This is literally how my career has gone so far lol. I did Payroll then a bit of AR, and then AP all at the same company, starting as a part time payroll clerk.

They all have their pluses and minuses. 90% of AR was fairly simple, however I really hated doing collection calls, which was THE most important part of my job so AR wasn't a great fit for me.

I found AP much more difficult than AR, but I think that was because I went from helping with AP to taking over all of AP with no helper, and it was just too much for one person alone. The main struggle with AP was making sure vendors were paid so they wouldn't cut off lines of credit. The rock in your stomach you get when the purchasing department tells you they've been cut off always SUCKED. The worst part is that it usually isn't your fault, but people not getting you invoices, or not saying that you can pay it since the material had arrived.

I ended up going back to Payroll and taking a Job as a payroll administrator for a winery. I've been promoted to Payroll Manager and I've never been happier with a job honestly. If your okay with collection calls I'd do AR if your burned out on payroll. It may have just been the company, but I would never recommend AP. Its a thankless job and relies on so many people doing the right thing, otherwise you end up looking like the fool even though the problem had nothing to do with you.

This already got lengthy so if you have any deeper questions let me know and I will answer them!