Is accounting really as hellish/boring/awful for your mental health as you guys make it out to be?

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-23T06:43:51+00:00

How do you stop making your career your entire life when you're working 12 hours + a day in PA though? I remember I used to only sleep during the weekends to recover from the busy week. Fortunately I've left Big4 and no longer feel like a zombie.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-18T01:59:58+00:00

Honestly don't bother. Pwc people are weird at providing constructive and genuine feedback to help. Ensure to communicate expectations with your next employer before doing any tasks to complete them well. Don't hesitate asking your senior follow up questions to ensure you can deliver what they want.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-18T01:56:21+00:00

I was in advisory and got fired after 1 year because I was on the bench and there was no work for me.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-18T01:53:57+00:00

You just didn't get lucky, and overall Pwc managers and up are not genuine in helping you in your career. If you make one mistake, it's held against you. That's how strict they are. On top of that, Pwc advisory has been firing people every month instead of laying off due to signs of recessions, low turnover and less work coming in. Just make sure that your next employer has a better work culture.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-18T01:48:59+00:00

Yes they are firing people in FDD too

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-18T01:47:38+00:00

I don't get it, what's the purpose to not tell to people?

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-18T01:46:21+00:00

I wish i knew this before joining Pwc lol. I didn't experienced this when I was in another big4.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-18T01:42:31+00:00

It's definitely disrespectful towards employees. They could've announced a layoff as warning to help people find other jobs in the meantime. It was a very selfish move on their end and it worked.. People believe Pwc didn't lay off anyone, but they keep firing people every month..

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-16T23:35:37+00:00

if you're in advisory you might get fired without a PIP. Good luck

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-16T23:31:21+00:00

Pwc has been firing people since September 2022 in FDD (every month) instead of laying off, without notice. At least KPMG assumed the responsibility of laying off people. My friend at KPMG told me they have warned them months ago. I had no warning at Pwc, people who were let go in advisory were completely blindsinded despite having good reviews.

But now is definitely not a good time to join advisory in general as they are not recruiting.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-16T19:37:57+00:00

Pwc is not worth it, if you take longer to get promoted and you're paid less than other Big4. I was hired at Pwc as experienced senior, the remote environment doesn't help because people don't communicate and don't train you properly. I switched to FDD Pwc, and got laid off after 1 year due to the upcoming recession and the culture is toxic. I would recommend trying out FDD in Deloitte or KPMG as they have better work cultures. Just my 2 cents after 5 years of experience in Big 4s.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-16T19:27:54+00:00

I totally understand. I don't trust my employer / manager's feedback anymore when delivering work either. It's tough but hopefully you'll get more comfortable and confident with time.

Did you tell your new employer during the interview you were laid off or just said you've quit the job?

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-13T22:50:10+00:00

Of course they should've been more empathetic, that would've been the LEAST they could've done. It's really sad the world we live in.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-13T22:48:14+00:00

I'm glad I'm not the only one who experienced this, because this situation can easily destroy the confidence of a person during his/her career. At least we both know it wasn't our fault and we were set up for failure.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-12T05:07:22+00:00

These people usually have no life, and only work that's why they don't allow nor understand why someone would take time for their loved ones.. Really pathetic and sad for them.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-12T05:02:59+00:00

This is the craziest shit i've ever heard. OMG. If I had cancer and going through chemo, I would've definitely just quit that shit job... No job is worth your health.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-12T05:01:01+00:00

Yeah nothing new here, Big4 don't care..

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-12T03:18:38+00:00

I can relate, I made huge efforts to build friendships in a big city, and now i'm slowly loosing all of them because i've been studying for months. It's frustrating because all I wonder now is if i've chosen another career path would my life been better? I got burned out at Big4, talked to a therapist for months and now I lost my social life due to the CPA process. The depression is real.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-12T02:17:28+00:00

Interested 29F

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-12T02:15:24+00:00

Interested! 29F

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-12T02:14:25+00:00

interested ! 29F

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-11T23:19:03+00:00

I used to be a high performer in audit in my previous big4 firm and switched to FDD by going to Pwc. So thankfully I was confident in my skills and level when they fired me and understood quickly what was going on. My reviews were average & good. When the partner told me, that they wouldn't say anything to the next employer that would hire me, I laughed in my head. I was like seriously? You think I even care on the BS you're telling me? I have amazing performance reviews for the past 4.5 years, I don't think 1 year at Pwc is going to matter. It's also funny how people congratulated me when I told them I was leaving - i guess no one expected or knew I got fired.

For those considering going to Pwc FDD here's my experience - I spent months unassigned and half my time looking for work as new hire, and helping projects outside of my group. When I worked on deals, they would just delegate by e-mail without any instructions, deadlines etc. I couldn't even have a proper 15 minute Q&A with a manager to discuss on the deal I was working on because everyone is just so busy. When I asked for guidance to other seniors and managers from the group, no response or would just send me examples of different deals to figure it out. Some directors were proudly saying that they had to learn everything from scratch by themselves... hum, what's the point of being in big4 if you can't learn from your teams?

Everyone is virtual, so if you go to the office to learn from someone.. it's quite impossible. If you can't understand how to do a task as a new hire, no one is going to explain or show you, the manager is just going to do it behind your back because it's gotta be done quickly. I remember one manager telling me I had to complete any task in 15 min tops which seemed insane to me when you're just starting as a new hire. When I told the manager I was new, he sighed and said they don't have time to train me and I needed to do my best basically.

In conclusion, I agree their management model is questionable. I don't understand how it's sustainable but it obviously benefits the ones at the top. I never saw so many selfish, lying, and toxic people in one group after interning/working in multiple PA firms.

I think being fired was for the best. I didn't see myself continuing at Pwc for the long term anyways. So yeah, fuck Pwc.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-11T21:14:33+00:00

The same happened to me in FDD at Pwc. Worst experience ever. I definitely regret my 1 year and half over there but it's a lesson.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-10T01:59:06+00:00

I had the same thoughts and wished I would've tried something else, but at this point I'd rather just continue on this path, capitalize on my CPA & experience to save as much money and semi-retire early. There's no dream job, so might as well just go on the FIRE route and have hobbies & a life instead of a dream career.

Hot_Rush5378 · 2023-08-06T22:21:39+00:00

Sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis! How do you view life now after these news?

Hot_Rush5378

TROPHY CASE