Hi. I just started my third year in accounting. Im pretty decent with academics in my opinion I have 3.7 coming into the semester. I have picked up alot of extracurriculars and focussed alot on trying to secure internships.

I have spent alot of the first couple weeks of the semester trying to land some. I got 2 big 4 offers and I get to take them back to back and move my graduation forward by a semester. Im very thankful.

But it came at a cost. I fell behind in my accounting classes and I did my intermediate 1 midterm and I genuinely think there js a fair chance i have failed. I associate alot of my worth with my grades and I very concerned that I might lose everything. I am confident that I can do good on the final. However I am concerned that I messed up so bad that the final cant save me.

Because I associate my worth with grades i’m also concerned I might be too uneducated for my internships and that later down the line what if this affects my cpa foundation or work.

I dont know what to think I might finish with a B IF im lucky but there is a chance I might miss the requirement for cpa. I really messed up idk what to do.

Thank you. Open to advice 🙏.

I will start. 0% raise, 0% bonus.

Hello all!

I keep seeing a lot of post on people struggling to land a position in accounting, or having a difficulty finding internships. I don't see much helpful advice being posted on here because the people who have the jobs are not coming here on Reddit! 😂 Since Reddit helped me so much when I was a college student struggling in trying to understand what the actual fuck amortization and depreciation meant in community college Intermediate Accounting, I just kinda figured that I pay it back!

FULL DISCLOSURE: I was a non-traditional accounting student, who went back to school after having a previous degree in mathematics with a 2.2 GPA so I had some work and life experience to navigate the career side of things. I was a party animal with undiagnosed ADHD and BPD. After first graduating with an awful GPA like that, my second time around I took school more seriously!! LOL 🤡After graduating with my BS in Mathematics from and having a 2.2 GPA, I literally had no choice but to work in service and fast food jobs, and eventually find my way into the financial services side through banking sales and call center, which got me interested in accounting. At age 28, I re-enrolled back in college starting with community school while working full-time, graduated with my accounting associates and had a 3.08 GPA. Afterwards, I moved onto obtaining my 2nd bachelor's degree in accounting from a private school and graduated Cum Laude with a 3.76 GPA!! God bless. 🙏🙌

Here are the 6 exact steps that I did as an accounting student to get a job offer upon graduation.

1. As I just said, that 2.2 GPA bite me in the ass when I realized that I fucked around with school and not taking my degree seriously, and kept getting rejection after rejection from all "professional office" jobs. So, I took this as lesson number one to have at least a 3.5 GPA when I re-enrolled for my 2nd bachelor's degree. Thankfully, I was able to maintain my 3.76 GPA.

2. Another tough lesson I learned was that I hated submitting job applications because it feels like my resume is literally being thrown in the trash!! 😭😭😭 So, my second time around, I didn't want to have to apply to jobs and hope for the best. My school had a great career center that was extremely helpful so I immediately went to them for guidance and had them do the heavy lifting of getting my resume out there!! Since I maintained my high GPA, I was immediately able to get a few callbacks from local accounting jobs for small businesses and landed my first internship in private industry.

3. Once I realized how difficult it was to move up in industry based accounting jobs after my internship, the CPA license caught my attention. I researched the hell out of it and customized my resume to be attractive to public accounting firms. I went back to my career center again and this time I aimed for tax season internships because I realized it was much easier to land a public accounting job as they have a hiring cycle for fresh graduates through internships! And this was the my magic golden ticket!

4. My previous mathematics degree and newly accounting degree provided me with well beyond 150 credits to sit for the CPA exams, so I immediately registered for it and started studying for my first section, and advertised myself as a CPA candidate on my resume. This helped me land my first tax internship in public accounting with a regional Pittsburgh based firm! One of the best firms I have ever worked for and I am thankful to God everyday!! 👏🤲 I literally did this with 0 application submitted or networking. My career center did all the work for me to get my resume out there and all I had to do perform well in the interview.

5. Immediately after I found out I received the internship offer, I wanted to be a master in filing 1040 individual return taxes. And.... you guessed it... I told my career center exactly about my tax accountant future CPA aspirations and they lead me to sign up for IRS VITA program. This lead me to simultaneously work on my knowledge gaps in real life taxes judgement free, while applying this knowledge in my paid internship.

