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Accountants - what do you love?

For those that have an Accounting background, what has been a favorite job of yours? I have mainly bookkeeping experience which I absolutely love. But most bookkeeping jobs do not pay as well as my current one (it is PT and I need fulltime with benefits so have to leave). I have worked in public accounting before doing taxes and would not want to go back. I am just scared that I'll get a job I don't like doing and do not want to constantely switch jobs. I mainly loved bookkeeping because I could do all aspects of accounting - payroll, AP, AR, etc. But like I said need something that is fulltime and mainly want a job that will keep me busy.

Re: Accountants - what do you love?

  • I have a BS, CPA, CIA and CFE and work as an operational auditor at a government agency.  I started with just the BS and added the rest of the alphabet soup over time.  

    I travel 60% of the time within New England and occasionally cross country.   I love that my job is different from project to project.   Because of the travel demands, operational auditors have fairly high turnover.    You would need a BS to get in the door. 

  • I did AP which I enjoyed talking with the different companies to reconcile the accounts. I now to AR different aspect which I dont mind just different.
    W.S. Pleasure is spread through the earth In stray gifts to be claimed by whoever shall find. ~William Wordsworth, 1806
  • I worked for a CPA for 5 years and hated public accounting.  Left that job to be the Accounting/HR manager for a non-profit humane society.  LOVED that job and I could have done it for the rest of my career.  But it was so laid-back and though the organization is 100+ years old, I worry about its future with the newest management team and board.  I also had zero leadership there; I was teaching the director about non-profit finance well into his 2nd year in that position.  But there was always something to do, and somewhere to improve efficiency and animal care.  I liked that aspect about working somewhere I could make a difference while using my degree and skills.

    My current job became available, and I applied on a whim and got it.  I currently am an accountant for a non-profit hospital system, and I'm happy here.  I have fewer responsibilities, but better leadership and a very stable future and promotion opportunities.  I like having the streamlined responsibilities, and solid deadlines.  I'm also learning in this position, and the corporate perks are pretty nice.

    I do miss wearing jeans to work and walking dogs on my breaks though :)

    SS10 - SD9 - DD7 - DS5 - DS born 10/3/12
  • My undergrad was in Accounting, but I never worked as a straight 100% accountant.  My first job out of college was for a company that made financial software.  To work there, you had to have the accounting knowledge but also be tech savvy.  It was just meant to be that I ended up in that world.  I love technology and got to use it everyday (doing testing, fixing code/corrupted data, training, etc), but didn't lose my accounting knowledge.  I ended up working for 3 different software companies before changing careers to teaching.  Now, I teach business and technology classes at the high school level.  I'm still using the accounting/finance knowledge, but in a different way again.  I like that it's so adaptable.
  • imagesweetypie:
    I did AP which I enjoyed talking with the different companies to reconcile the accounts. I now to AR different aspect which I dont mind just different.

    I think it's whatever you start out with, you like better!  When I worked at a financial software company, AR was my main product.  I was the person who wrote up the bugs, wrote the documentation, tested the journals/reports, etc.  I loved AR.  Then I had to pick up AP and didn't like it as much!

  • I think everyone is different...I'm 25 & I have a BBA in Accounting with a Minor in Fraud Examination, Masters of Accounting, CPA & CFE. I originally wanted to be an auditor but not so much anymore. I was a bookkeeper in college & I liked it. Ever since then I've been in public accounting. I worked in Atlanta, GA for about 3 years & now I work in a bigger firm, but in a more rural area near Savannah, GA.

    I've done a little bit of everything, but my passion is fraud examination/forensic accounting. If I could do it all day everyday - I would! My 2nd favorite thing is tax, then bookkeeping, then auditing. I can't stand payroll!!! I'd also prefer not to do sales taxes. I do enjoy a more technology environment & I like to interact with clients. I also enjoy incorporating recruiting/marketing into my work during our slow times.

    The biggest thing for me is staying busy & being challenged. If I had to do the same thing every day, I'd go bonkers! :)

  • I have a BBA in Accounting and a CPA.  Currently, I'm in SOX compliance.  I like auditing all right, but I'm definitely getting burnt out (for the record, we're busy right now and we're down an employee, so I have a lot more on my plate than normally). 

    I've been in and out of public accounting and have been in this job for about 2 years.  I definitley prefer this to public accounting - no (or very little) travel, I have my own office, I work with the same "clients" over and over again, so I can build a better relationship with them.  But at the end of the day, I'm an auditor and it can be very stressful...also, this is specific to my company, but there is no where for me to move up unless I get out of accounting all together (my boss has been here for 31 years with no plans to retire - this is how most of my company is, especially in the Accounting departments).  I keep saying that I'll stay here until they either get rid of me or MH graduates...at that time, I'll probably consider a new career direction, but not sure what.

    Regardless, like I said, I'm just getting burnt out but I do enjoy what I do.  I would definiltey day that working in private industry has been a much better fit for me than public accounting.

    Damn you Nest for screwing up my siggy!

    .: Diary of a Recovering Runner :.

    Vacation
  • I have a BA in Ag Business, MBA with a concentraction in Accounting and a CPA.  I am now an accounting manager/controller at my current company. I am in mid-sized corporation and unfortunately there is no room for growth because the only person ahead of me is the CFO and he is the owner's kid.... so no pushing him out ;). I like that I manage others, and I love financial analysis, but giving up some of the daily normal work was hard, I had to find stuff to keep me busy!
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  • I have my undergrad in Acctg and an MBA in management. I never worked in public acctg because it wasn't my cup of tea. Im what i call myself a corporate accountant, i do the monthly closings and year end preparation for the company i work for. I have worked for both private and publically traded companies.

    I just left my last job to come back to private. I enjoyed the less hectic deadlines and more relaxed environment. In my current job I do a mix of accounts receivable and cash collections on top of being responsibly for closing a few different entities each month and I really like it!

    imageimage
  • I'm a tax accountant.  I worked for about a year and a half in a large public firm, then a small public firm for another year, and hated both.  The hours were just killer.  About a month and a half ago, I made the switch to industry - I work in the tax department of a Fortune 500 company, doing tax prep (as opposed to planning or reporting).  So far, I'm loving it - the hours are so much better, and I'm being pushed to learn a wider range of things about the whole company, not just what shows up on the tax return.  I love that the pace is a little slower, so I actually have time to ask questions, and folks who have been there longer have time to answer.  I'm still in the honeymoon phase though, so we'll see.  Good luck in your hunt!
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