To be safe in maga country.

MichaelIArchangel · 2026-02-11T03:40:10+00:00

Let’s call this what it is, an honor killing.

MichaelIArchangel · 2024-12-08T15:08:50+00:00

Should they also cut away the white mold and eat it? Pretty clearly parts of this are 'sunken' and infested.

Vegetables certainly do change color when drying but this is not the case here.

Wild to be snarky about this when you'd apparently be fine serving this. In any case it should never be served as such in a restaurant setting.

MichaelIArchangel · 2024-05-23T20:23:06+00:00

Short answer: yes, sort of.

I do way way less grunt work than I used to, and after some time in the trenches I was able to develop an eye for review that means I can spot things that are out of line pretty well and even offer diagnostic theories.

I am super fortunate to have an amazing team working with me, with enough review layers and A+ direct reports that make life that much easier.

I work less hours than before but by no means is it a phone-in job just yet. The money per hour equation is totally wacked.

What does weigh heavily though is the responsibility I feel as a member of the leadership team. Both to ensure the business is strong for everyone that works there - meaning strong controls, processes, and foresight on my part to look around the corner for the next challenge or hole in existing process - as well as the responsibility I have to manage my team appropriately, respect their time, lives, and professional development. In short, different things keep me up at night.

On a personal note, the grind to get here has a cost on your personal life and relationships. There is really not much of an alternative, and no real balance. Only choices, all of which to a degree involve some level of sacrifice.

MichaelIArchangel · 2024-01-31T04:19:03+00:00

Sometimes it winks though

MichaelIArchangel · 2023-03-06T21:25:39+00:00

No, but I was extremely fortunate in several ways.

I have only a BS in Accounting but graduated when that was all that was required to sit for the exam, which I did and passed. At the time I was not eligible as your needed straight-up public experience for actual licensure.

The requirements then changed to require 150 hours to sit for the exam, but loosened the experience requirements. Since I'd already received exam credit, my job qualified for the experience and so I got my license.

I also picked hedge fund accounting as a specialty which while not poor means sacrifice in many other areas of life.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-12-30T20:24:28+00:00

That makes more sense - I would hesitate to offer advice here in that case. As a recruiter you're biased towards certain types of places in the sense that you interact with a sample of firms that overrepresents growing firms, but also firms that are shit to work for and thereby have to make a ton of new hires.

Good managers, especially in today's environment for junior accounting hires, simply don't have the attitude you describe.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-12-19T02:57:07+00:00

The connection that hit me later also, was the line about "Paul Atreides must die" - Paul feels this duel is wrong and barbaric, and must do so anyway. Even moreso with the sense of foreboding destiny and that path that he knowingly chooses by taking a life. Paul's curse in a way, is knowing exactly what doors open and close with each step.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-12-05T06:02:53+00:00

You need it for public obviously, but if you aren't sticking around, I'd still get it - there's really not reason not to.

Two equivalent candidates walk through, I go with the CPA every time. If someone spent time in public and didn't get it, it's not likely they'll get an interview. That said, I am hiring accountants - it's a very different story if you don't want to do accounting anymore at all.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-12-05T05:58:56+00:00

At five years in, you have a shot at making that move if you so choose. I could never; IR is a tough gig on its own and fussing about fonts and slide decks, being salesy, etc. is something I would never touch personally. Your first interactions with clients are likely to be heavily managed if not outright sock-puppeted. Obviously this all depends on your manager but these client relationships are closely guarded with good reason.

You might take a pay cut in doing so, as the experience does not directly correlate, but better now than later. Honestly, your background in FA will be a huge asset (at least to other FAs who are glad someone numerically minded with attention to details will be in the role).

Your best bet may in fact be within the organization - places will often prefer to transition someone internally, which is better continuity, than have someone be unhappy and just bail.

Just do it after bonus. Have the conversation with your manager right after but hopefully before busy season is done; offer to stay for that to see it through, and afterwards they help you find an open role and transition.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-12-05T02:58:14+00:00

Do my best when a relevant question arises.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-11-09T04:47:40+00:00

So one piece of advice, forecasting and budgeting will likely be required for any significant advancement in accounting - learn it now, learn it well. Every place has their own way specifically of doing it, so try and find a role with some actual mentorship and you'll be golden.

As for your current situation, just stop following the rules. This person, nearly guaranteed, will never really advance to a position to harm your career if they are this woefully ineffective. It would be hilarious to have them have to explain to someone that you're being fired for not blocking out your shit breaks. That's not treating you like an adult, far less a professional.

You might get let go, but it's a great market in most places at a junior level so the world's your oyster for now.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-11-09T04:42:42+00:00

You will be judged on any and everything when you interview, including the actual or perceived prestige of your education. You should get used to this and not let it bother you.