6. I made myself indispensable through building social capital by coming into the office every other day, networking and talking with everyone from seniors, to managers, to directors, and even to partners. I attended every social event and had small conversations with people from our consulting, and audit department. I made myself highly visible to everyone so no one forget me, in case I didn't get the offer.

🥳 And 2 days before the end of tax season internship and 1 month before I graduated, I got called into the office with the executives and received the full-time offer. Thank God for all mercy!

Sorry, for the super long paragraph post but I just wanted to help anyone out, whoever may need some guidance in this industry. I am sure our paths won't be the same but work hard, stay focused, take school seriously, and NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. I have come to the realization that in this industry social skills matter a WHOLE LOT along with your credentials! Best of luck to the rest of ya!!

I’m just about to enter my fourth year of uni, not necessarily a target school but still a pretty good reputation, and haven’t landed any internships yet. I have a 3.7 GPA and a couple of years of retail and fast food experience, and I’m about to wrap up some temporary work in elections in my province. I enrolled in a work-integrated learning course that will hopefully give me some actual accounting experience, but even then it’ll only be a minimum of 90 hours.

I’m so stressed about this every day. I applied to about 7 internships and got zero. I’m worried that when I graduate I’ll be screwed over since I haven’t gotten an internship yet and I’ll just be jobless forever.

Anyone have any advice for me? I know the main thing is to network and I plan to go to some events.

Hello, just curious because its been 5 days and haven't heard back. Applied about 3 weeks ago, 1st interview 2 weeks after and 2nd interview 5 days after the 1st. Since then I haven't heard anything back and also, I sent thank you emails after interview and didnt get any response. I feel like its a bit rude or am I overthinkibg it

Thanks

I was planning to get a masters in accounting a year ago after failing to recruit for any firms during my undergrad.

For contexts I have a Bachelor already from a UC and is CPA eligible.

I went to this sub and everyone said it was not worth it, so I ended up not going for a master and just becoming CPA eligible through CC. This route makes recruiting almost impossible though as most recruiting events are at the Big universities. So now I have basically been a year out of undergrad with no relevant accounting experience and most firms are not even gonna bat an eye.

I have spent that time mass applying to different firms with rejections from every accounting firm. I got so upset that I just stopped applying for months because even at small local CPA firms that were paying 18-19/hour, they were just ghosting my application. I also used Robert half and have been ghosted as well post whatever interview it was.

Before anyone says anything about me being a bad candidate

1. I have had people who are in B4, recruiters review my resume and they say it’s good and it isn’t my resume

I suspect most big firms are directly hiring from Intern -> associate. If not it requires a ton of networking. Currently it’s impossible for me to recruit being out of Uni.

1. My GPA is 3.5+
   
2. I am CPA eligible and have said that in all my job applications
   
3. I have applied to small and big firms and most big firms reject me outright, I am talking about T100, I get instantly rejected from B4.
   
4. I am in the LA area and I hope to stay here at least for the next 4-5 years so I would not want to relocate
   
5. I have spammed email recruiters on small firms and they ghost me or tell me there’s no positions available.

My goal is to work in PA and I want to work at a T10 firm at least to start my career.

Should I go back for a masters to get exposure to the recruiting network and refresh my student status for internships/new grad status.

My options are
USC (live at home)
Not considering the UCs because I’ll have to relocate for all of those and they cost relatively the same to USC.

CSUF (relocate)
CSUN(relocate)
I want to stay in LA so not considering other programs

Hi everyone! I have a 1-hour final-round onsite interview for a Senior Tax Accountant position at an industry company.

Is the final-round interview usually more focused on technical tax questions or behavioral questions? I’d appreciate any advice or insights on what to expect.
Thank you very much!

Okay, lay it on me. Give me all of the details. Now that 10/15 is finally over, I’m ready to sit my happy ass down with some popcorn while reading these stories!

Hey I’m an accountant II, and am used to digging in from the transaction level, and making a pivot table to see what makes up an account to perform any analysis. I would like to improve my analytical skills to be able to see from top down rather than bottom up, but am unaware of the best method to improve. Any suggestions?

