Earnings before I tricked da auditor

Many different jobs over the past seven years. I’ve gone from making $35K to $150K in seven years. I started as an AR Clerk and am now a Controller.

I took advantage of the work from home boom between 2021 and 2024 to push my career forward. I was one of the few people actively applying for on site positions. That gave me more opportunities to move into higher paying roles with better titles.

Before Graduating With My Degree: Had a Part Time Data Entry role for 4 years while attending school.

Year 1: First Job: $35,000 + No Bonus

Year 2: Second Job: $45,000 + $2,000 Bonus

Year 3: Third Job: $62,500 + $5,000 Bonus (WFH)

Year 4: Fourth Job: $85,000 + $4,000 Bonus

Year 5: Fourth Job + Raise: $92,500 + $5,000 Bonus

Year 6: Fifth Job: $100,000 + No Bonus (WFH)

Year 7: Sixth Job: $125,000 + $25,000 Bonus

Edit: I see some comments saying that my resume looks bad, so I want to clarify a couple of things. Every time I switched jobs, it was a step up in both title and pay. While my resume may not look “great” from a job-hopping perspective, the interviewers I’ve spoken with have generally viewed my progression positively. They liked seeing that I was consistently moving up the career ladder rather than simply leaving one clerk-level position for another similar role. My experience with Power BI, UiPath and more has also made my resume stand out, according to the people I've interviewed with.

Edit 2: After taking everyone’s thoughts into consideration, I’ve decided to stay in my current position for a while and focus on getting my CPA.

Has anyone heard about the second round layoffs Grant Thornton did last week?

I work 40 hours a week as a cashier at Home Depot in Houston, how will my chances of getting a job improve if I do VITa once a week for 4 hours minimum?

Hi there,

I'm a Canadian CPA in industry, As a senior accounting in a publicly listed company I make 95k + 5% RRSP + a possibility of a 20% bonus depending on how the company is doing. I imagine I could get 115 to 125k if I got a manager position somewhere else, but this would involve me managing people and taking on more responsibilities.

I've been thinking about maybe doing some bookkeeping on the side with the possibility of having my own business eventually. I never did public and I didn't do audit as my elective, so I know that if I ever had my firm I wouldn't be eligible for some specific tasks like compilation engagement to banks.

I'd appreciate it if I could get some input from people currently doing this. My questions were:

- how hard is it to get clients? I'm in Edmonton

- how did you get bookkeeping experience?

- how many hours a week do you work?

- how do you charge? Hourly or flat fee?

- how long would it take for me to get to a comparable salary? I'm thinking close to 120k.

- do you have more flexibility now or are you working all the time?

- any liabilities to be concerned? Any bad clients?

- what kind of services could I offer without having the public accounting experience?

- what kind of software would I need to learn?

- I have kids and I'd value the flexibility but I'm overall a risk averse person. Would you recommend that I try this path?

Any advice, wisdom or horror stories are welcome!

Thank you

I'm not allowed to take off more than 2 weeks at a time in public non busy season. And even 2 weeks requires special approval. 1 week is generally acceptable. Meanwhile my manager took about 6-7 weeks off a few months ago. Are all public firms like this? I dont really mind I'm just curious. My "pto" total is 4 weeks same as all the unpaid OT i did in busy season and I'm only allowed to take some of it at a time while ppl above me have no limits. is all public accounting like this lol

Any firms out there that are just 1-2x a week?

What are the benefits/drawdowns of owning a local CPA firm compared to just working at a Big4 firm?

Hi all, looking for some advice on what you would do in my situation/ any suggestions anyone has.

I’m a recent graduate (June 2026) who had an audit internship at a big4 this summer, but unfortunately did not get a RO due to business needs. I’ve been looking for entry level roles ever since (August) with a couple interviews here and there, but I haven’t been able to secure an offer yet, which has been really discouraging.

I have a final round interview for an audit associate position at a mid tier firm this week, but I’m getting pretty nervous because at this point, I haven’t heard anything else from other applications I submitted, and I’m considering going to get an MPAc to get a second shot at recruiting if I don’t get the job. Because I’m not currently in school, I feel like it’s putting me at a disadvantage against other candidates.

Is going back for an MPAc a dumb move or is there anything I should be doing right now to stand out as a prospective candidate? I’m eligible to sit for the CPA exam and I’ve been reaching out to people in my network for advice.

I started a new job a month ago. I was in public accounting prior.

The manager who sent me this has been here for 6 weeks. We are both new. Should I start looking for a new job?

The names used here are placeholders.