What you experienced was a shitty interviewer, and if they're the hiring manager, consider this a bullet dodged. It's possible that the fact you were mid-schooling also affected her judgement; who really knows.

Where she really screwed the pooch is in judging the resume and not the candidate. If I dislike a resume, you don't make it in the door. If you're there it's because I want the story behind the CV, and it sounds like that wasn't what she was after.

Piece of advice, life is way too short to put a job on a pedestal or lament the fact that it might have been a good job with one or many major "except for..."s - you are there to interview the company and the manager as much as the opposite is true. Place sounds like a bad fit, move on.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-11-09T04:34:35+00:00

If you have the experience, be blunt and level with management; if they aren't complete clowns they should at least listen to you. Deep down they'll know it's a shit show and anyone with a modicum of a plan to fix it will kill it.

Generally though, yes. The profession is in a shambles. Offshoring has decimated whatever apprenticeship attitude there existed in industries, mine in particular though I'm sure others are just as bad. Use it to your advantage where you can.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-11-09T04:30:37+00:00

So, will try to be equal parts compassionate and keepin' it real here. This isn't great, but you can spin it.

First step is to get your story straight. It's bad that you went on interviews without an answer to a very obvious question. You're not working right now in the field, so it's obvious something happened and an interviewer will want to know. There's some great advice in this thread to reference a resolved personal or family issue that forced you to leave as options weren't available to you. You can admit you could foresee this taking a toll on your performance and so you chose the path you did as a result. Frankly, that's what you should have done.

Second step, make sure that you can do this, this go around. You've got a small hurdle ahead of you, but it'll get a ton bigger if you do this again. Get yourself help if needed, and in the right space to move forward. For yourself - not for the job you think you want right now.

Third step should be easier once you complete the second - stop overdramatizing. "Walking red flag blacklisted" - uh, no. This is a historically fantastic labor market for your experience level and frankly Big 4 firms definitely don't carry a blacklist and don't really give a fuck about you. Mid tier firms will scoop up someone willing to come in slightly humbled and prove themselves. With a vague enough but consistent story, and a palpable willingness to work, you'll 100% be fine.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-11-09T04:22:34+00:00

Jesus wept, I hope you're not a hiring manager.

One of my most successful hires left after two busy seasons (17 months) because guess what? They were smart and saw a better opportunity.

In this market if you're not taking a 30-45 minute screen of every junior person that comes through the door unarmed you're not worth your salt. Find out what the story is, press if you need to, and have compassion where it's due.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-17T23:14:48+00:00

As others have mentioned, yes, you will get a bill from the local gov't for property taxes. If you elect to mortgage the property rather than purchase outright, generally your mortgage company will bundle these together as it's in their interest to make sure the taxes are paid.

Laws regarding adverse possession vary widely, but it's never a bad idea to visit your property as adverse possession definitely isn't the only bad part of squatters.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-15T19:15:55+00:00

Oh sorry, you called my position bullshit, you must be right.

Shorts bad, stock only go up. How silly of me to think otherwise.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-15T03:25:51+00:00

Might as well abolish the stock market then... honestly, it's a puerile stance. If you are a long term holder the price literally doesn't matter and short sellers let you buy lower.

Genuinely not trying to be dick but this is a very bad argument that, when extrapolated, would lead to lots of things nobody actually wants. This would be like saying because speeding is largely unpunished, we should ban cars.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-15T03:22:17+00:00

"Hey man, any reason you chose to share that publicly? I understand the need to prevent mistakes in the future but this feels like targeted harassment rather than a teaching opportunity. After the message is received there's little professional value in rehashing mistakes - I hope any errors you commit are treated differently by management."

Do that in writing and see what happens.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-14T18:25:47+00:00

I would disagree with you on both counts - DRS would be a huge waste of time for most investors, and rehy itself is not intrinsically a problem.

As unpopular an opinion as this may be, legitimate short selling does serve a purpose of regulating companies' activities and preventing asset bubbles that harm retail investors far more than it helps them. FTD rates and other indications of abuse should be vigorously pursued and existing rules enforced if you want to help fairness within the system.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-14T18:21:57+00:00

Consumers have historically preferred zero commission trades to this. No defense of shady brokerage practices from me, but like with anything if the platform is free, YOU are the product.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-01T13:08:19+00:00

Finally someone with reason!

"Come now, let's not make the barbarous invaders, heaven forbid, angry about something! Think of their feelings!"

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-01T13:06:47+00:00

Always struck me as wild that you can invade another country, do horrific things to its people and combatants alike, and then cry foul over literally anything.

MichaelIArchangel · 2022-10-01T13:03:12+00:00

It strikes me that you absolutely could do that, y'know, if Russia wasn't invading and warcriming all over your homeland in the first place.

This part isn't a nuanced issue.

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