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What's the hardest thing about being an accountant?
I am currently a junior in high school, and I'm considering majoring in business in the future. I'd like to know more about accounting as a career.
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8 answers
Updated
Trina’s Answer
Hi Michelle, I have an accounting degree and I did begin my career doing accounting related work. But one thing I quickly learned about myself was that I didn't enjoy the cyclical nature of the roles I was initially qualified to take as an entry level accountant. Specifically, there was always the "month end close" process of closing the books for the companies I worked for and that time is mandatory for an accountant. So that was a big challenge to always be available at the end of each month/beginning of the next month "every" month of the year....regardless of holidays, illness or other key points in your personal life. I also found that after mastering the process, it did become quite redundant after several months completing essentially the same closing activities....so you will be tasked to always be looking for ways to improve the process...perhaps with system or process improvements for future month end close cycles. But the positive take away from that experience is it lead me to be very well prepared for a career in business Finance where I have been for over 20 years now in a variety of roles that all utilize the expertise and training I got from having that initial experience as an accountant. So I'd say the accounting field, like all careers, has some challenges that you may or may not appreciate initially....but stick with it because that baseline experience can open SO many doors to a huge variety of longer term careers that may allow you the flexibility and creativity that you may not necessarily see when first starting out as an entry level accountant. Best of luck and just keep an open mind....being an accountant prepares you for so much more than you can imagine.
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Michelle
Updated
Mark’s Answer
Hi Michelle,
There are several "hard" things. Accounting is pretty cyclical, so the hours you work during certain parts of the year can be pretty long - especially when you're first starting out. If you are planning on going the normal route of college to public accounting and then moving to industry (working for a company in their accounting department) expect the first 2ish years before you make that move to have periods where you're working a lot.
Fortunately there will be lots of other people who you work with that are experiencing the same thing. Take these years to decide if public accounting is for you, maybe it will be! You might also discover that while you like the hard work you don't want to be an auditor/tax accountant and you'll try pursuing a job in a company with growth potential. Or, you might learn that you want a more relaxed atmosphere job, they are out there you just have to look.
Mark
There are several "hard" things. Accounting is pretty cyclical, so the hours you work during certain parts of the year can be pretty long - especially when you're first starting out. If you are planning on going the normal route of college to public accounting and then moving to industry (working for a company in their accounting department) expect the first 2ish years before you make that move to have periods where you're working a lot.
Fortunately there will be lots of other people who you work with that are experiencing the same thing. Take these years to decide if public accounting is for you, maybe it will be! You might also discover that while you like the hard work you don't want to be an auditor/tax accountant and you'll try pursuing a job in a company with growth potential. Or, you might learn that you want a more relaxed atmosphere job, they are out there you just have to look.
Mark
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Michelle
Updated
David’s Answer
Hi Michelle, Accounting is a great career choice. Yet, like any career choice there may be challenges. In college, the Accounting curriculum can be challenging. Early in your Accounting career (like other career choices), the hours can be long but that will translate into skill enhancement/refinement. An Accounting career is a great choice as it will give the foundation to do many things in your career!!
Loved reading this, thanks!
Michelle
Updated
Fidelis’s Answer
Hello Michelle,
I have an accounting degree and also currently work in the field. Many people think accountants only prepare taxes, but that isn’t true. Having an accounting degree will provide you with many opportunities. Here are my suggestions to help you along the way earlier on in your career:
1) Elect accounting as your college major and join some of the accounting and finance groups on campus. Actively participate in leadership roles and attend events. This will help you as you prep for point #3 below.
2) Participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people. This will help you develop a sense of adding value to your community while learning from others.
3) While in your junior year, see if you can participate in one or two internships e.g, audit, tax, or supporting an accounting department. For faster exposure and determination for what you may want to do, I suggest starting out in either audit or tax - if you can take part in an audit internship and then following summer, try out tax. This will help you meet more experienced professionals, and the experience will allow you to determine what you want to do after graduation.
4) Keep in close contact with your professors. They will greatly help and guide you on what to consider in your career. They are also the best resource (reference) for point #3 above. Ask them to be your mentor or formal reference earlier on.
