I hated my internship. Now what? (kind of long) (owner, degree, accountants)
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So I'm an accounting major and I interned at a medium sized, regional, CPA firm this spring. It was a part-time Tax internship.
It was horrible and now I can barely motivate myself to study because that job has confirmed how boring and soulless accounting is. I have to read a 50 page chapter about accounting for pensions and I can't bring myself to do it.
Everyone I worked with (Tax Seniors & Managers) seemed to hate their jobs and joke about how boring the work was. The tax senior I worked closely with seemed extremely miserable and always talked about how this job was too much pressure for her and joked about quitting or moving to the other side of the country. She seemed like a depressed person and yes, used me as a punching bag.
Everyone there was really "white bread" and the same in terms of personality (boring). They are all from New Hampshire and Maine even though this firm is not located in either of those states.
On my last day, two of the managers were talking about their regrets, bitching, etc. These are people who I assume make 100k a year more or less.
One was saying that when he described the day to day aspects of his job to his college friend that upon listening to himself he couldn't believe how boring and uninteresting his job sounded. The other manager said she wished she went into sales instead because there is more $ and less hours.
Also one of the seniors that trained me said that for the level of education a CPA must have we are paid very low salaries. He was one of the firms rising stars, recently promoted, and clearly being groomed for leadership one day.
After meeting so many dissatisfied people who were willing to air their grievances around me, I can't see myself being a CPA nor can I see myself being an AP clerk.
Now what? I'm middle class and don't have family to fall back on. I can't just switch majors to basket weaving but I can't see myself doing this kind of work. Here are other reasons I didn't like it.
*No contact whatsoever with clients. I would have to wait until I have been in the field for 5+ years to actually talk to a client. I am a social person, I just need some type of human interaction.
*Being around depressed, angry people rubs off on me. I would go to work in a great mood and leave depressed.
*100% white bread staff with boring personalities. Is this how the whole field is?
The actual preparing of tax returns was okay, but everything else about this job was hell.
The great thing about internships is that you can find out what you DON'T want to do as much as what you want to do. That's just as important. What if you waited until you graduated? Although perhaps you should do another internship and found out if it's just the people you disliked or the work itself.
When I was working toward my B.A. (in English and Journalism) I worked part-time in the Business and Marketing Department at my university. It was amazing to see how many Accounting majors came in with the paperwork to switch to a Marketing major. Apparently they loved math and thought they would love accounting -- but they found it incredibly tedious crunching numbers all day. Marketing had far more variety and they could still use their talent for math.
I never understood how people could go into accounting.
$$$
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewJerseyMemories
It was amazing to see how many Accounting majors came in with the paperwork to switch to a Marketing major. Apparently they loved math and thought they would love accounting -- but they found it incredibly tedious crunching numbers all day. Marketing had far more variety and they could still use their talent for math.
Yep, when the marketing majors get that Starbucks job after graduating they will need math skills for adding up the change in the cash register.
Yep, when the marketing majors get that Starbucks job after graduating they will need math skills for adding up the change in the cash register.
Yeah, not many jobs in advertising. Marketing majors often go into outside sales, where you are on 100% commission. That's definitely not for everyone. The other alternative is Starbucks.
Yeah, not many jobs in advertising. Marketing majors often go into outside sales, where you are on 100% commission. That's definitely not for everyone. The other alternative is Starbucks.
You can become a salesman without a college degree.
I was a tax accountant for a couple of years, did some bookkeeping for a short while, and now I am an auditor. Incredibly boring work and miserable coworkers has been my experience in all three of these sub-fields. On the other hand, I have maintained a solid middle-class lifestyle and if I were to lose my job tomorrow, I know that there will be plenty of other opportunities as accounting is a relatively stable field. It's a tradeoff. That's how I look at it.
