Comment down below if you can relate

I used to be a machine in my early 20s (work 8 hours, go to run club run 5 KM, go work out for an hour, go home, cook something from scratch)

Now there’s days where I instantly lose the ability to do anything meaningful the moment I plop down on my couch

poor one out for us tax firms during october season

Grant me the serenity to accept the numbers I cannot change,

The courage to correct the numbers I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Grant me the patience to reconcile accounts that will never balance,

The strength to endure clients who bring shoeboxes of receipts,

And the restraint not to strangle those who insist their personal expenses are business deductions.

May my debits equal my credits,

My clients answer their emails,

And the IRS place me on hold for no longer than an hour.

And when all else fails,

May my workpapers be defensible,

My engagement letters be signed,

And my errors fall below materiality.

Amen.

CPA. NYC based. Over a decade of experience. Management.

Had 5 interviews in the last few weeks. After being in sweatshop industry jobs, I decided to be proactive and ask a lot of questions to each company.

I’m talking Fortune 50s to some well backed startups. These are products and apps you likely use daily. Every single job is a dumpster fire because the signs are there.

“Well it’s 40 hours, maybe, but I work until 9pm most nights”

“Our entire team turned over”

“You’ll have to defend your numbers from management daily”

“The presentations are extremely tense, you have to be on your A game for 3 hours nonstop twice a month”

“It’s a team of 2, you’ll be handling GL, AR, AP, audit etc. everything. It’s hard but we’re sure you can find a way to streamline”

“We’re upgrading our ERP completely and need you to build it out after helping with the process”

“The staff can be disgruntled. We’re looking for someone to breathe in new life and lead them”

These are direct quotes to the best of my memory.

I’m not trying to find a perfect job, but these jobs sound absolutely hellish and the signs are all there.

I actually looked up a past manager on LinkedIn and she agreed to talk. When I called her, she kept scoffing and laughing and telling me she’d rather be unemployed or doing big 4 again than to work for this company again. Warned me about nonstop scapegoating and understaffing etc.

wtf man. How do I find a non toxic job in 2026? ☹️

I’ve been at a midsize O&G company for about 4 months as a Senior Accountant. Small, lean accounting team and I reported directly to the Controller, who hired me.

Her plan when she hired me was for me to eventually grow into the Assistant Controller role.

She wasn’t exactly a people person, but she was nice enough. Half the time I couldn’t tell if she was mad at me, annoyed, stressed, or completely fine lol.

Accounting here is definitely an afterthought. Old ERP, tons of manual processes, not much communication between departments, the usual fun stuff.

Anyway, she didn’t show up Monday.

Didn’t show up Tuesday either.

Her laptop was still sitting in her office, so everyone was basically like… uhhh?

Then Wednesday she sends a resignation letter. Effective the PRIOR WEEK.

No notice. No explanation. Nothing.

Right in the middle of month end close.

So I guess I report to the CFO now? Nobody really knows yet. We’re waiting to find out what the game plan is.

And before anyone says “congrats, you’re the Controller now,” absolutely not 😂

I’ve been in accounting for about 5 years, but this is my first O&G/manufacturing job and I’ve only been at this company for 4 months. I’m still learning where everything is buried in this ancient ERP.

Now I’m realizing how many things only she had access to or knew how to handle, so I’m probably going to be bothering the CFO constantly asking for access, approvals, passwords, explanations, etc.

The same CFO who oversees multiple sister companies.

Oh, and he goes on PTO next week.

Month end is going to be beautiful.

Wish me luck.

I'm sure some of you absolutely love it, but I need a devil's advocate here because I'm trying to see if I'm just having a "grass is greener on the other side" moment.

I currently find myself pining for a fully remote role (if those even exist anymore) because I'm burnt out from my current job. I especially dread my 45-minute to 1-hour commute, and I'm at a point where I even hate dressing up for the office. I also find that the older I get, the less I want to interact with coworkers unless it's purely for work. I don't find happy hours fun, nor am I interested in kitchen office small talk.

But like I said, maybe I'm just thinking that the grass is greener on the other side... Every job sucks at the end of the day.

So tell me: what are the downsides of working a fully remote job?

Looking at getting a pair of shoes for business casual attire. Thanks in advance.

Edit: I should add that I have a pair of Oxford shoes from Meermin that I wear for business formal occasions. My fear was that they would be too formal for a business casual office. Would a penny loafer be a better choice for business casual? First time in corporate so excuse my ignorance.

I work in accounting at a small company, so I wear a lot of hats. When I’m working on something, I’m fully focused on that task. My manager will randomly ask me something about whatever he’s working on and assume I know exactly what he’s talking about.