Hey everyone,

I’m a domestic Canadian student completing my BBA in Accounting, with an expected graduation date of April 2027 and a 3.27/4.33 GPA. My goal is to pursue my CPA designation and establish a career in public accounting.
I’ve been applying to numerous internships, co-op positions, and entry-level accounting roles, but I’ve been met with rejection after rejection, usually without even getting an interview.

I’ve had several professionals review my resume, incorporated their feedback, and attended networking events, yet nothing seems to be working.
My only real success has been with a local public accounting firm, where I’ve completed assessments, attended interviews, and visited their office. Unfortunately, I still haven’t received an offer.

Some background on my career change:

I originally pursued heavy-duty mechanics straight out of high school, completing Levels 1 and 2 of my apprenticeship training and working in the industry.
In August 2020, at age 21, I underwent a hip replacement due to a long-standing medical condition. I attempted to continue in the trades by switching to automotive mechanics, hoping the work would be less physically demanding, but ongoing hip issues eventually forced me to reconsider my career.

I subsequently decided to pursue accounting.
Since 2022, I’ve worked for an automotive parts distributor, primarily doing deliveries while occasionally assisting with accounts payable, including invoice verification and reconciliation. I’ve continued working throughout my degree and have also participated in volunteer work.

My concern:

I’m approaching graduation with no accounting internships, and I’m genuinely worried about entering the profession.

I understand that my GPA isn’t exceptional and my accounting experience is limited, but I thought my employment history, transferable skills, and willingness to learn would at least help me secure interviews.

I’d really appreciate some honest feedback on my attached resume. Are there any obvious red flags? Is my previous career hurting my chances? Am I presenting my experience poorly? Genuinely drag me through the mud. I’m not put off my brutal honesty so feel free to criticize.
I’m particularly interested in hearing from Canadian accountants and anyone that may be involved in recruiting.

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone, as CPA Core 1 is starting, does anyone have any tips on how to complete it and pass the exam? I am a full-time employee, so I get tired when I come home from work. Should I push through the quizzes+content first ( like the first 2 weeks) and then review the content in depth again and do the cases? I am not the brightest student when it comes to accounting, so what should I focus on? The star chapters and just redo the problems again and again? Like, what's the best way to pass the exam? Any notes anyone wants to share? What should I practice right starting now? I am planning to spend 17 hrs every weekend to get the bulk of my studying done, and 2-3 hours every day after work. Is that enough?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some serious career advice. Please help!

I have a year of experience as an apprentice in IFRS 17, specifically in financial reporting and analysis, at an insurance company. After my apprenticeship ended, I moved into FP&A in the development sector. However, my current company doesn't consider my apprenticeship as proper work experience, and I'm earning almost the same as I did during my apprenticeship which is bothering me and also given the market situation I couldn't wait for any longer as I was already looking for a job for almost 6 months and settled with this one.

I'm pursuing ACCA and have cleared 11/13 papers.

I need advice on the following:

1. ACCA: I have SBL (a compulsory paper) remaining. I'm considering completing SBL now and waiting until July 2027 to receive my ACCA qualification certificate, rather than attempting another paper in the meantime. Would completing the remaining papers sooner significantly improve my chances of landing a better-paying job, or should I focus on upskilling instead?

2. Valuations: I've been interested in valuations for a while. I'd love to hear from people who transitioned into valuations from other finance domains. What skills should I build, and how can I make this transition?

3. Upskilling: If I continue in FP&A or financial reporting and analysis (IFRS/US GAAP), what practical skills should I focus on to improve my employability and perform better at work.

I'd appreciate honest suggestions, especially from people who've been in a similar situation. Thank you!

I interviewed for a tax role at EY with a Partner and a manager. Two managers involved previously worked at my current employer.

I arrived 15 minutes late due to traffic and school but notified HR beforehand. The interview seemed to go well. They asked about my start date, university schedule, and graduation plans, and explained that EY accommodates students. They said they'd get back to me soon.