Unfortunately, this has basically been my experience as well. I started out in auditing (I'm not a CPA). My mother-in-law is a CPA and I think she is pretty miserable; she stays with us two nights a week and pretty much complains about her job all night. It's particularly annoying since I dislike my job too, but I spare everyone else that misery by not talking about it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChargerMatt
I never understood how people could go into accounting. It just seems soooooooooooo vanilla.
Have you considered forensic accounting or internal auditing? I mean, with internal auditing at least the company hates you so it spices the day up.
Or, switch to psychoceramics.
I'm in compliance now and work closely with internal audit. People hate compliance too. It doesn't add as much flavor to the day as you'd think...
To the OP, honestly, I am trying to figure out how to change careers right now. I graduated in 2004 and I've been in audit, compliance, and accounting since then. The money is great, but as you said, I wake up feeling good and energized and by the time I get home I'm depressed and tired. I live for the weekends. I'm pretty isolated at my job so by the time Friday rolls around I am desperate for some interaction and I tend to book my weekends with a lot of social events.
The one thing I do have is money right now, so I'm seeing a career counselor and trying to figure out what I should do with myself. Hopefully I will have some clarity on that soon. I saw one of those class counselor people when I was still in college about changing majors... it was less than useless. I think a business/accounting background is a good one to have, particularly if you think you may want to go in to business for yourself. I also am confident that there are other jobs and environments I can work in with the background that I have. So, I don't think the past 9 years have been wasted, even though I am not in love with where I work (like you, the work itself isn't so bad... I just don't have enough of it and the people are depressing).
OP. Don't be discouraged. Your major or intial career choice does not define what you will do for the rest of your life. Many people start out in jobs they don't really care about their first few years out of college, but once you get some experience you can move on to other things. Most people who start with CPA firms move on to other things. You have your whole life to figure things out. At this point, its not worth switching majors. I knew people who had degrees in entrepreneurship who worked in accounting. English degrees who worked in marketing.
My father is an accountant. A farm accident made him go back to school after 20+ years of being a farmer. The only school close by, that had a major he thought would pay the bills, offered accounting. Now he has his own office and specializes in agriculture. I can tell you - his job is NOT boring, and he has some incredibly huge clients (from all over the US) for a little firm in the midwest. It's really hard to find an accountant who understands both ag and business, so to say he's found an under-served niche is an understatement. He gets pulled into all kinds of financial business where farmers and non-farmers need someone who can translate between the two worlds.
However before he was on his own, he had to work for a larger firm for several years. I can pretty much say that his experience was somewhat like yours. Only somewhat though. He raised a lot of eyebrows there and pretty much was a loose cannon. Not something that the rest of the accounting world entirely approves of, but since he always got the annual bonus for bringing in the most clients - they were inclined to be more accepting of it than they would have been with a new grad. Eventually he left them to start his own practice. He does maintain a friendly association with them, and they refer work back and forth, but he's much, much happier on his own.
He's not making massive amounts of $$ though. For years he was growing so fast that everything had to go right back into the business, and he keeps some pretty intense hours (and makes house calls to ranches out in the middle of nowhere). I daresay he wouldn't have it any other way though.
Best wishes finding your own niche OP! The world needs good accountants, and there are places where you can truly feel like you make a difference to your clients.
I'm not an accountant, but i am in a similar field. I wouldn't base anything off of an internship, that's hasty. Try different job environments/areas of accounting first. I'd say if it's your 3rd accounting job and you still hate it, then it's time for a different path.
If it pays decently, hours are good, you're good at the work, and co-workers are 90% nice, the boredom can be tolerated at least for several years.
Perhaps go into Law...and become an Entertainment Lawyer...Your accounting background would likely be an asset. Look for areas where accounting degree would be an asset. I believe you could also go into some Federal jobs.
In short, explore some diversities in your field. Find your niche, as now you've learned what isn't "It" from your recent experience. Do some exploring...Here are just a few random links. Lots of doors may open for you, think outside the box. Good luck to you. Job outlook positive for diverse accounting-based careers - 13 WTHR Indianapolis Is the field of economics as diverse as physics? - Quora Announcement
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