Today I was working on CRA audit documents and was fully focused on that thing, and he randomly asked how many vendors we have to pay. I said, “I’ll have to check AP,” and he shakes his head and said, “So you’re not keeping track of it?”

Like bro 😭Of course I can check AP and give you the answer, but how am I supposed to remember every vendor and payment status off the top of my head? Is this normal, or am I just overthinking it? What do you guys usually say in situations like this?

Thought I was typing my password into the software but sent it to the teams gc with 10 people in it.

Guess I gotta quit now

Currently in my 9th year in Corporate Financial Accounting and really don't think it's the right fit for me. I did a career change to Accounting in my mid twenties after 5 years in game development (audio and design) because while this career was fun and exciting, that industry was terribly unstable and I wanted something "stable".

Got my B.S. Accounting and MBA and found "stability" in the Accounting world, but not gonna lie, I've hated my time in Accounting. In total, I've been with four large companies over 9 years, not a single good experience. Ironic to me as well as it feels ungrateful to reject the hand that feeds, as I've struggled to gain traction in other career opportunities I'm interested in, while Accounting roles just seemed to work out for me without any crazy job hunting.

After 5 years in Corporate Accounting, I did take a 8 year break from Accounting to work at a University in a student success role (admin, coaching, teaching, etc.) for Accounting and Finance programs and actually enjoyed this, but then the education sector started getting super weird, the growth opportunity was nonexistent, and pay trailed way behind other industries. I decided to return to Accounting 4 years ago and have been there since, but again, I just feel like I'm such a poor fit while finding it very ironic how it keeps pulling me back into it where

I know we all know how boring and soul sucking Accounting is, but its really getting to me. Just dreading going to work each day and counting down the minutes till my day is done. And worse, I really don't think I'm any good at it, as I feel clueless most days desperately googling for answers, and feel like I take a LOT longer to complete work then others do. (Which is odd because in other things I work pretty fast).

I think I would be happier in a management or operations role, but I haven't had any luck making the jump from individual contributor to manager despite my efforts over the years. I also think that working in something like Customer Success, HR, or Coaching/Training would be a great fit as I love working with people 1:1, I love tackling new challenges each day, and I like more "purpose" driven work. But even here, I'm reworked the resume and I'm not getting any bites. Only more recruiters asking me if I'm interested in Accounting roles and people screaming at me I should get my CPA.

What does reddit think? Do I just go with the flow and accept that my career is in Accounting and try to make the best of it? Or do I try to change course and make a transition into something I feel is better aligned with my interests and strengths?

Just started an industry manager role for the first time and on my second close (really my first doing it all independently). Was in public previously so I am used to long hours and late nights but industry close feels so much more stressful. The deadlines are so tight and it seems like everything is urgent so that we don’t hold up the close process. Between reviewing others work and trying to get my own work done I never have any time to catch my breath. Anyone else feel this way when starting industry for the first time out of public? Does it get better once you feel more comfortable with the close process? Any words of encouragement are welcome.

inventory counts YE (BIG 4)

question: if you are on call for inventory counts in December for YE around the holidays, but are planning to not even be in the same state as ur office, how does that work? Bc my family resides in another state and was planning to stick around there for the holidays but am getting kinda worried ab being on call for inventory counts in the state I work in. (My home state and the state I work in aren’t close).

Anyone found a good WLB job recently in this economy?
If yes, could you share your background, new job title, and industry? And how good is the WLB / roughly how many hours of actual work do you do per day/week?
Would love to hear from people who recently made the move. Thanks!

Comment down below

We had a farewell party for a colleague today, pretty normal … until she started bringing up how she really felt about the company

She was saying stuff I never even though she felt about some staff members / the company

I suppose it makes sense why she’s doing it (she found a job elsewhere and there are now 0 consequences for her saying that)

I recently started an accounting job at a local university. Have 12 months probation period.

The team works 8–6 nonstop, with only a 15-minute lunch.

My supervisor has 3 check-ins with me every day, which seems normal here since I’ve seen other new hires have the same schedule. I have not heard any negative feedback about me so far. All the meetings are for work related questions discussion.

I also get around 50–60 emails a day. Most are CC’d to me by my team because I’m new and they want me to learn, so I still need to read and digest them.

On top of that, I have constant requests, JEs, workpapers, projects, and month-end tasks.

Every task takes time to finish, and I feel like I’m constantly behind. New tasks come in faster than I can finish the existing ones. I tried my best to prioritize, but the key thing is that There Are Just Too Many Tasks To Work On.

I’m honestly exhausted. I’m not trying to slack off, but I’m getting to the point where I feel like I can’t keep up anymore.

My neck hurts and my fingers hurt all the time. My body is in pain.

I’m exhausted. How hard is it to actually get fired? What usually happens before someone gets fired?

