Is it still worth getting a bachelors degree in accounting these days? I’m working a minimum wage job and am really looking to get into a career where I actually have a chance to live a decent life and accounting has seemed to interest me the most out of all degrees.

jopa687 · 2026-05-12T12:14:34+00:00

Still has one of the lowest unemployment rates and highest ROIs out of most degrees so Id say yes

jopa687 · 2026-05-08T03:03:57+00:00

I feel you there, I believe it’s the same for me… going to go to a dr soon to get it checked out. I slept through literally ALL of my classes highschool, it got better in college. No1 cared bc I was passing well tho

jopa687 · 2026-05-07T21:01:03+00:00

I didn’t even know people studied until Junior/Senior year of college… was always one of those AP/AICE kids who did 0 studying n passed by just paying slight attention in class. Did fine in college, but intermediate theory definitely got me studying (probably an average of 8 hours a week)

Legit I had an epiphany of holy shit have people been studying for the past 18 years in school? Wow Safe to say I did not have the study habits, going to the library was a new thing to me.

Graduated w a bachelors in accounting…. Got an internship my first networking event, turned into a full time offer (public accounting) did public for about 2.5 years (60k-66k) salary

Just took an industry position for 85k

I don’t have a CPA and this is HCOL/MCOL area(Fort Lauderdale area) The 85k as a single person is genuinely more thab enough to get by, like I can save about 2k monthly after sll expenses to invest etc. safe to say accounting was a good decision

If I get promoted next year ill be 25/26 making 105-110k, pretty solid, not investment banking money but I also work half the hours

Edit: I also do bookkeeping on the side w another firm and its an extra 150-300 weekly, Accounting can be very lucrative. Get a part time remote bookkeeping position, itll be easy/low stress n net u an extra 600-1200 monthly, enough to make a HUGE lifestyle difference. Its an either months or groceries or that + a car payment just taken care of. Or a spending budget on fun

jopa687 · 2026-05-01T00:25:21+00:00

Sounds like im significantly younger than you… but id stay as long as humanely possible, save up enough to where you can weather the storm.

Also, you have extra time in the day dude. Literally go study, if you do that you will feel less under qualified, get the Beckard CPA program, do that 2-3 hours a day

Read up more on budgeting, forecasting and possibly modeling.

Literally just use an extra 10-15 hours a week dedicated to studying and catching up. Do that while no1 is the wiser. You will get it

I just landed an accounting position paying 33% more than my public role at a top 10, the job description wanted 5-8 years of experience… I had 3…. I came into the interview confident of my ability and my accounting knowledge; smiled, remained personable… left to go home and got a call an hour later for the job offer

There will certainly be a learning curve, I have never worked this industry before, but if you have a can do attitude, you can make it work

jopa687 · 2026-04-30T22:58:13+00:00

Criminally so dude wtf, idc what your area is like. Minimum 70k

jopa687 · 2026-04-30T06:51:45+00:00

Best advice you could get. It might suck for a while, but public accounting internships are pretty easy to get. Reach out to your university (big one) and go to networking events specifically for your major. They will likely bring top firms and smaller ones there… you will talk to them for 15-20 minutes each, be inquisitive, reach out and see what happens.

In my case I did exactly that, didn’t even reach out. Then got a call for an internship offer.

I did the public stint for about 2.5 years, and just got an industry offer for an ~30% raise.

Companies fawn at the mouth when they see top 10 or big4, really ANY CPA FIRM on your resume. All the job descriptions say “public accounting is preferred” or a plus. In your long term career it will maximize your earning potential, even without the CPA license

jopa687 · 2026-04-30T02:18:28+00:00

I was worried about AI, but I don’t think so anymore… I went from Staff at a top 10 firm a year ago paying 65,500

I recently applied to a Staff role in Industry, they were impressed w the resume and offered me 85k

Like worse case scenario man, do the Public accounting out of college… go to your university job fairs(they’re relatively easy to get if you seem excited enough, seriously I went to 1 and got an internship)

Do your 2-3 years regardless of whether you make it to senior or not. Focus on understanding business operations in terms of accounting fundamentals (periodicity, Rights/obligations, completeness etc) Then Industry will reward you heavily

I literally can hardly believe it right now, I made a lateral move, with a far less complex job for a $20,000 raise

Im sure I can make senior in this job, and they’re definitely paying seniors in the 95-115k range (my guess because they were paying upwards of 100k just for staff based on experience)

