Any current or former big 4 accountants here? Feel like sharing your experience?
Location, audit or tax, anything really.
Location, audit or tax, anything really.
Big 4 Accounting
- Thread starter RookieBeotch
- Start date
Gotta be someone out there
lol, my ex was an accountant for E&Y, tax it sucked!
Sister worked at BDO seidman in NYC..
Hated it.
Shes not a CPA, 4 yr accounting degree grad.
Public auditing.
Now she works for a Hedge Fund... makes 15% more, and got a 30k bonus.
For the most part from what shes told me..
Long ass hours, boring work.. Work with a bunch of creeps.
On the other hand..you make good money, you have job security, and your marketable.
Hated it.
Shes not a CPA, 4 yr accounting degree grad.
Public auditing.
Now she works for a Hedge Fund... makes 15% more, and got a 30k bonus.
For the most part from what shes told me..
Long ass hours, boring work.. Work with a bunch of creeps.
On the other hand..you make good money, you have job security, and your marketable.
The big accounting firms will give you a competency exam. They will ask you, "How much is one plus one". If you answer "Two", you will be thanked, but not get the job. If you answer, "How much would you like it to be?", you are on the road to success as a corporate controller.
I have met and worked with all types of accountants and financial types. Most were hard-working, intelligent, and detail-oriented. Their biggest frustrations (as expressed to me in after-hours trips to the "watering hole") were dealing with a myriad of ever-changing regulations (Sarbanes-Oxley), unrealistic management-imposed deadlines and stupidity, and incompetent staff. A few related tales of outright management graft and corruption, and being "squeezed" to "cook the books".
I have met and worked with all types of accountants and financial types. Most were hard-working, intelligent, and detail-oriented. Their biggest frustrations (as expressed to me in after-hours trips to the "watering hole") were dealing with a myriad of ever-changing regulations (Sarbanes-Oxley), unrealistic management-imposed deadlines and stupidity, and incompetent staff. A few related tales of outright management graft and corruption, and being "squeezed" to "cook the books".
^this
Also, if you have a desire to do industrial/corporate accounting, going Big 4 and "paying your dues" for a couple of years is a good way to go. You can then write your ticket into a controller position for a good company. Also, Big 4 want you to have your hours completed to sit for the CPA exam in your state, or better yet, have passed the CPA already before taking a job with them.
I work for a big 4 in Audit. I think its a good place to start your career, especially in this economy. Public accounting has good job security right now. The only downside is you will work a lot of hours during busy season. I expect to be working most Saturdays/Sundays for the next couple months.
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I worked for Deloitte for 3 years (financial audits), then left for a slightly smaller accounting firm and now am doing IT Audit and Risk consulting.
The Big 4 is a great place to start your career...but my first year I was working 70+ hours (low estimate) a week during busy season and mandatory Saturdays. Many weeks I was working until 1am in the morning every night, for no reason other than the fact that the manager said so...i had nothing to do, so I slept in my cube until it was time to leave at 1am.
I love my job now, much more flexible I can work from home basically whenever I want, I am making almost double what I was making when I started at Deloitte as well.
What made you guys choose audit over tax? Just personal preference? Only opening?
Did you guys find it tough to manage a social life or girlfriend/family with those long hours?
Majority of time spent in office or out at the client?
Thanks.
Did you guys find it tough to manage a social life or girlfriend/family with those long hours?
Majority of time spent in office or out at the client?
Thanks.
I've worked at a CPA firm for 20 years - not as an accountant, but as den mother. I would rather be in auditing than tax if I were a CPA. You get out, and it's gotta be better than tax. ;-) All of my bosses (but 1) were with KPMG originally.
Interested in that as well. Im a sophmore in accounting. Good to see what options are out there and opinions on them
In Audit you are basically always at the client. Tax is in the office most of the time I believe. In making the decision of Tax vs. Audit, you need to decide what you may want to be doing 10 or 20 yrs down the road. Tax is more specialized, and audit will give you a broader business background IMO.
I worked for a year in a different position with my firm, and I've only been in Audit for a few months. It seems like the hours are reasonable for 9 months out of the year. You have to get into the mindset of thinking of it as a career and not as a job. If you spend your days thinking about when you get to go home you'll go nuts in any serious career. My brother worked in investment banking for a few years after college and worked over 70 hr weeks on a regular basis (granted he made a lot more money). You have to pay your dues if making money down the road is important to you.
Lots of good info: http://www.cpanet.com/cpa_forum/default.asp
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I chose audit because I didnt like tax...but then I found out I didnt like audit either...I was also a Comp Sci major (accounting major too), so I switched into the IT risk group and have been doing IT audits since...so much better than audit...i have a life again.
But seriously Audit is really only bad from like January 1 through end of April...just kiss your free life goodbye during those months. The rest of the year is a 9-5 job
But seriously Audit is really only bad from like January 1 through end of April...just kiss your free life goodbye during those months. The rest of the year is a 9-5 job
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