UT Austin / Accounting Jobs (Howe: daycares, student loan, look for a job)

[Parsec]

We are a family of 3 with an infant. My wife was thinking of attending UT Austin for her masters degree, so I have a couple questions about the area. I realize the city is known for its tech jobs, so will I have a hard time finding a job in public accounting? I would prefer not to work for the 'Big 4' due to the long hours and traveling, so is there any presence of mid-tier firms in the city?

Also, we would have to put our daughter into daycare while my wife is in classes. Does anyone know if the university has a daycare? Would it even be possible to pay for daycare, college, and all of our expenses on a $40k salary?

[traceyr13]

Hi - I work at UT Austin and have children, so I know about the daycare. There is a childcare center on campus, run in conjunction with the early childhood education department, that has an excellent reputation. One of my colleagues has her children there and has been very happy.

However, the waiting list is LONG. I put my children on the waiting list back in the fall, and was just notified that they had room for them this upcoming fall (and my kids are a bit older, ie not infant/young toddler, when the wait is longer from what I hear).

The price is much lower than other daycares in the area, and you pay less as a student than as a faculty/staff.

HTH

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Parsec

We are a family of 3 with an infant. My wife was thinking of attending UT Austin for her masters degree, so I have a couple questions about the area. I realize the city is known for its tech jobs, so will I have a hard time finding a job in public accounting? I would prefer not to work for the 'Big 4' due to the long hours and traveling, so is there any presence of mid-tier firms in the city?

Also, we would have to put our daughter into daycare while my wife is in classes. Does anyone know if the university has a daycare? Would it even be possible to pay for daycare, college, and all of our expenses on a $40k salary?

Our accountant makes about 42/hour

Some of the local accounting firms like maxwell locke and ritter are probably always looking for people and there wouldnt be any travel.

We are looking for a bookkeeper now and plan to pay about 30-40K so I would expect a full accountant to cost more

[Austinitegirl]

Hi there:

I'm not an accountant, but I really don't think you'll have any trouble finding a decent job. This city is fairly affluent (ergo the need for people to help keep track of the affluence). And I think a target salary of $40K is more than reasonable if you have a Bachelor's degree. As far as whether or not that will cover your expenses.... eek - I'm not sure. My husband and I make $63 combined and we get by - but we don't have any children or own a home. BUT we have a lot of student loan debt and that kind of stuff dragging us down, so I'm sure if you're relatively debt-free and have some savvy personal finance skills - you could eek by on $40K in this town - if you live out in the suburbs and own a fuel-efficient car.

I work for UT and, although I don't have any children, I do know about the daycare - it has an excellent reputation and is comparatively cheap (especially if you work at UT). You should look for a job at UT - they're always in need of accountants and the bennies are pretty good (very family-friendly).