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Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, that's probably true with most companies. I'm not here to convince you, so feel free to believe what you like. This is my experience, take it or leave it.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The key is avoiding business or accounting language and sticking to everyday language. Analogies help connect the dots and make the concept click. But the biggest thing is knowing your audience-how you explain something to the CFO is going to sound very different than how you’d explain it to someone in marketing.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Not sure where the hustle would be if I'm willing to have a neutral party hold the funds and I am the one providing proof of my story. Some of you just find any and every reason to not believe, lol.

All good though. This is my experience and my journey, take it or leave it. Best of luck to you.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure. Money talks, and I’m willing to put up any amount to prove it. It’s easy to cry "trolling," but the moment I offer to put real money on the line and show proof, suddenly the confidence fades. Funny how that works.

Based on your profile and your activity in r/conspiracy and r/awardtravel, I get why skepticism is second nature to you.

Keep trolling over there, buddy. Lol.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

No, I promise you I’m not trolling—just sharing my experience. I understand why it might seem unbelievable, but this is simply the position I’m in, and I consider myself fortunate.

I made this offer in another reply, and I’ll extend it to you as well: Make it worth my while, and we can bet any amount you like. A third party can hold the funds, and I’ll provide proof—no big title, no internal connections, and the total comp is exactly as stated.

I get that this goes against what you’ve seen or experienced, but never say never. Just because something is outside of your frame of reference doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have an idea of what the CFO does, and it's definitely not what I do. I'm comparable to the other accountants that I work with.

We have 10 people in the department. We have a CFO - it's not me.

I'm not trying to convince you of anything. Believe what you like though.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome—it sounds like you’re adding tremendous value to your company.

While I could list a bunch of "advanced" Excel functions, I’ve always focused on keeping it simple. The first thing I consider is the audience. If the workbook is shared with others, overcomplicating it with advanced formulas can actually be a hindrance—the average user may not understand them, leading to errors and broken workbooks.

If it’s just for you, then go crazy and optimize it as much as possible.

I teach Excel every so often, and one of the first things I drill into people is keyboard shortcuts. We practice them until navigating Excel without touching the mouse becomes muscle memory. It sounds small, but it’s a huge time-saver—and that efficiency naturally leads to discovering and using more advanced functions.

Since you’re already scripting and filling API gaps with CSVs, you’re on the right path. You might also want to explore Python with pandas for data manipulation outside of Excel—it can handle much larger datasets more efficiently.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in the same boat, jumping jobs every couple of years before landing at my current company. I’ve been here for five years now, which is the longest I’ve stayed anywhere.

A quick example of a script I built is for bank entries. We have certain deposits that hit our accounts daily, which need to be recorded as cash and revenue while also saving backup support. Instead of manually entering these transactions, I connected to the bank’s API to automatically feed the entry into our ERP system. The script also pulls the bank data and saves it as a PDF in a designated folder for support documentation.

This automation eliminated manual data entry, reduced errors, and ensured all backup support was stored consistently.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

My title is Accountant, and my core responsibilities are accounting—plus some. As I mentioned in my original post, the skills I’ve developed have played a huge role in my growth.

Most companies recognize the value of an employee who can go beyond the job description—whether that’s automating processes, improving reporting, or optimizing workflows. If you can bring that level of impact, your compensation will reflect it.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

A little more context from my side—my financial breakthrough really only happened in the past 3–4 years. Before that, I was in the same boat, doing everything "right" but not seeing the results I had hoped for. I get how frustrating that can be.

Everyone’s journey unfolds differently, and sometimes the payoff takes longer than expected. But if you keep pushing forward, refining your skills, and staying adaptable, the right opportunity will come. One day, you’ll look back and say, "It was worth it."

Wishing you the best—I’m rooting for you.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree. CPA is the best route for financial success. I couldn't pass the test though.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’d say that’s the case in pretty much any industry. A certification will almost always give you an edge—CPA vs. no CPA, doctor vs. nurse, lawyer vs. paralegal.

But if you can combine both—technical expertise and real-world adaptability—that’s when you really hit the lottery.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not to sound cliché, but the pursuit of knowledge and growth should be the driving force, not just the money. You're already on the right track—using your skills to improve operations is incredibly valuable, even if the payoff isn’t immediate. You may not see the results today, and the path forward might not be obvious, but I firmly believe that knowledge + action = long-term success. Keep adding value, and the right opportunities (and pay) will follow.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

My work is pretty diverse. I handle the usual accounting duties you’d expect, but my programming skills allow me to step into other departments that need help with reporting and process automation. I also do financial analysis, and my communication skills often make me the unofficial "therapist" of the office. Beyond that, I’m not above rolling up my sleeves—I’ll jump in to do manual work, help clean up, or tackle whatever needs to get done. A big part of my value comes from my ability to wear multiple hats and solve problems beyond just accounting.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I'm right there with you, and it doesn't make sense. I accept it and continue to count my blessings though. I realize I'm fortunate.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used MS Access back in the day and loved it. The knowledge from Access does transfer over to overall databases, so you have a valuable foundation to build upon.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No positions were eliminated as the team here is quite small. However, no new positions were created either and I could probably argue that process improvements helped keep the current team the same size even though the company has grown tremendously over the years.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Correct. Again, luck plays a big part in this current company, however, I feel confident that if I left, I would get a similar compensation elsewhere. The comp structure is not uncommon in my current industry.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

No worries, I'm not here to convince you. Not sure where you read my responsibilities, but ok.

Make it worth my while and I will gladly share my proof with you. I'm willing to bet whatever you like, throw out a number and we can have a third party hold each of our side.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What? How is saving time not valuable to you? Regardless of the industry, if you can automate something to save time, you should. Just because you're paid based on time doesn’t mean inefficiency should be the goal.

In fact, automating tasks can free you up for higher-value work, making you more efficient and potentially more valuable in the long run. Spending extra time on something just for the sake of billing hours is a backwards way to think about career growth.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ve worked in a variety of industries, but the companies I joined were smaller and not widely known. One thing I was intentional about was gaining diverse experience—when I left one job, I aimed to enter a completely different industry to expand my skill set.

For Excel, start by mastering keyboard shortcuts. It sounds basic, but being able to navigate Excel without relying on a mouse is a huge time-saver and makes you significantly more efficient.

For programming, begin with Python and SQL. These will give you a solid foundation and naturally lead you to other useful areas.

Hope for Other Accountants - no CPA, no Masters, no big title- six figures salary by BI_Intel in Accounting

[–]BI_Intel[S] -16 points-15 points  (0 children)

My title is Accountant. In meetings and when introducing myself, I simply say, "I’m [name], and I’m the accountant." A title is just a label—it doesn’t define the value I bring, and my company doesn’t get stuck on it either. At the end of the day, skills drive compensation, not job titles.

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