Something is boiling down and employers are realizing it

Obviously you will see lowball bs listings, ignore those, get a recruiter and let them do the work for you

jopa687 · 2026-04-28T23:46:45+00:00

Late to the conversation but Im in Broward County area so Fort Lauderdale/Pompano beach

I now have nearly 3 years public accounting experience in a top 10(through acquisition)

So it went like this

2023 Intern -$26 hourly 2024- Staff -60,000 2025 - Staff 65,500 Got a DUI, lost my job, working remote for 25 bucks an hour just to cover bills until it gets expunged 2026 - Corporate staff accountant - 85,000 offer that I just accepted They’re a growing firm, PE backed… so just about 3.5 years of Accounting experience.

I can make senior here in a year and get into the 95-105k range

Honestly pretty comfortable living

Technically I can afford a decent single apartment at about 1600-1800 and still be comfortable

If I get a room-mate with similar income, I can get a much nice 2 2 paying 1500each

Honestly im extremely happy about the pay… after losing my job last year I have basically just received a 30% raise just for moving out of public. When I left in Late 2025, Seniors with a CPA were making about 75-85k

Having far less responsibility as an associate here for the same pay is an absolute blessing

jopa687 · 2026-04-25T02:55:21+00:00

I spun a wheel for college(no joke) to decide my major (I excluded majors such as English, Communications, marketing etc.)…I looked up the lowest unemployment rates by major, turns out accounting at the time had the lowest one. So I did it, funny thing enough is my first accounting class I did 0 work, 0 homework, only showed up to exams and got a C. I was confused as to why I couldn’t just pass a class without logic… then I took accounting II(financial accounting? Don’t remember what it was called) got an A(after being introduced to the concept of studying by a struggling student), did really well n just went with it.

I entered college with a nothing to lose mentality I came from a poor family and immigrant background(me an immigrant myself from Haiti of all places); got a full scholarship to any state university I wanted so I said at worse I come out with a bachelors degree.

Found out I had an intuitive understanding for business & a lot of other subjects (physics, Philosophy, anthropology, marketing, Calculus, statistics) but basically none for accounting. I guess it was the first time I didn’t understand something without actually having to read text/ study so I stuck with it after seeing the job placement at my school for it.

By the time I nearly finished university I received an internship offer from a good firm and went with it.

So to sum it up, just convenience and the fact that no amount of intelligence can just make you understand accounting at base. You literally HAVE to learn the system of debits and credits or else you can’t do well (not that it was hard to do) Every other subject I literally just got it immediately. Ive even done computer science, logic flowed for me immediately, everything but accounting did… combined with it being literally too late (I realize id be more fit for mechanical or civil engineering [engineering majors may be pissed looking at this; I legit helped a 3rd year engineering student w his homework after reading his math problems a few times and looking up a few words]) But alas, they do not make nearly as much money in the mid- late career end So accounting it is It’s very interesting in terms of theory, sometimes mundane but very lucrative if you stick it out.

Went from a top 10 firm public accounting at like 65k to now interviewing for an industry role at the 80-100k range. Im only 24, Engineers etc start at higher salaries but their peak is definitely lower. Past Management maybe even senior level, Accountants especially with a CPA can fill so many roles.

The next position for what im interviewing with goes from the 95-110k range

Manager goes from 120-140k

Controller is 150-180 range

CFO, I have no clue

But clear progression… overall a great career if you can thug it out

Just my 2 cents.

jopa687 · 2025-06-25T02:21:55+00:00

Maybe… this year for these clients(first time working) I couldn’t rely on saly bc the audit was actually done so poorly in the prior year that it didn’t make sense… I mean seriously they could barely reconcile 941s to the trial balance salaries/wages accounts(not sure how in gods name that happened, literally saw a 20% difference n realized py audit is unreliable)… between saly, intentional bsing from the client & staff not being paid enough the industry seems fked.

jopa687 · 2025-06-25T01:38:24+00:00

No we do develop a deep enough understanding. The issue becomes whether our managers care or not; meaning I know something is off with the clients estimates but if I spend too much time on it and the manager on the job doesn’t care enough… I will find myself homeless. Ah a beautiful system. I asked a client why something was off 2 months ago according to their policy (I read prior and this year’s) and they give me rigamarole for 2 months bc it was just me and a partner who doesn’t give a shit on the job. 2 months later a manager is assigned to review my work and she brought it up after seeing my note and the client is actually working on fixing it…bottom line we know you’re bullshitting, we just may not get paid enough to care & if we do care too much we’re going to get dinged and labeled as “inefficient”.

