22 year old college grad

[bmw335xi]

San Francisco and the Bay Area are hiring entry-level accountants starting in the low-mid $50k range. My GF just graduated college and was offered a position at pwc starting in the early $50k range with great benefits, if she gets her CPA in one year from the time of employment, she will get a $5k bonus. 100% of her friends that looked for accounting jobs in the Bay Area found jobs. Apply at all the big public accounting firms. Hopefully you have some accounting experience during college such as a summer internship. I don't know if you'll be able to check, but USF (University of San Francisco) gets a lot of job openings in their career center from accounting firms.

Good luck!

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by cardozoj

Most online "cost of living calculators" understate significantly the cost of living in San Francisco, because they use "average rent" or "average mortgage payment" figures, rather than doing an apples-to-apples comparison on housing that compares the cost of same size house in an area of similar demographics between two locales. Additionally, most do not seem to properly take into account the tax implications that flow from the higher cost of living/higher income situation here. To have an equivalent lifestyle to say $40K/year in middle America, you need to earn a minimum of $100K here (really substantially more than that but I don't want to argue with the people who come out of the woodwork). I make just over $200K (long story, don't get your hopes up), and I would say that I am doing only slightly better than I was when I made $46K living in Denver a few years ago. I eat out more often but my apartment is worse.

DC suburbs (where a Maryland grad with an accounting degree will likely find a job locally) have very high cost of living as well. As a California transplant to DC, I was one of the only people not shocked by how expensive rent is here. My coworker is about to transfer from our DC office to our San Francisco one next month, and his rent on a similar apartment with similar commute is only $50/month more.

Yes, the bay area is expensive (understatement!) However, the bay area is not the only place in the country with expensive rent...

OP, your trouble is going to come with having a degree from a relatively unheard of university. The name will mean absolutely nothing on the west coast. I know, because I tried to get a job in LA after graduation, to move close to family. In DC, I went 5/5 on interviews to job offers. In LA, it was 1/4. Recruiters there know the programs at UC's/Cal States, and will hire those grads before looking afar. If you have a family address in the state you can use, that will help--but even so, your best bet is probably to get experience at a big 4 here in DC, and then head out there in 2-3 years when you have a big name on your resume. I've worked in my field for 3.5 years now, and would feel much more confident interviewing out there today.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Lucania

I'm 22 years old, living in Maryland. I'll be graduating from college this May with a degree in accounting, and should have enough credits to sit for CPA exam etc.

I'm curious about the job markets in California. From my research, it seems like the Bay Area has by far the best pay scale, but I know that it also has a very high cost of living.

My interest in California largely comes from the fact that the state offers such incredible natural beauty like the Sierras, Death Valley, the coast ranges. I'm a nature lover at heart, and I like the idea of recreational settings that are unavailable on the east coast (especially the mountain climbing). It also offers lots in the way of cultural/social opportunities, moreso than other western states.

I don't mind living in a dangerous and/or crummy town or suburb to get started as long as I can make a reasonable commute to a job. I don't care about the beach or the water, so that's not a priority for me.

Given this background, I have a few questions:

1) How is the job market for entry-level accounting or finance type work in the Bay area? Any city; SJ, SF, Oakland etc. would be fine.

2) More generally, are there any other areas of the state that I should consider? Again, the beach means nothing to me and I'm willing to live in a more dangerous area but it would be nice to have an array of cultural/social opportunities within driving distance.

3) How much trouble would my out-of-state status cause me in searching for jobs there? I didn't go to a name-brand school, just a reasonable school with a good reputation locally. My GPA is excellent, though, so that may help a bit.

If you can make 50K to start you will be ok, under that will mean sharing an apartment and not a very big one or renting a room in someone's home. That, plus even finding a job will not be easy as there are so many grads from the top CA schools applying, plus it seems accounting has become a very trendy major.

This doesn't mean you should give up on Ca, it does have a lot of natural beauty and can be a fun place for a young grad. Your best option is to just keep watchin the net and see if anything meets your qualifications, then apply. You have nothing to lose, but don't hold your breath.

BTW, have you visited Ca and the bay area? IF you haven't you might want to take a week or two and see if, indeed it is what you think it is.

Nita

[aswedc]

I recommend you pay no attention to the people who are making it all about cost.

I moved to the Bay Area from the east coast out of college to work in accounting, and left not having saved a penny. But it was all worth it. If you are looking for natural beauty, social and cultural opportunities, don't think twice, you've got the right place.

[missionhome]

With regards to accounting jobs, public accounting firms like Deloitte, Ernst and Young, PWC, KPMG, Moss Adams, Grant Thorton, BDO, etc... usually exclusively higher students from the universities in their area. For the Bay Area that means UC Berkeley, UC Davis, University of San Francisco, Stanford, etc... Sometimes they send recruiters down to UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as well. Come interview time they usually have gotten to know these students for two years through the "Summer Development Program" and Summer Internships that they already know who they really want to hire out of college. Unless you are a standout from Harvard or something, there is no way they are picking you over the kid from Stanford or Berkeley they have gotten to know through internships. You will lack the personal connection with recruiters and a degree from a university they recruit from and probably won't get an interview.

Your best shot is starting out for a small independent company probably or a really smart local accountant office with a few employees. But a major public accountant firm??? Not good odds. Just being honest. I'd still submit a resume to the big firms in the Bay Area, just don't be surprised if you don't get a call back for an interview.

---One question: Did you do internships and leadership programs with the big firms out by your university??? I have heard of students that started recruitment in one city with a firm and then decided they needed to live elsewhere and then gotten recommendations from the recruiters they were with to another branch of the firm in another city because they were a standout in the recruitment process.

[aswedc]

Originally Posted by missionhome

With regards to accounting jobs, public accounting firms like Deloitte, Ernst and Young, PWC, KPMG, Moss Adams, Grant Thorton, BDO, etc... usually exclusively higher students from the universities in their area. For the Bay Area that means UC Berkeley, UC Davis, University of San Francisco, Stanford, etc... Sometimes they send recruiters down to UCLA, USC, Loyola Marymount, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as well.

Hahaha...the accounting firms wish they could recruit from Stanford.

Originally Posted by missionhome

Come interview time they usually have gotten to know these students for two years through the "Summer Development Program" and Summer Internships that they already know who they really want to hire out of college. Unless you are a standout from Harvard or something, there is no way they are picking you over the kid from Stanford or Berkeley they have gotten to know through internships. You will lack the personal connection with recruiters and a degree from a university they recruit from and probably won't get an interview.

No, it's not that hard. If the economy continues to recover you will have a very good shot at a full-time offer if you go to a decent one year masters program. It was not difficult at all before the recession.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by aswedc

I recommend you pay no attention to the people who are making it all about cost.

I moved to the Bay Area from the east coast out of college to work in accounting, and left not having saved a penny. But it was all worth it. If you are looking for natural beauty, social and cultural opportunities, don't think twice, you've got the right place.

and was that in the last year or two? of course it has to do with cost of living. Anyone, regardless of age that thinks it doesn't isn't being realistic. This doesn't mean a person shouldn't consider moving to the area, but they do need to be prepared for what they will be getting and not getting.

Nita

[totsuka]

Go ahead...so you don't regret not doing it the rest of your life..just live simple..small apartment, cheap affordable car, craigslist/garage sales for furniture etc....enjoy the experience..then if you can't make it..move...if you could get someone to move with you that is a better idea...you always need some help...someone you can trust...