for your experience, don't give up on what you want. My journey to becoming a CPA has been very rocky. I worked full time during undergrad because that's the only way I could afford school. I quit my job to go to the MAcc program at my school, but I didn't get an offer from a firm because I was different. CPA firms too often want the same thing, the same aged student who talks the same as all the other MAcc students, and that wasn't me. I had to go from crappy job to crappy job, being fired a few times by people who literally didn't know a debit from a credit, yet somehow became accounting managers. I was at companies with people who thought accounting was something that housewives do using a checkbook, and scoffed at me trying to warn them that it'd be a good idea to give internal controls a try, and to not have a random plug account for any variance they find which ended up being far larger than any other balance, and then was prorated through other B/S accounts, including cash. My family urged me to stop trying to go for public accounting, but I didn't give up, and through an internship (where everyone was younger than me), and other risky moves (including moving cities and becoming temporarily homeless), I found my way to where I am now, one exam away from passing all the CPA exams and working for a firm who supports me and wants me to be a partner someday. It seemed like this would never happen, but taking a risk eventually changed my life for me. I also am Christian, so my faith also got me through the process, but that isn't for everyone, so I'll restrain from posting about that too much. But, I just wanted to encourage you, the present may seem bleak, but don't give up, don't stop trying, and don't be afraid to go for what you want, even if others try to stop you. I know that if you truly want to become a CPA, then you will become a great CPA someday. You can do this, if I can get to where I'm at, then you can definitely become a CPA someday if that's what you want!
AUD: 54 (10/31/15);
83 (12/02/17)
BEC: 70 (01/31/16);
90 (07/02/17)
FAR: 73 (10/03/15);
88 (02/17/18)
REG:
83 (06/09/18)
AICPA Ethics: 91 (06/28/18)
Licensed: 08/16/18
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