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Corporate job these days aren't about performance, it's more about politics and how to push the right buttons and learning how to CC emails to a bunch of people and learning other people's weakness around you and take advantage of them. I knew one of my boss is extremely worrisome of certain issues so I keep bringing them up that I took care of them.
I am a 26 year old tax accountant with 3 years of experience in this field and I simply cannot stand it anymore. I have a bachelor's in business administration and a master's in accounting. While I was in college, I found the accounting subject to be interesting, but in the real world it's just a pain in the arse and not what I thought it would be. To this day, I have only received average evaluations and I'm still often confused and frustrated 50% of the time with not knowing what the hell I'm doing. I started out at 22 years old making $52K and now I'm making $65K here in metro Hartford, CT. I just don't feel like my career is progressing like it should be; I feel like an empty suit.
While I was in college, I was very optimistic about my future and now I'm working at my 3rd job since graduation and not seeing any real progression. I'm still a staff and have never been promoted once. My resume is fabulous and I am a very good interviewer, but I feel like I am only average on the job. Honestly, I don't like what I do.
In addition to this, I am truly disgusted with the corporate environment. Everyone steps on each other's toes, takes credit for other people's work, some people snitch on each other, act extremely phony, and a whole host of other drama that I'm sick and tired of seeing on a day to day basis. Plus, I always seem to get stuck working for a micromanager. I hate it. And making $65K doesn't even seem to be enough these days, in central CT.
This is not the career I envisioned while I was an optimistic college kid with high hopes for the future. What am I supposed to do to resolve this problem?
I thought of a few possible solutions, but I worry about their practicality. Here they are:
Make a major career change. This seems extremely difficult to do in this economy, where there are numerous well qualified people in fields other than accounting. I would have no chance, and most other fields have far less demand than accounting does.
Make a minor career change. Although I have been in tax accounting my whole career, my college degrees should be sufficient for going into another business or accounting related field. But, other business/accounting fields don't really interest me much.
Stay in tax accounting and hope things improve. At this point, it just seems rather bleak. Although I have 3 years of experience, I only feel like I have a legit 1-2 years of experience. My theory is that passion leads to motivation, and motivation leads to success. The problem with this is that I lack passion for tax accounting. The only reason I entered it is because in college there is a big push for accounting students to go into the "Big 4" firms that specialize in tax or audit services only.
Any other suggestions?
Also, my thing is...I don't really care to make a lot of money. I am happy living with a middle class income. This is one of the reasons I lack motivation. I grew up in a wealthy family, lived in a huge house, had vacation homes, a boat, etc, and let me tell you....it's overrated and doesn't guarantee happiness. Plus, I am gay and don't plan on having kids, ever, so there would be no one to support but me. I just don't see the rewards in trying to excel so much and being promoted to a higher position with more stress and responsibility. Everyday I see the seniors and managers and think to myself, "jesus...i don't ever want to be in their shoes." I mean, what does promotion bring, really? More money? Big whoop. I really dont care for having a nicer car and big house. Already lived that lifestyle growing up and it's overrated.
As for a career change, have you looked into lion taming?
OK, kidding aside, have you passed the CPA test yet? If not, that would seem like a good next step for you, and with that you could strike out on your own eventually, or join a small firm that would probably be a more comfortable fit for you.
A decade ago millennials were labeled entitled and lazy by biggest snowflake generation. As it clearly can be seen in the comments. “You should be grateful” “Soul-crushing is normal” they write and that same treatment is what forced me to stay in it for seven years before deciding to leave.
Listening to “other more experienced” people is what destroyed my health. I had gained 45 pounds over seven years. My cholesterol was out of control and my blood pressure was a constant 180/90 well within stroke territory at 33. I was later diagnosed with hypertension open angle glaucoma and type two diabetes. No one in my family ever had glaucoma or diabetes.
Listening to other people when you already know whats best for you gets you where I am now. Best advice is ignore the older generations as their experience is irrelevant and hardly applicable to your future as the world has changed drastically since the 60’s and 70’s. The average salary increase only accounts for inflation and this year 2021 looks to be the year when people will be paid significantly less. If you’re here you already know the field has changed and those that toute the CPA as worth it always have something to sell. The honest advice from a CPA. Things aren’t looking great. They are much worse than have been before. I can’t recommend pursuing a degree or the certification. It’s losing it relevance as technology has taken over. If you’ve across 71 then you already know what most won’t admit. Its fake it till you make it toxic advice.
The upcoming push will be in microbiology and its application to the healthcare industry specifically genetics, Robotics and AI, and Engineering.
Don’t listen to people who say “You should know what you want to do” . That’s more the older generation’s green thumb coming out than anything else. The proof for this can be found in the recordings of Alan Watt’s lectures during the sixties and seventies. “What happens when you only pursue power/pleasure”. As a representative sample of the greater population, many of his students didn’t know what they wanted to do either. Which surprisingly are the same generation of people telling you that “you should know what you want to do”.