For those who've interviewed with a Partner at a Big Four firm, what signs suggested your interview went well? Am I overthinking things?

I am in my final year in Accounting for my Bachelors. I did not land any internships during my bachelors but since next semester I only have one class I decided to apply to come for next winter 2027. I got two offers one from BDO (Canadian Tax Services) and EY (Indirect Tax Department).

I am not sure which one to take. BDO seems to have 5 personal days I could take and I think it’s beneficial for me since I will still have one class to finish. EY does not have. So I don’t know how they will act if I request day off for my quizzes although during my interview I did tell them that I will have one class left. Also when I talked with the partner at EY he told me that under the order de CPA the indirect tax is very niche so it will count only 4-6 months of experience towards my CPA designation. My internship at EY is 6 full months.
BDO internship is 4 months.

I am in a dilemma because EY is one of the big4 and will it be possible to change department easily after my internship?

Can someone please give me some advice please. I want to become a CPA in the long term.

Also I am in Canada, Montreal.

Hi everyone!
I have a master’s degree in Corporate Finance from Algeria, but I graduated around 3 years ago and unfortunately, I don’t have any work experience in the finance field.
I’m looking to improve my CV and make myself more competitive in the job market, especially if I want to apply for finance jobs in the Gulf countries (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc.).
I’m considering learning skills like Power BI, Excel, SQL, or financial modeling, but I’m not sure which ones would be the most valuable or where I should start. I’m also open to certifications or practical projects that could help me stand out.
For those working in finance, especially in the Gulf, what would you recommend adding to my CV? Which skills or certifications are actually worth the time and money, considering that I don’t have relevant work experience yet?
I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

Hey guys, I’m 10 years into my career and I just got a new job and keep making a mistake every single month end. I really don’t know what to do. I keep trying to implement checks in place but I miss the most obvious stuff.

I’m clearly burnt out and not operating the same way I used to. My manager just called me to point out something I missed (material of course) and I didn’t know what to say.

I feel dumb and useless 😭 I can’t even quit because then YE is right around the corner and my teams gonna be screwed but not to throw a pity party here, I’m not making a good impression, I can just tell.

I’ve been with my firm for over 5 years and am currently an audit supervisor. I work under a manager but also manage my own clients independently. I’ve done pretty well in the firm and most managers are highly pleased with my work.

Recently, I asked my manager about a review comment on a financial statement that I didn’t understand. His response was, “Either you don’t understand what you’ve been doing all these years or you forgot. Which is it?”

The funny thing is, I was right to question the review comment, and my initial instinct was correct. I brushed off his response at the time, but it bothered me.

Today, I asked him another question, and instead of answering, he responded, “How many of these forms have you filed already? Serious question.”
I later found out that none of the other supervisors knew the answer either, so it wasn’t exactly a basic question.

I finally spoke up and told him, “I don’t appreciate the condescending language.” He initially denied being condescending and said he was genuinely trying to help. When I brought up the previous day’s comment, he admitted he was “definitely condescending” then. He then said he was tired, became dismissive, and told me to work on my own clients because he didn’t want to deal with me.

Is this kind of behavior common among managers in public accounting? Was I right to call it out? And how would you handle it if it continued?

My boss doesn't have a MIA, but opened up an accounting firm. I worked here for many years and finally got my ACCA, then MIA. Then he wants to put my name as a director for the firm. So he paid for me to get PC Cert (a cert required if you are providing accounting related services). Well, long story short, i have some disagreements with the company doings, and now i've resigned. the PC cert is under my name. I would still wanna find a job elsewhere, but it seems the PC Cert is just wasted. Should i go on and open a sole prop myself?

For some context, I’ve been working as an admin assistant for about a year now. I have an associate’s degree in accounting and recently started going back to school to get my bachelor’s degree in accounting.

The job market is pretty tough here, so while I originally wanted to do something more related to accounting, I decided to take the admin assistant position anyways.

But now that I’m back in school, it’s really making me want a job that’s related to accounting. That way I can start gaining experience in the field while also studying.