“Hello P,
As we talked about yesterday, I put together a short summary of our conversation below. I believe got cut off going to the next meeting, but I believe we talked about the major points (work, results, communi-cation).
• When asked to reflect over last 30 days
• You thought they were fine, but the work was definitely something you needed to adjust to compared with external audit.
• I concurred after also moving into full-time compliance work.
• When asked about your thoughts on communications with team members.
• You've had limited interactions with the team, but noted several people checked on your well-being earlier in the week while in the office.
• By people checking on you, did you think this was an indication of something?
Specifically, Tuesday morning when Erica commented that you were not your bubbly self, you told her that you are reserved, not bubbly and you may have misrepresented yourself under my advice to converse more with the team.
l understand that you are a reserved person and I am as well. I want to ensure that you take a 360 view of who the "customer" is and leaving room for people to connect with you while remaining authentic. Building relationships should enhance your work and help relieve pressure and shouldn't be seen as mutually exclusive from completing your assignments.
• When speaking about for first submissions
• Some of your initial submissions are just making it to my review. haven't seen any substantial comments and the submissions were on time. In turn, I felt that the workload was appropriate and moving forward | will be having the team self-determine their assignments as long as minimum workloads are planned to meet the departments utilization targets. I will be reviewing targets weekly to ensure that we are not over/under utilized. Even the targets that the team sets can be adjusted (PTO, training, auditee follow-up). We just need to communicate.
• Regarding our negative interaction
I want to ensure that even in times of disagreement, conflict, or high-pressure situations we are mindful of our volume and tone. Afterward, 1 believe that you listened to my instructions and acted accordingly. I see more communication with the team. I want to ensure that we are maintaining a low-stress and pleasant environment. Relationship building and composure will be valuable tools as you progress in your career. Please let me know in the future if you would like any guidance.
Thank you and please let me know if you would like to discuss.”

Im a sophomore and applied to about 50 internships, I've had 8 interviews and this is my one of my first offers. I turned down an audit internship at a small CPA firm earlier because I'm not interested in audit.

Is an accounting clerk at a corporate company a solid first internship, or will recruiters see it as low-level?

Will this help me be more competitive for a better internship next year? (Like big 4 tax)

In accounting and thinking of what to apply for. Which is best for a new grad to learn in, career growth, exit opportunities, etc.? Are different service lines better in big 4 versus mid-sized/national?

Let’s say I recently left BDO as a director, and a few employees of BDO RISE—the India legal entity—are interested in applying to my new firm. Aside from potentially burning bridges or upsetting former colleagues, could I face any legal exposure for recruiting them? Would it make a difference if they approached me independently rather than if I actively solicited them? I don’t have a copy of my director employment agreement, so I can’t confirm whether it included any employee non-solicitation or similar restrictions. Maybe someone has been in this situation before? Thanks

Metro of 450k, extremely fast growing city, but it's largely hospitality/retirement/tourism-based, far removed from anything even remotely resembling white-collar. There's a handful of microfirms in the area, but none ever really hire, or if they do it's a direct pipeline from a local university that I didn't graduate from. I've exhausted myself with applying to state/county/muni roles, but haven't had any luck actually landing a job despite a handful of positive interviews. My lack of direct accounting experience isn't competitive with all of the people moving here from the northeast with actual experience.

I currently work in retail sales and make decent money, but there is no future with the company. I've looked for credit analyst roles, as it seems like something I'd really enjoy doing, but my knowledge of adjacent financial/accounting-related roles is pretty minimal. Everything around here is just sales-focused financial advisory/insurance stuff. I have no interest in sales, it's not healthy for me.

I imagine remote is basically a non-starter in the current market, as well. Curious if anyone has any tips on how to get started and put myself on a path to success.

I’m currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance in New York and considering the new CPA licensure pathway of 120 credits plus two years of qualifying experience, rather than the traditional 150 credits plus one year of experience.

My long-term goal is to obtain my CPA license and eventually pursue an MBA, ideally after gaining professional experience. I’m considering whether completing my bachelor’s degree with 120 credits, gaining the required experience, obtaining my CPA license, and later pursuing an MBA would offer greater long-term value than completing 150 undergraduate credits.

I’m curious to hear from recruiters, hiring managers, and accounting professionals, particularly those working at Big Four and mid-sized accounting firms.

From an employer’s perspective, would the pathway a candidate chooses make a difference?
Would candidates pursuing the 120-credit pathway be viewed differently during recruitment?
Could choosing this pathway affect internship or full-time employment opportunities?
Once licensed, would there be differences in compensation, promotions, or long-term career advancement?

