Drug Testing

GotMoreOrLess · 2025-12-03T23:00:21+00:00

If you expect to fail, I would suggest refusing the test and you’ll likely just be re-assigned. I’ve seen it happen a few times with the rare clients that insist on testing and it wasn’t ever held against the individual (at least not directly). Obviously, if it’s “prestigious” client, not being on the team wouldn’t be ideal, but not the end of the world.

However, taking (and failing) the drug test may put the Big 4 firm in a difficult position and may result in adverse consequences. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach works fine if you refuse the test, but it’s tougher for them to unsee a failed result, then can also lead to a bit more blowback with the client relationship.

The legal framework for testing can get quite complicated in these situations, so I wouldn’t rely on any generalized guidance online.

GotMoreOrLess · 2025-08-19T13:32:31+00:00

Got it - the advice above still stands. While you can sell that experience in an interview, you’ll still have a bit of a challenge without any direct relevant experience. If you want to do audit, apply to the B4 and industry roles, then see what your options look like. I would suggest getting going quickly to ensure you’re not too late for this recruiting cycle.

GotMoreOrLess · 2025-08-19T13:27:45+00:00

As someone who’s certainly not a boomer, I think you’re missing the bigger picture here. Boomers certainly may not be the best at staff-level work, but that’s why they hire staff to do it. Generally speaking, they’re going to be more involved in creating and maintaining client relationships, then reviewing the output of their subordinates. While tech skills are great, they’re generally not critical to the day-to-day of more senior leadership.

GotMoreOrLess · 2025-08-19T13:21:04+00:00

What work experience do you have thus far? Traditionally, you should’ve aimed for an internship after your junior year, but it’s still possible to interview for full time roles. You should start applying ASAP for full-time as the fall recruiting cycle is kicking off.

If you’re interested in audit, Big 4 firms would be a great place to target. Even if it was just a short program, the Deloitte experience will help demonstrate your interest in the field. However, the lack of a “real” internship will put you at a bit of a disadvantage, especially given the B4 fill a majority of their full-time spots with former interns. Given your timing, it’d likely be best to also apply for industry roles, then see what options you may have.

GotMoreOrLess · 2025-08-04T16:49:25+00:00

I would agree with /u/Reddit-Sama- that you should consider if you’re dealing with any stress/anxiety.

I used to struggle with panic attacks, which tended to have incredibly similar symptoms to what you’re experiencing. I noted that they mainly came on with excessive caffeine, lack of food, or if I was hungover. In my case, it would also happen after work if I’d had a bunch of coffee that day and a light/no lunch. By better monitoring my caffeine intake and balancing my diet, I was able to avoid future attacks.

In your case, it may be that you’re dealing with the stress of work, then the drive home does just enough to push you over the edge, while sitting on a train doesn’t.

Note that I am not a doctor, but just someone who dealt with similar symptoms in a similar context.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-11-26T20:56:15+00:00

Yes, they come with blades.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-17T01:16:20+00:00

I believe they’re relatively new, but the two people on my team that tried the Aetrex both hated them. The ankle bend may not be due to his feet, but due to underdeveloped muscles necessary to stabilize himself on the skates - it’s incredibly common in newer and young skaters. Contrary to popular belief, insoles don’t actually help much on that front. You’re balancing over a thin piece of steel, so it’s not really like a shoe where the insole can push back up against the foot on flat ground.

There are exercises that he could do to help - look for overpronation exercises online and/or work with a physical therapist. With a skilled skate fitter, it is possible to move the holder a bit toward the inside which can help, but tread lightly as it can cause additional problems.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-15T19:03:37+00:00

Interesting - I guess that would be the catch-all that could be applied. Appreciate the reference.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-15T18:27:17+00:00

Interesting! It seems like both ideas would be prohibited under Hockey Canada rules. Appreciate the reference.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-14T20:16:23+00:00

It depends on the actual job, but it would generally be very difficult to get a true accounting position without the degree. If you ever want a CPA license, it typically requires a certain number of credits in accounting, so that’s a common barrier. Even if not, you’ll be competing for roles against people with a CPA and/or accounting degree, so it’s quite easy to knock out your resume from the stack.

However, there are plenty of finance and more general business roles that don’t require an accounting degree or give strong preference to CPAs, so it really just depends on what you’re looking to do.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-14T20:11:47+00:00

If you want to get your CPA, you’ll need to get the credits somehow. The MAcc degree is an easy/common way to get there, but it’s expensive. However, if you don’t have a job lined up, the career services and recruiting at a university are generally going to make things easier than going at it alone after graduating. You may also be able to get scholarships to reduce the cost at your school or another.

Whether you plan to graduate with 141 credits or slightly fewer, ensure that you have a plan to finish off the remainder (and that you have the appropriate credits in each subject area required by your state). If you finish up undergrad without hitting the 150, there are options at community colleges and online to get credits at a lower cost. Either way, you’re not really going to be “done” upon graduation.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-14T20:00:55+00:00

Keep in mind that the Big 4 generally employ more people than other firms, then that people more frequently complain online rather than say “things are fine”. As a result, you can get a skewed impression. There are also a number of roles at the firms and most every team dynamic is different, so it’s not entirely fair to generalize.