Even some of the greatest minds have touted that listening to other people isn’t worth it. As Elon Musk said “ Everyone has an opinion, but few are worth their salt.”
Whatever you choose make plan to dig yourself out of debt before pivoting into your next career or pursuing higher education.
I am a 26 year old tax accountant with 3 years of experience in this field and I simply cannot stand it anymore. I have a bachelor's in business administration and a master's in accounting. While I was in college, I found the accounting subject to be interesting, but in the real world it's just a pain in the arse and not what I thought it would be. To this day, I have only received average evaluations and I'm still often confused and frustrated 50% of the time with not knowing what the hell I'm doing. I started out at 22 years old making $52K and now I'm making $65K here in metro Hartford, CT. I just don't feel like my career is progressing like it should be; I feel like an empty suit.
While I was in college, I was very optimistic about my future and now I'm working at my 3rd job since graduation and not seeing any real progression. I'm still a staff and have never been promoted once. My resume is fabulous and I am a very good interviewer, but I feel like I am only average on the job. Honestly, I don't like what I do.
In addition to this, I am truly disgusted with the corporate environment. Everyone steps on each other's toes, takes credit for other people's work, some people snitch on each other, act extremely phony, and a whole host of other drama that I'm sick and tired of seeing on a day to day basis. Plus, I always seem to get stuck working for a micromanager. I hate it. And making $65K doesn't even seem to be enough these days, in central CT.
This is not the career I envisioned while I was an optimistic college kid with high hopes for the future. What am I supposed to do to resolve this problem?
I thought of a few possible solutions, but I worry about their practicality. Here they are:
Make a major career change. This seems extremely difficult to do in this economy, where there are numerous well qualified people in fields other than accounting. I would have no chance, and most other fields have far less demand than accounting does.
Make a minor career change. Although I have been in tax accounting my whole career, my college degrees should be sufficient for going into another business or accounting related field. But, other business/accounting fields don't really interest me much.
Stay in tax accounting and hope things improve. At this point, it just seems rather bleak. Although I have 3 years of experience, I only feel like I have a legit 1-2 years of experience. My theory is that passion leads to motivation, and motivation leads to success. The problem with this is that I lack passion for tax accounting. The only reason I entered it is because in college there is a big push for accounting students to go into the "Big 4" firms that specialize in tax or audit services only.
Any other suggestions?
Also, my thing is...I don't really care to make a lot of money. I am happy living with a middle class income. This is one of the reasons I lack motivation. I grew up in a wealthy family, lived in a huge house, had vacation homes, a boat, etc, and let me tell you....it's overrated and doesn't guarantee happiness. Plus, I am gay and don't plan on having kids, ever, so there would be no one to support but me. I just don't see the rewards in trying to excel so much and being promoted to a higher position with more stress and responsibility. Everyday I see the seniors and managers and think to myself, "jesus...i don't ever want to be in their shoes." I mean, what does promotion bring, really? More money? Big whoop. I really dont care for having a nicer car and big house. Already lived that lifestyle growing up and it's overrated.
You don’t need a career change, you need an attitude change! The fact that you are disillusioned with corporate America is on you. Didn’t you do an internship or two while in college? You mean to say that with all of your education no one enlightened you to the rat race that is the corporate world? Listen, you need to step back and really think about what it is that’s eating at you, because from the sound of your post it’s just about everything!
Maybe you should focus on self improvement instead of focusing in on all the negativity in the office. What can YOU do to make your work environment better? What do you bring to the table that will help effect positive change? If you say nothing, then you are the problem! No work environment is any better than the people working in it. As one of. Y former bosses loved to say, “are you going to be part of the solution or part of the problem, because those are the only options”.
You don’t need a career change, you need an attitude change! The fact that you are disillusioned with corporate America is on you. Didn’t you do an internship or two while in college? You mean to say that with all of your education no one enlightened you to the rat race that is the corporate world? Listen, you need to step back and really think about what it is that’s eating at you, because from the sound of your post it’s just about everything!
Maybe you should focus on self improvement instead of focusing in on all the negativity in the office. What can YOU do to make your work environment better? What do you bring to the table that will help effect positive change? If you say nothing, then you are the problem! No work environment is any better than the people working in it. As one of. Y former bosses loved to say, “are you going to be part of the solution or part of the problem, because those are the only options”.
This is an eleven year old post. The OP is in his late 30s.
and he is doing much better, still in tax accounting, in Florida btw.
But are they happy, and have they been promoted? Hope they are doing well, regardless. So many jobs are soul crushing, and people just feel locked in, with nowhere else to go, with only worse options that the position they are currently in. I've felt that way for decades but I keep grinding on, knowing the end is near.
Honestly this one is so old that it's interesting again. Would love to have the OP check in and give a brief rundown of the career trajectory since then.
I am in a similar field and I was around the same age and same experience as the OP when the OP was made, would make for some good reading!
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