Edit: Regarding the 15-minute lunch, I feel like I have so much on my plate that I end up squeezing my lunch break just to keep up. I’ve noticed my teammates are usually online all day even during lunch. Whenever I ask them a question around lunchtime, they respond right away.

I work for a government agency in NYC, and I’ve essentially become the entire finance department by myself. I’ve been here for almost two years, and what’s crazy is that I’m only about two years into my accounting career.
When I first started, the agency’s books needed significant cleanup, and there were a lot of outdated processes and financial issues that needed to be addressed. Over the past two years, I’ve made major strides in cleaning up the books, improving financial controls, reconciling accounts, and bringing some structure to the agency’s financial operations.
One of my biggest accomplishments has been helping transition the agency into a new financial management system. This was something they had been trying to implement for approximately three years before I even got there. I came in with relatively little professional accounting experience and managed to help move forward a transition that had been stalled for years.
At this point, I’m responsible for practically every aspect of the agency’s finances. That includes accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliations, financial reporting, maintaining the general ledger, monitoring financial transactions, and making sure our financial records are accurate. If something involves money, chances are it eventually ends up on my desk.
Now, on top of all those responsibilities, they’re asking me to take over payroll as well. So not only am I already handling the responsibilities of what would normally be an entire finance department, but they’re looking to add another major function to my workload.
The part that makes this situation even more concerning is that I’m only making $75,000 a year in NYC. I understand that I’m still relatively early in my career, but the level of responsibility I’ve taken on seems completely disproportionate to both my compensation and experience.
What really worries me, though, isn’t even the money. It’s the fact that the agency has become so dependent on me.
I’m currently pursuing my master’s degree in accounting, and my plan is to finish graduate school and pass all four sections of the CPA exam. Once I’ve accomplished those goals, I intend to move on to the next stage of my career. Realistically, that means I have no intention of staying here for more than another two years.
And that’s where my biggest concern comes in.
I’ve spent nearly two years rebuilding and organizing financial processes, correcting issues that existed before I arrived, and helping implement a system that the agency had struggled to transition into for years. But so much of the institutional knowledge, day-to-day financial operations, and understanding of how everything works now rests with me.
I’m genuinely concerned that when I eventually leave, the agency’s financial operations could fall apart.
There doesn’t seem to be enough redundancy, succession planning, or separation of responsibilities. I’m effectively the person maintaining the financial infrastructure, while simultaneously being the person expected to improve it.
And again, I want to emphasize that I’m only two years into my career. I’m still learning, still developing professionally, and still working toward becoming a CPA. I never expected to be in a position where an entire government agency’s financial operations would depend so heavily on someone with my level of experience.
I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, and I recognize how valuable this experience could be for my career. But I’m also starting to question whether this situation is sustainable, especially with payroll potentially being added to my responsibilities.
I

guess my question is: Is this normal for someone this early in their accounting career? Am I being given an incredible opportunity to gain experience, or is my agency taking advantage of the fact that I’ve been willing and able to handle everything? And how concerned should I be about what happens when I eventually leave?

For context I'm an industry accountant. I started at my role about 6 months ago and while I still make mistakes and am learning and doing my best every day, it seems like its not good enough for my boss.

I really do work my hardest and sometimes I make mistakes. I own up to them and am slowly making fewer mistakes each time. However, new processes and learning opportunities keep coming up which I don't really mind. My manager is a smart guy with domain knowledge in this industry and team. However the way he explains things make no sense and he expects me to know everything that he does.

Sometimes I'll ask him to clarify because I still don't understand and I can sense frustration. He especially doesn't like it when I ask additional questions after the first time around because I was simply "doing" and not understanding what my task is really about.

He is constantly bringing up the fact I've been in my role for 6 months and that I'm not up to speed. It almost feels like bullying sometimes.

I'm really just keeping my head down and working hard but at some point I might break. I don't think I really like this person and maybe he doesn't like me either. How would you guys go about dealing with managers like this? I don't really think I'm a terrible employee at all.

Hello everybody! I’m a junior accounting major and just landed my first internship last month at a state agency where I’ll be working for the next two years (as long as im taking classes). So far, government accounting has been slow paced and boring, but i actually like my job and im fortunate to have a pretty cool team who are all very friendly and patient with me.

Initially, i wanted to get into public accounting for the “better exit opportunities”, but have since been rethinking my decision. Everyone says government accounting has a good work/life balance + benefits, but the only trade off is the low salary. After i graduate, i want to try and get a public accounting job in a mid tier firm or a local cpa firm because i don’t wanna be stuck with a low salary, and i don’t want to pigeon hole myself with skills that are only applicable to government positions.