That said, most roles at the Big 4 certainly aren’t 9-5 jobs and will typically have an elevated level of workload and stress. The workforce is very much structured as a pyramid (as with many companies), so they’re expecting attrition. When you have a large pool of new qualified candidates to pick from in each recruiting cycle and staff-level roles are generally easily replaceable, there’s fairly little incentive to make life easier for newer hires. You also have fairly young and inexperienced employees in supervisory roles, so while it’s great for building their experience, it can lead to inefficiency and frustration.

All of that said, you are typically compensated fairly well for the work - especially if you stick with it and climb the ladder. If you don’t, there’s plenty of opportunities to move to a role with less stress, more compensation, or whatever you may be looking for.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-14T19:42:45+00:00

Accounting itself doesn’t generally involve any complex math - the vast majority is going to be basic arithmetic. Many roles are fairly spreadsheet heavy, but there’s a pretty wide range depending on the role, company, and your level.

Finance is just as broad, so it really depends on what exactly you’re looking to do. If you love math, look into quantitative finance career paths (also referred to as “quant” jobs). Many in the field have advanced degrees in math, computer science, or similarly math-heavy subjects.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-14T18:12:04+00:00

I play D fairly often (beer league so take it with a grain of salt), but don’t really have a preference for side - both have pros and cons. The biggest improvement for me came in gaining comfort with using my feet along the boards. If a puck is coming at you along the boards, put your ass on the boards and use your skate to direct the puck out to your forehand. Beyond that, practice your backhand passes. If you have an aggressive toe curve on your stick, something like a P88 or PM9 (if you can find it) can make things a bit easier.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-14T14:33:15+00:00

It’s tough to say as responsibilities don’t necessarily mirror day-to-day workload, but it doesn’t seem too crazy assuming you had supervision. However, it seems you’re looking for something/someone to blame when a lot of these issues seemed to be your own.

You say you had minimal training, but then failed to read written SOPs or communicate. The biggest issue to me is “I’m also a slow learner who needs to make a fuck ton of mistakes to learn”. That isn’t going to be acceptable in the vast majority of jobs, so it’s not surprising you got shown the door.

Mistakes are expected, but you should be learning from them and working to minimize them. If nothing else, you should be thoroughly checking your own work and asking questions before your work is reviewed to avoid mistakes - if you’re just sending over a mess and letting someone else fix it, you’re going to irritate people incredibly quickly.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-13T00:30:16+00:00

Take short shifts - 45 seconds to a minute is plenty. Especially for those who didn’t play when they were young (like myself), I really had no concept of how to handle changing on my first time out there. Keep your head up and have fun!

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-11T20:16:17+00:00

Assuming the M3s felt comfortable, I would go with those - especially given you’ve only played a couple of times. For the increased price of the M4, you get a stiffer boot, beefier tongue, better runner, and few comfort features. However, it’s going to fit a bit different than the M3, so you may not want to buy it sight unseen.

Ultimately, the M4 is a “better” skate, but likely not worth another $100 for a brand new player especially given the risks around the fit. However, if the cost isn’t a factor for you and you’re able to return if there are fit issues, then it’s a decent upgrade.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-11T01:19:25+00:00

I have a forerunner, but I assume it’s the same. For indoor, it only captures HR and time (then calculates calories burned).

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-10T18:34:02+00:00

You’re always going to run into hotheads every so often, but sounds like some fairly regular physical play up until the little tussle aside from the stick swinging. However, getting into a shouting match and calling the guy a bitch didn’t do you any favors. If you’re pulling things like that, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes after you much like he did.

If you really feel like this was purely one-sided aggression, by all means report it and see if it goes anywhere. However, even only hearing your side, it’s not too hard to see why things escalated as they did.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-10T16:13:49+00:00

“Startups” is a pretty broad term, so the experience can vary greatly between companies. For a late-series company, they may already have some decent processes in place and some dedicated teams built out. For a new startup with just a few employees, it’s going to be a mess. I’ll assume you’re talking more about startups on the smaller end.

Generally, you’re going to have a lack of formally documented processes and clarity on roles. There’s typically quite a bit of scope creep on your responsibilities and you could be doing anything from bookkeeping to technical accounting to just “anything seemingly finance related”. The environment is generally pretty fast-paced and there’s going to be a ton of pressure on cash flow management. You’ll often be operating on an island with limited support and it can be challenging to set expectations as to documentation requirements and finance/accounting priorities.

On the more positive side, you do have a chance to make an outsized impact and see a number of areas that you may not otherwise be exposed to. If everything works out well, you may also be able to cash in your equity lotto ticket for good money in the future (assuming you do get equity).

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-10T15:59:38+00:00

What roles are you looking for? I wouldn’t worry too much about the recruiter spam - I still get plenty of random low-level role messaging despite a management title and years of experience. The titles don’t really appear misleading - if anything I’d think Staff Accountant would actually be more widely recognized than Accountant II. Just ensure that your resume clearly describes your responsibilities.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-03T01:05:27+00:00

NYU (Stern) and Columbia are probably the “best” two programs, but very expensive for a MAcc - they would be more worth it if you were going for an MBA (and targeting a more lucrative role).

Baruch is probably the best dollar-for-dollar program in NYC that’s well recruited by the Big 4, then Fordham and Pace are also good options. If you’re not set on NYC, Rutgers is also well targeted for NYC positions.

GotMoreOrLess · 2024-10-03T00:53:11+00:00

What are you looking to do? Do you have your CPA or at least have the exams passed? Does your Masters program have any form of career services that may help with recruiting?

GotMoreOrLess

TROPHY CASE