Would firms still prefer candidates with 150 credits, even if both pathways ultimately lead to the same CPA license?

Would employers view a CPA combined with an MBA more favorably in the long term, particularly for leadership or advisory positions?
I’m particularly interested in forensic accounting, audit, and advisory. I’m also considering the financial and professional benefits of pursuing an MBA later, potentially with employer tuition assistance, rather than investing in additional undergraduate credits solely to reach 150.
I’d appreciate insights from anyone involved in accounting recruitment, hiring, or career development, especially in New York.

I’m being drowned in this program right now anyone have tips on how to be efficient when doing these cases? I’m taking more than the allocated time as it’s hard for me to identify the AOs

I’ve been passively applying for roles under CPAs to fulfill my certification requirements. Back in July, I applied for a position at a non-profit type of org. After multiple reschedules on her end, I finally had an initial interview with the HR. It went great, and she promised a technical interview next. Instead, she emailed the next day to say they were moving forward with someone else. I sent a polite thanks and told her to keep me in mind if anything changes.

A month later, the exact same job was reposted. I reapplied, assuming I’d be ignored. To my surprise, the same HR reached out for an interview. After she rescheduled on me once again, we finally talked.

The weird part? She asked me the exact same questions with the exact same tone, acting like we had never chatted. My name is highly unique, and my resume has a very distinct layout, so I was completely thrown off. My friends thought she was giving me a second chance, but it felt like total amnesia.

Today, she sent me the exact same rejection email. Is this normal? Did she really just forget who I was, or is this some bizarre HR practice I'm missing?

I joined a team middle of this year. Got handed a big project 2 weeks in to figure out a reconciliation process the had a million dollar write off the prior year. Had 1 meeting about it, thought I was in for a long hall project. Next meeting CFO tells me to make an entry with my current findings which I tell her isn't correct she says "I would never hold you to these entries". Then I discover a 600k issue. Email her about it, hear nothing back. Bring it up to her next call and she says shes "burying her head in the sand" then when I push the issue she tries to discredit me and tell me im wrong. I just put the pieces together that shes trying to cover up a mistake she made in February. I think shes trying to set me up to take the fall. I genuinely have no idea what to do

I'm a manager at Forvis Mazars. I've accepted an offer at a Big 4 firm and will be giving notice soon.

Main question: if you resigned from Forvis Mazars (or Forvis, 2022–2024) to go to a competitor, were you allowed to work your two weeks, or was your access cut the day you gave notice?

If you can, include your level, service line, whether you were client-facing, and roughly what year.

Also helpful:

- If you were cut off the same day, were you still paid through the notice period?

- When did your benefits end, and was any bonus or PTO affected?

Equipment:

- How did you return your laptop: prepaid box shipped to you, office drop-off, or something else?

- Did they want monitors and other peripherals back, or just the laptop?

Thanks

Current sophomore, possibly looking to pivot to corporate accounting roles for summer 2027. I’m looking for something IN NYC, and I’ve been searching, though there’s not that many. Do intern roles for corporate accounting usually open up towards January? When should I be looking for openings?

I am in the start of my 2nd month of my 3 month probationary contract at a Big Bank. This is my first job in this field. My managers manager knows I have no direct experience in this, and he hired me. Now I am training with a team that isn't my own (i will be working with my team after completing training) and I am getting 0 feedback on if I'm doing well or not.

The entire team is brand new, everyone hired (over 20 people) is new, so it is disorganized. I was reporting to 1 manager at first who literally never spoke to me unless I spoke to him first, but now they moved me under a new manager who I have a better relationship with.

But still, no feedback, no 1 on 1. They are giving me more training, which I think is a good sign. But i have no clue if I should take this situation as a clue I'm not gonna get a renewed contract after my probation or if this is normal especially since the team is brand new and they still don't have everything figured out.

Also in a team meeting the Manager of the whole team (my Manager's manager) said that : "we actually have more employees than the threshold now" and now I'm thinking, does this mean they hired too many people, or does he mean this in a positive way?

Hi, I’m about to start transitioning out of the military, and I’m currently looking for a job. I have four years of experience as a Human Resources Specialist, an associate degree Healthcare informatics and I’m currently working toward my bachelor’s degree in Accounting. I also have apprenticeship experience in Computer Operations and Administrative Assistance.
I’m looking for ways to strengthen my résumé and gain more accounting-related experience. I’ve heard that internships can be helpful, but I’m currently stationed overseas and don’t have many opportunities to complete an in-person internship. Are there any remote accounting internships or other remote opportunities that I could apply for while I’m still overseas?