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Is it hard to maintain a life as an accountant Is it very time consuming? Is it hard to manage a family while being an accountant? ?

If it is time consuming to work and maintain a family, what other jobs would pay well, but allow you to spend more time with your family that would be like an accountant?

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Sherry’s Answer

It's important to set aside time for family and stick to it. It's easy to get caught up in meeting work goals. The good thing about this job is you might be able to adjust your hours to fit your family schedule.
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Nashwat’s Answer

Where you work makes a big difference. In public accounting, busy seasons can be tough for a few weeks. But some firms are flexible. For example, I’m lucky to work from home full-time. In the morning, I drop off my son and niece at their schools and pick them up later. My son also goes to after-school activities. Once I handle my personal stuff, I log in and finish my work.

Some accounting jobs are strictly 9-5. I recommend getting experience in public accounting first.
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Melissa’s Answer

Starting your career can feel tough, but it gets easier! As you grow in your role, you'll be able to share tasks with others, making it easier to balance work and family time. While there might be times when things overlap, with some planning, you can definitely enjoy both your career and family life. Keep going—you're on the right path!
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James’s Answer

Balancing work and life can be tough in any job, not just in accounting. Over my 30-year career, I've had moments when I managed it well and times when I struggled. It's something I'm always working on. Despite the challenges, I wouldn't change a thing.
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Courtney’s Answer

Hi, great question! Balancing work and life in accounting can be tricky, but it's definitely possible. Depending on your role, like audit or tax, some times of the year may be busier than others. Early in your career, you might have a heavier workload and longer hours, which is totally normal. Owning your own CPA firm someday can give you more control over your schedule. This is a long-term goal, and gaining experience at a big firm first is a great step. Good luck!
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Christopher’s Answer

HI Melissa,

Having work life balance as an accountant is incredible hard depending on the industry. As you progress in your career, it is hard to say that the job gets easier as you acquire more responsibilities. Once you land in a accounting job, it is important to figure out what you want out of the job. If you are not career focused, I think its important to actively work on being more efficient with your time at the job thereby giving you more time with everything else in your life.
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Eugene’s Answer

Totally agree that managing time while being an accountant/cpa is challenging, especially during busy season. Some things I do is to carve out time during mornings and nights to spend time with the family. I block those times out and make sure I stick to it. Also, when I have extra time I try to frontload my work as much as possible to create extra time for the family.
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Sarah’s Answer

There are so many career paths in accounting, and the hours you work can vary based on where you choose to work, like public accounting, industry, or government. Sometimes, I find myself busier than friends in other fields, but I often enjoy more flexibility. Plus, you're not tied to one job forever. If you start in a Big Four public accounting firm and feel the hours are too much, you've still gained valuable experience that opens up new opportunities after a few years. I'm married with kids and make sure to balance work and life—it's important to be proactive and advocate for yourself!
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Gus’s Answer

There are some busier times, particularly within public accounting (e.g. audit year-ends, tax filings, etc.) that require large time commitments. However, these firms can also offer greater flexibility throughout the other parts of the year that allow for more personal priorities (vacations, time-off, etc.). While it is known to be time-consuming during these busier times, many people are able to thrive in both their professional and personal careers within accounting.
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Hassan’s Answer

This really depends on where you work. If you pursue a job at one of the Big 4 firms that work-life balance will be challenging starting out. They'll likely want you to bill tons of hours while getting your CPA. https://big4interviews.com/big-4-work-life-balance/ has some more info on work-life balance.

If you get an accounting job at a regular company then it maybe much easier to balance except for peak times like quarterly and annual tax time.

https://www.cpajournal.com/2024/02/12/the-conflict-surrounding-work-life-balance-in-public-accounting-firms/ has some info on the subject and https://www.nysscpa.org/article-content/expert-says-accounting-profession-slowly-adopting-wall-street-s-work-life-balance-policies-103024

https://www.careervillage.org/questions/978153/do-accountants-have-a-good-work-life-balance has a number of prior answer to a similar question
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