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what is the hardest part of being in an accounting job, besides the boring work, and what the unexpected thing you found in a company's books?

accounting spring25

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Daniel’s Answer

The hardest part about being an accountant is probably busy season. During January-March, there is a lot of hard work that is done. However, the benefit of that is this is during winter. The summer hours are much less which helps make up for this. If you are like me, i would way rather be busy in the winter and have flexibility to take vacation and enjoy the summer.

The work is less boring than you would expect, the pay is very good, and it is a very safe industry. Even when the economy is having a tough year, you are likely in a job that is safe from the economic conditions. This is very relieving to have and makes up for the hard work.

Sometimes you really do find fraud within the company's books. It can be a little thing that doesn't make sense that you then realize is fraud, or sometimes you may find someone has been outright stealing hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions of dollars. That is always interesting to investigate and see through and really helps you understand how a company works from top to bottom and how the control process works.
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Harry’s Answer

Busy season is definitely the hardest part of the year. The work itself is usually no different, but the long hours with tight deadlines and compression make things more challenging. It makes communication with your team members critical in order to get through it. I enjoy the aspects of working with team members and communicating with clients in auditing as it feels like you are all working together to accomplish a common goal.
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Aiden’s Answer

Hi Aaron,

I really enjoyed Daniel’s response. Dealing with taxes can be quite busy and sometimes a bit dull, especially at the start and end of the year, but remember, it's just one part of accounting. You might want to explore other areas like consulting, tax planning, forensic accounting, management accounting, or even business management. These fields can be exciting, interesting, and although they can get busy, they are truly rewarding.
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Miranda’s Answer

The work in accounting can actually be quite exciting. You get the chance to explore many different parts of a company and help shape its future or solve problems. With an accounting degree, you can go in so many directions like public accounting, advisory services, in-house roles, or research. While public accounting can have long hours during busy seasons, the variety of paths you can take makes it all worthwhile.
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Jake’s Answer

The volume of work can be high. Always make sure to take breaks as needed and keep your managers apprised of workload. Always ask for help!

I don’t have bookkeeping experience, but this answer relates to the whole industry.
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Asma’s Answer

Hi Aaron! Similar to the above, I would say time. That is usually the hardest part to manage. When I had to work my first weekend it was the most stressful thing ever! Even though I may not have had specific plans that weekend, I just wanted the weekend to relax and recover from the work week. Unfortunately, busy season doesn't quite let you do that :( So managing your time, even if that means 12 hour days, so you don't have to work weekends would probably be the hardest part of an accounting job, but that doesn't mean it's not doable. Good Luck!
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