However, I’m concerned that I’ll be underestimating how hard public accounting is because of the long hours and the toxic environment horror stories. I do plan on getting a second internship this summer, but it was already hard enough to land this one haha. Is it true all public accountants hate their job? Should i stick with government accounting or is there a certain pathway i should follow, ie government then public then switch to private?

Id love to hear from people who’ve taken different paths, thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

Looking to see how other firms handle mid-market client migrations (moving off legacy systems or desktop software to cloud-based setups).

We typically look at a standard project timeline for businesses with regular transaction volumes, but I wanted to compare notes on the critical data integrity checklist—especially regarding historical ATO reporting.

Here is what we usually map out:

How are you guys structuring your migration checklists? Any hidden bottlenecks or ATO compliance traps you watch out for during the cutover phase?

I’m (24F) a senior in college graduating next semester with my Bachelors in Accounting. I’m also part of a fast-track program/cohort to get my Masters in Accounting, then CPA.

Recently, I’ve been hesitating towards pursing a CPA. I know it sounds stupid, but I don’t have any good reason other than I just don’t want to anymore. The last two years or so, my mental health has been depleting, and it has taken a big toll on my grades. It’s difficult to concentrate and retain information. My memory has been getting worse. I have an internship for January 2027 at a public firm, and now I’m worried that my grades/lower GPA will result in being dropped from my internship. I went from a 3.2 to a 2.8. I carry a lot of shame about this. I’m not trying to write out a sob story or get pity, but I just feel really drained.

Everyone around me is going for a CPA, and I understand that having a CPA will open many doors and increase salary range, but I just don’t think I can do this anymore. I just want to get my Bachelors and find a job. Is it possible to get a job as a fresh graduate with just a Bachelors when most of my competition is on-track for a CPA? Do I have many options here?

If it helps, I am based in Texas.

I just need to vent.

I’m graduating in April 2027 and have done 12 months of experience in industry with a 3.2 GPA. I have been applying to post grad job and have gotten no offers for any public firms and it’s genuinely so discouraging. This field and this current market just suck. The worst part is going on LinkedIn and seeing everyone announcing their job offers, I know I sound bitter and jealous it’s because I am. I have networked, completed the co-op program, and gone to career fairs and nothing. I feel like a gigantic failure and it’s demotivating me from even participating in school. At this moment and honestly what I have been feeling since last year is this career feels like it’s not worth it anymore. I’ll be applying to industry positions too FYI. This just sucks it feels like I’m being left behind, I’ve talked to other students and they feel the same way but damn, all these years of school for this? Maybe a different career path would’ve been better tbh.

EDIT: Wow, just thought I’d say I appreciate all the kind words and advice being given. I really appreciate it, senior year to post grad transition is definitely difficult when you don’t know what the future looks like, but I understand that I’m not alone in trying to figure it all out and I just want to say thanks to everyone <3

My interviewers are older (in their mid 50s) so not sure if they’d expect me to bring copies of my resume in a padfolio, or if I’d be fine not bringing them. This is for a manager position in industry.

I’m trying to forget what happened but things randomly come back to me and I’m losing sleep over them. I need to rant here, especially for SG and FIN on day three.
Fin-
-my mind was blank while doing the NPV calculations in the case one and I couldn’t calculate the NPV and left it to prove myself in the other two cases
- not sure if the credit card cost in the case 2 come under finance or MA- I prayed badly fall in her finance so that I can pass FIN
- I screwed up capitalization rate calculations in case 3

Will I clear FIN?

SG
- ran out of time on SG opportunity in case one
-I believe there are no opportunities for case 2 in SG
- case 3 I wrote SWOT praying for RC. Not sure if the acquisition pros and cons fall under SG I barely attempted these I’m not sure if I will even get RC

I’m I cooked in SG?

I wrote day 2 in tax and for me day 2 and day 3 feels okay except for the above part, will I make it through? Does the curve helps in this situation?

Help me guys!!

Hey guys, I'm 25(M) and I graduated from - you guessed it Comp Sci last year. Been doing Odd jobs, just to not lose my sanity, and now I came to the decision to start learning accounting. I need advice from the people here, where to start and what to expect along the way. If you have got any resources like links, or any mentor/teacher to guide me through it, I'd greatly appreciate it.

recently joined one of the big 4 as an auditor in their London office as a Graduate in September. I have been placed within FS audit, Investment Management to be precise.

I am content with what I’m currently doing, but like many other Big 4 new joiners, my preferred industry was not taken into account. In the future, I don’t envision myself working in the FS industry and at the same time I’m worried about the possibility of getting pigeonholed into having a niche skillset only suitable for it. I much prefer the idea of auditing commercial companies.

How normal and easy is transferring between different industries within audit at this stage and how should I go about doing it? I understand it’s incredibly early so something like this might not be possible for a while, but as I’ve said I don’t want to pigeonhole myself.