Anyways two positions recently opened up internally at my company, one for a payroll clerk and the other for an accounts payable clerk. I’m planning to apply for both, but I was wondering which role might open more doors for me in the future (even if it’s years down the road)

So I guess my question is, which position do you guys think would be more beneficial long-term? Again I’m applying to both so if I am selected for either one I don’t mind, just curious which one might teach me more transferable(?) skills

Honestly I really like my company and the benefits here, I just feel ready to do something other than write memos & letters all day lol

I don't know if this is unique to me but outside of month end close I'm finding myself constantly bored. During ME close I have a solid 6-7 hours of work daily for around a week, but during the rest of the month I struggle to even hit maybe 1.5 hours of actual work daily.

I live in a VHCOL city and have been working fully remote in public accounting for the last 3+ years (prior to COVID, I spent the first 3 years of my career at a small business that grew quickly).

About a year ago, I was promoted to Manager. I didn’t ask for the promotion and while I’ve been really grateful for the opportunity, the last year has made me realize I don’t like managing people and engagements.

My current situation (Manager):
• $133k base + $13k latest bonus
• 100% Remote
• I take the heat for other people's mistakes and dealing with extreme incompetence even if I’ve provided training and guidance as much as I can. Every day feels like my head will be on a spike. My anxiety is through the roof and I can barely get a good night's sleep anymore. On top of the stress, I got bored even though I’m swamped with lots to do. I miss doing the actual hands-on accounting work. I know the ERP inside and out and I genuinely enjoy digging into the weeds to troubleshoot complex transactions and fix exceptions.

To see what’s out there, I applied for a Senior Accountant role in industry. The process moved fast where I did three rounds of interviews over a few days in their office and got an offer. They made it really clear that they liked me and my background is an exact match for what they need.

The Offer (Senior Accountant):
• $122k base + 10% discretionary bonus
• Hybrid (3 days WFH, 2 days in-office)
• Honestly, it feels like a unicorn company. Their business genuinely helps communities which is something I really want to be a part of. Everyone I met was warm and easy to talk to and a lot of the team has been there for years or even decades. The company is also big enough that there’s room to move back up the ladder later if I ever want to. I immediately felt like I’d actually be happy working there.

My Dilemma:
On paper, I’m taking a title demotion, losing about ~$12k in total comp in a VHCOL area and giving up full remote to go into an office twice a week. In exchange - I no longer manage people, no offshore colleagues, go back to the technical ERP/accounting work I actually enjoy, and join a mission-driven company with great culture.

Am I making a mistake taking a step backward on my resume and in pay or is this a no-brainer for my mental health? Has anyone else stepped down from Manager back to an IC/Senior role and did you regret it?

TLDR: Promoted to PA Manager a year ago ($146K TC, remote) but I’m miserable, anxiety is through the roof, and taking the heat for incompetent staff. I’m also missing the hands-on accounting. Got an offer for a Senior Accountant role ($134K TC, 3 days WFH) at a mission-driven "unicorn" company with low turnover and great vibes. Is taking the title and pay cut the wrong career move?

For those of you who left public accounting, what do you miss about it? I am with a large firm and am considering a few compelling offers in private. Having been in public for so long, I am sure there are things that I don’t yet realize I will miss which could sway me back to staying in public.

Currently working in Advisory/Internal Audit at a top 10 firm (not big 4) for 1.5 years making around 100k. Due to the stress, I feel like I’m not really cut out for a job like this. I’m not a great associate by any means of efficient. Might get kicked to the curb soon.

I’m close to finishing my CPA and thinking about making the hop after that into industry for better WLB

I don’t enjoy my job at all and find it incredibly boring and I have no desire to improve anymore. It’s just soul sucking. I have no desire to climb the ladder. Honestly fine being capped as long as it’s 100-150k. Just want to do the bare minimum and get by and live life outside of work.

Any advice or anyone else in a similar spot?

Hi, I’ve been working at a bank as an administrative assistant for 10 months. However, I’m planning to request an internal transfer to become an internal auditor.
I don’t mind interacting with people, but I prefer to avoid confrontation and stressful situations. I enjoy working behind the scenes, reviewing documents, and checking information.
Do you think internal auditing would be a good fit for my personality and experience? I’d appreciate any advice from people working in this field.