5) Finally, there are many opportunities that you can take in accounting, but the above points will help identify the right path.
Hope this helps!
I have an accounting degree and also currently work in the field. Many people think accountants only prepare taxes, but that isn’t true. Having an accounting degree will provide you with many opportunities. Here are my suggestions to help you along the way earlier on in your career:
1) Elect accounting as your college major and join some of the accounting and finance groups on campus. Actively participate in leadership roles and attend events. This will help you as you prep for point #3 below.
2) Participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people. This will help you develop a sense of adding value to your community while learning from others.
3) While in your junior year, see if you can participate in one or two internships e.g, audit, tax, or supporting an accounting department. For faster exposure and determination for what you may want to do, I suggest starting out in either audit or tax - if you can take part in an audit internship and then following summer, try out tax. This will help you meet more experienced professionals, and the experience will allow you to determine what you want to do after graduation.
4) Keep in close contact with your professors. They will greatly help and guide you on what to consider in your career. They are also the best resource (reference) for point #3 above. Ask them to be your mentor or formal reference earlier on.
5) Finally, there are many opportunities that you can take in accounting, but the above points will help identify the right path.
Hope this helps!
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Michelle
Updated
Orain’s Answer
Hello Michelle
I hope all is well with you.
There are alot of career paths in Accounting which will have their pros and cons. For example:
a. Financial Reporting Accountants: They normally are part of the month end close process and have block out days in the year where they cannot take vacations and have to work long hours
b. SOX Auditors: They are normally auditing in regards to the 10 Q and 10 K and normally have block out days and work long hours close to those filing due dates.
Overall, Accounting can be a cyclical job but there are also career paths in Accounting such as Auditing at a big 4 that allows you to work on different clients, gives you flexibility around work life balance and gives employees the opportunity to perform different audits which makes what you are doing exciting.
To your question I think the hardest part of Accounting would be the temporary long hours and block out days close to deadlines. However, with effective communication to leadership and prioritizing work life balance with leadership this will assist.
I hope this helps
Thanks
O.M
I hope all is well with you.
There are alot of career paths in Accounting which will have their pros and cons. For example:
a. Financial Reporting Accountants: They normally are part of the month end close process and have block out days in the year where they cannot take vacations and have to work long hours
b. SOX Auditors: They are normally auditing in regards to the 10 Q and 10 K and normally have block out days and work long hours close to those filing due dates.
Overall, Accounting can be a cyclical job but there are also career paths in Accounting such as Auditing at a big 4 that allows you to work on different clients, gives you flexibility around work life balance and gives employees the opportunity to perform different audits which makes what you are doing exciting.
To your question I think the hardest part of Accounting would be the temporary long hours and block out days close to deadlines. However, with effective communication to leadership and prioritizing work life balance with leadership this will assist.
I hope this helps
Thanks
O.M
This was super helpful, thank you!
Michelle
Updated
Mary-Ann’s Answer
You have many options with a career in accounting. Beyond the more traditional routes of tax and audit, you also have the non-traditional routes like forensic investigations. Consider your interests before deciding on a path. Do you like variety in your day to day work? Do you prefer a set template/guide for each project?
A career in accounting sets the stage for a variety of career options in the future.
A career in accounting sets the stage for a variety of career options in the future.
Thanks for the help.
Michelle
Updated
Whitney’s Answer
Hi Michelle, Accounting is a very broad field and with each role, you'll likely find different challenges. One challenge that I think is found across many public accounting roles is the constant change. Whether it be change in regulations or your role on the team, you are constantly learning and need to take an active role in that learning process. This can keep the job very interesting, but can also be stressful when your under time constraints. However, ensuring that you can learn quickly can be a very useful skill in any field!
Thank you so much for the advice.
Michelle
Updated
Kieran’s Answer
I would say that the hardest thing about being an accountant is that there is a high number of deadlines each month. It is also true that this highly structured nature of the workload means that it can be easier for an accountant to predict busy periods than other roles within a business. Of course there are huge benefits of working as an accountant and I believe that it gives an excellent foundation of business knowledge that is very useful even if you decide to move into other areas of business later in your career.
Thank you so much, Kieran!
Michelle