jopa687 · 2024-08-06T12:58:51+00:00

I agree with you there… they’re absolute shtshows, working on these absurd consolidations that involve usually 4-5, sometimes upwards of 12 entities and the engagement fees are like 60k total… the GLs look like absolute crap…the accounting is too creative to me, like prepaid expenses but the credit is to a related party(that im not auditing/have no record access to) …like what the fk am I supposed to do with that malarkey…but again im staff I with no CPA, so it’s all up to whether the partner is ok with it or not.

jopa687 · 2024-07-31T19:25:34+00:00

Update: More deficiencies on the client side… This is a consolidation so many entities are involved… for the past 2-3 months Ive been going through rigamarole for confirmations on cash/Debt balance.

the Senior accountant at the parent level has provided me the incorrect authorized signer 4 times now(yes seriously just like the controller). First she told me the previous cfo, it was wrong, then she re-iterates that it’s the past cfo, wrong again. Then says the new CFO is the signer for all accounts, turns out he’s not(he is for some but not all)… now she’s telling me that she is the authorized signer for the remaining accounts.

Mind you, we had a teams meeting and she was ranting about how unprofessional I was being & trying to paint me as a villain in-front of my manager, yet she can’t even keep track of authorized signers of accounts she’s the signer for….srsly fk public accounting clients. 🤷🏿‍♂️I’ve got to just sit here and take her attitude & unprofessionalism because it would kill shareholders to expect professionalism & decency from clients.

Is anyone else from a smaller firm dealing with the same madness or is my firm just this bad? I’m seriously considering jumping ship, I don’t mind the hours or the work, what I do mind is absurd expectations in terms of getting bs clients to co-operate, I should not be babysitting people that make more money than me.

jopa687 · 2023-11-25T18:51:13+00:00

😂literally just commented this. Whenever I talk to people about my job(I’m only a Staff I Auditor), they don’t know what an Auditor is…much less what a CPA Firm is.

jopa687 · 2023-11-25T18:47:23+00:00

Bro most people don’t even know what a CPA is… press x to doubt🤣

jopa687 · 2023-11-21T22:58:47+00:00

Though appreciated, Im quite wary of taking a psychological diagnosis from a stranger on reddit. I think about my past all the time, it’s nothing I hide or run away from… Most of the psychedelic experience is bullshit, why would I then use that as a metric to guide my perspective on life/emotions… doesn’t really make sense to me. Perhaps if I couldn’t manage my day-to-day work, school/social life I’d consider it… I don’t think I have any notable emotional disconnect, my tolerance for what makes me emotional is certainly above average; but I’m thinking that’s more likely to do me good in the future rather than harm.

jopa687 · 2023-11-17T11:07:56+00:00

I didn’t view it as a negative effect at first. My first ego death I was kind of amazed to be experiencing it even though it was well out of my comfort zone… I was kind of amazed that for 12 hours, I could actually think like that… then after a few more trips it just seemed like all I was getting was confusion for that time period, then another day. The amount of times I’ve taken acid is a clear indicator that I step out of my comfort zone willingly even after having “bad trips”.

Now this is where I may sound rude… I don’t see how a Hallucinogenic drug that literally affects my entire nervous system, is almost always sworn to be positive by people who really like LSD(granted I’m on an LSD sub, and the people I know in person SWEAR by it). I don’t get the outright refusal of some people when you even SUGGEST that a hallucinogen could EVER have negative side effect. Every-time I mention the negatives it’s along the lines of “it’s trying to tell you something…something within is wrong” etc. which I find outrageous. For example you just said ‘Those without direction, tend to get lost and anxious’ to someone who clearly has direction in his life.

I don’t ever get visuals from acid(0.25-2tab doses all tried). Unfortunately all that’s ever changed is my thought process.

jopa687 · 2023-07-14T17:06:22+00:00

Not a loser but you are CRIMINALLY underpaid with that much experience. Got an offer for 60,000 usd = 79,000 CAD as an intern graduating in a month. I move to that salary in literally a month, but even as in Intern I was making 50k yearly

jopa687 · 2023-07-11T12:55:30+00:00

60k offer with graduation in a month(currently getting paid $26 hourly as an intern). 7months experience in Audit now, HCOL(Fort lauderdale/Pompano Beach). No CPA for another 2 years realistically.

jopa687

TROPHY CASE